PERUĆAC LAKE AND DRINA - PEACEFUL VACATION IN PURE NATURE

The traditional Pančić Regatta on Lake Perućac is the only one in BiH that takes place upstream, and some other water-based activities are an integral part of the Drina National Park, which offers peace and relaxation in pure nature, attracting an increasing number of nature lovers and ecologists.

By: Miro PEJIĆ

SREBRENICA, SEPTEMBER 5 /SRNA/ - Before the last war, Srebrenica, along with Ilidža, Banja Vrućica and Fojnica, was one of the most famous and most visited spa resorts in BiH, hosting around 90,000 tourists annually.

Spa and hunting tourism brought significant income to the budget of this municipality. With the cessation of the Guber Spa two and a half decades ago, Srebrenica disappeared from the tourist map, although it possesses rich natural and historical potential for the development of tourism. Hunting tourism has also died out, at least the legal one.

The Director of the Municipal Tourist Organization Slaviša Petrović told SRNA that among these potentials, the picturesque Drina canyon and the reservoir Perućac Lake on that river stand out, which are becoming an attractive and challenging destination for an increasing number of tourists, especially adventurers.

GOAL - TO USE POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVE TOURISM

He said that the current tourist orientation of Srebrenica is active tourism, which includes hiking, hunting, fishing, visiting historical sites and heritage sites, religious tourism, collecting medicinal herbs and forest fruits, as well as rowing and other water activities.

"There are the cliffs of the unique Drina canyon, where chamois browse, and they are attractive to climbers, as is the entire canyon, which is challenging for extreme sports enthusiasts, paragliders, mountaineers, but also divers and other fans of various sports and water activities such as sailing, swimming and fishing," said Petrović.

The Drina canyon is also interesting for biologists and researchers of flora and fauna, as this area is home to a multitude of rare plant species. It is home to the endemic Pančić spruce, as well as brown bears and chamois, with griffon vultures soaring above.

HOW TO VALIDATE EXISTING TOURIST POTENTIAL?

Because of all this potential, natural beauty, medieval towns and necropolises of monumental medieval tombstones, as well as overall biodiversity, the area was declared a national park.

The Drina National Park, established in 2017, encompasses 6,315 hectares on the left side of the river of the same name, above the Perućac reservoir in the Srebrenica municipality.

The forests above the canyon are rich in various types of mushrooms and game and are linked to the special Sušica Hunting Ground, within which the medicinal willow herb grows, as well as many other types of medicinal herbs, and there are also large areas where blueberries thrive.

Tourist interest in staying, vacationing or other activities on Perućac Lake is increasing year by year, and they camp there every summer, while hundreds of lovers of this river and pure nature spend their summers in nearby houses and cottages. However, these facilities are not registered for tourist services and there is no data on the number of overnight stays.

DEVELOPMENT IS HINDERED BY INSUFFICIENT ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Due to insufficient accommodation capacity on this lake, excursion tourism is the most prevalent, which brings no or minimal income.

Petrović pointed out that the Guber promenade and picnic area above Srebrenica is still visited by tourists, many of whom come to drink and take home the healing water of Guber, to walk and enjoy the lush nature with the chirping of birds in an environment that was officially declared an air spa less than two years ago.

In the area of the Srebrenica municipality, 50 necropolises with more than 1,000 monumental medieval tombstones have been registered, which, along with five medieval abandoned towns and the archaeological site from the Roman era in Skelani, is a historical heritage worthy of the attention of all lovers of the past, history and knowledge in general.

For lovers of religious tourism, the medieval monasteries in Sase and Karn, the protected and preserved remains of a sixth-century Orthodox church in Orahovica, and the 15th-century Catholic church and 17th-century mosque are attractive.

In order to revive hunting tourism, education and competitions in clay pigeon shooting are held at the Vitez shooting range, and the first cases of commercial bear shooting in the Srebrenica hunting ground have also been recorded.

"With the aim of developing active tourism, 360 kilometers of bicycle paths have been developed, of which 105 kilometers are marked with the aim of organizing rides and raising awareness about healthy living, the beauty and importance of clean nature," Petrović pointed out.

PERUĆAC LAKE - TOURIST ATTRACTION AND CHALLENGE

The traditional Pančić Regatta on this lake, the only one in BiH that is run upstream, as well as some other water-based activities, are an integral part of the offer of this tourist destination within the Drina National Park, which offers peace and relaxation in pure nature, far from the hustle and bustle of the streets and the noise of cars, which has recently attracted an increasing number of nature lovers and ecologists.

The nature around this part of the Drina River, on both sides, is exceptionally clean because it is an almost uninhabited area, without any industrial capacity or pollutants. On the right side is the Tara National Park in Serbia, and on the left bank is the Drina National Park, whose employees are arranging the area in order to create conditions for the stay of a larger number of tourists with different interests.

Above Perućac Lake, a 25-kilometer-long hiking trail has been developed and marked from Klotjevac to Bijele Vode and further to Stublić. It is a very challenging trail that offers a beautiful view of the Drina canyon, the Tara mountain plateau, and enjoyment of these natural beauties.

Oštrika Beach and others along Perućac Lake in the Srebrenica municipality are full every summer, but there is a lack of quality catering services and space to accommodate a large number of tourists and organize their meals.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE FROM ROMAN AGE

Nearby are the old medieval towns of Klotjevac and Đurđevac, several necropolises of monumental medieval tombstones, the largest of which is Zlatovo near Ljeskovik, and just a few kilometers away is the Roman archaeological site and the contents of the Roman Municipium Archaeological Museum in Skelani and the Karno Monastery.

In addition to hiking, conditions are created here for hunting and fishing tourism, for organizing certain sports competitions and water activities, and for scientific research expeditions that wish to explore and study this area rich in a large number of rare grasses and other plant and animal species.

For those who love medieval sights and religious tourism, there is the possibility of visiting the fortress of Despot Stefan Lazarević above Srebrenica, as well as visiting and attending a religious ceremony at the Holy Trinity Monastery from 1242 in Sase near Srebrenica.

The Srebrenica Tourist Organization, with five employees, works on promoting tourism, organizing bicycle rides, hiking trips, the Pančić Regatta and other tourist activities, paying special attention to the registration of accommodation facilities for tourists.

Petrović said that 18 months ago, there were only 36 registered beds for receiving tourists in the Srebrenica municipality, and that during that period five more providers of these services registered, so there is now a total of 174 beds available.

The modest positive indicators in this area are confirmed by the data, according to which a total of BAM 1,750 was collected in 2023 based on the residence tax, BAM 2,586 last year, and BAM 3,210 during the first seven months of this year. The residence tax in Srebrenica is BAM 2.00 per night.

Petrović stated that efforts are being made to reduce the provision of tourist services, or illegal accommodation, and that the first results are visible, as some providers of these services have realized that this is also in their interest. /to be continued/