MORE AND MORE TOURISTS IN ONCE FORGOTTEN TOWN

Thanks to the idea of the celebrated Serbian director Emir Kusturica and the activities of the Government of Republika Srpska, at the confluence of the Rzav and the mighty Drina, next to the famous Sokollu Mehmed Pasha's bridge, the stone town of Andrićgrad sprang up, and Višegrad now "beats" with a new rhythm and a different air, full of warmth, envelops the town on the Drina.

VIŠEGRAD, JULY 18 /SRNA/ - Višegrad, a town on two rivers – the Drina and the Rzav, has been increasingly present on the world's tourist map in recent years and is visited by around 300,000 tourists annually.

Thanks to the idea of the celebrated Serbian director Emir Kusturica and the activities of the Government of Republika Srpska, at the confluence of the Rzav and the mighty Drina, next to the famous Sokollu Mehmed Pasha's bridge, the stone town of Andrićgrad sprang up, and Višegrad now "beats" with a new rhythm and a different air, full of warmth, envelops the town on the Drina.

By building Andrićgrad, Kusturica confirmed his idea to turn Andrić's literary, creative and historical fantasy into a stone town. He said at the time that it would be a city from the imagination of Andrić's readers.

The symbol of Višegrad is the names of world-famous personalities - from the Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who gave back to his homeland, to Ivo Andrić, who, although he was not born in Višegrad, considered it his city and paid it back in the best way with his works, and the great Emir Kusturica, who, with the construction of the visionary work Andrićgrad, belongs to the three greats who marked this town and for whom Višegrad became famous.

Visitors to Andrićgrad, from the entrance gate to the Temple of Saint Emperor Lazar and the Kosovo Great Martyrs, pass through centuries that have flown by in the Drina region.

Architectural styles from different eras, squares, theater buildings, cinemas, shops, a pastry shop, restaurants, the building of the HPP on the Drina River, the City Administration, a hotel, the Andrić Institute, a church, a faculty building - all this makes up the Andrićgrad tourist complex.

Above the entrance to the cinema, on the right side of Mlade Bosne Street, is a mosaic about ten meters long and three meters wide, on which the President of the Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik is pulling a thick rope, helped by Emir Kusturica, Novak Djokovic, and many other people behind him.

An art gallery, a jewelry store, a kebab restaurant, all of this is located on the main Mlade Bosne Street, and then one arrives at Andrić Square, where there is a bronze monument to Ivo Andrić. In front of the Andrić Institute building on Saint Vitus Day 2022, a bronze monument to Meša Selimović was also unveiled, and not far away is a monument to Nikola Tesla.

This city of stone, which has become a cult place for various cultural creators, has become beloved by children, and its squares have become a kind of playground for numerous little ones in the summer months.

The people of Višegrad say that no city has grown as fast as this one, and they are happy that Andrićgrad is right there.

In Višegrad, apart from cultural tourism, an essential city tour that everyone takes is a visit to Andrićgrad, which has fantastic content and where they can linger and walk through a timeline from Byzantine times to the modern era.

Višegrad is also a city of spirituality. There are numerous monasteries, the backbone of which is the 14th-century Dobrun Monastery.

The pearl of spa tourism is the widely known Višegrad Spa, which is expanding its accommodation capacities, tourist content and offer.

Višegrad offers tourists many interesting things to do - from Andrićgrad, the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Bridge, Višegrad Spa, the Dobrun Monastery, but also the opportunity to sail on tourist boats along the beautiful Drina River. For those who are a little more daring, Višegrad also offers a zip line across the Drina.

The private sector has also entered the tourism story. A large number of private accommodations have been registered, so the continuity in the number of arrivals and the trend of increasing the number of overnight stays has continued.

In Višegrad, guests from the former Yugoslav republics are at the forefront, and larger numbers of tourists from Russia and China are also noticeable.

According to the local Tourist Organization, visitors come from about 40 countries. It is no longer just European countries, but also exotic destinations such as Mexico. The Višegrad Tourist Organization has printed tourist brochures in three world languages - Chinese, Russian and German.

After the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, around 20,000 people lived in Višegrad. The largest population outflow was recorded from 1999 to 2004, when residents left the town in search of work and a better life. As a result, the number of residents has now been halved.

The economy was almost dead, there were no benefactors who would remember Višegrad, and for almost two decades everything was closed. Nothing moved, no one came, until the day Kusturica came to this town.

Today, Višegrad is investing in all types of tourism, and in the summer, in this small town, people are looking for more parking spaces.