The area was settled from at least Illyrian and Roman times, but the town itself was first mentioned in 1260, in a document of King Bela IV.
It were these far northwest frontier lands that drew the line between the Ottomans and the Austro-Hungarians. Bihac is a charming little town centered on the banks of the Una River. The town is teeming with café’s that inevitably gravitate around the beautiful Una. It is more than worth a visit to Bihac or any of the towns that live off these emerald waters.
Bihać
It is a great place for a stop over if you're on your way down to the Croatian coast or have visited the Plitvice National Park just across the border. Or better yet, to really experience the magic of this body of water – go stay for a few days, walk along the banks, raft down its amazing falls, or simply sit and listen to the wise tales water always tells.
TO SEE & DO
Close to town is Sokolac, a perfectly preserved fortification built by the Austrians in the 14th century. Christianity and Islam met and often clashed here. The present-day Fathija Mosque was once the Church of St Anton.
The stecci in the square mark the presence of the heretic Bosnian Church in these parts. The town square is dominated by the Kapetanova Tower (used as a lookout tower), the Zvonik Church and an Ottoman turbe, proving the multi-ethnic flavour this community has maintained. The Town Gallery (Bosanska 15; tel/fax: 387 37 223 083; email: gradskagalerija@bih.net.ba; web: www.ggbihac.ba) has very nice exhibits of local artists. It is open Monday to Friday and sometimes at weekends during the summer. Admission is free.
The Pounje Museum ( 387 37 223 214) on the same street is a tiny museum with many Illyrian, Roman, Austrian and Ottoman arte facts discovered in the area. If you ask the folk from Bihac what there is to see their first answer will be the Una. The Una River is treated as a member of the family and the people of Bihac have the strongest collective ecological consciousness in the country. The width of the Una River that runs through the town is about 30m.
The full length of the river, beginning in the Croatian Krajina and entering the Sava at Jasenovac, is 207km. It is the fourth-largest river in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a volume of 270m3 per second. But the people won't tell you that. They will tell you about the blue waters that have dug deep limestone canyons, the fertile valleys fed by her water, their favorite swimming hole as a kid and, without exception, the thrill of whitewater rafting on the mighty Una.
GETTING HERE & AROUND
There are several trains that depart from Bihac's railway station (Bihackih Branilaca bb; tel: 037 311 149)
Bihac - Bosanski Novi - Sarajevo: not available during the winter season
Sarajevo - Bosanski Novi - Bihac: not available during the winter season
For more information contact the Bihac's railway station or Sarajevo's railway station by phone: 387 33 655 330
Plitvice National Park is just across the border and many tour buses and tourists come through the Izacic border crossing. By car, this is the best crossing from Croatia. From the southeast there is only one major road leading to Bihac - the Sarajevo-Travnik-Jajce route. You can't miss it on a map.
The Bihac bus station (Put avnoja bb, 387 37 351 546) links all the cities and towns in the upper region of the Krajina. Buses go to Bosanski Petrovac, Bosanska Krupa, Sanski Most, Cazin, Buzim, Velika Kladusa and Kljuc several times a day. Bihac is a good five- to six-hour bus ride from Sarajevo and there are daily buses at 07:30, 13:30 and 22:00. Daily buses to Banja Luka depart at 05:30, 07:30, 13:00 and 15:00. There are also daily buses to Zagreb (04.45; 10:20; 14:00; 15:00; 16:45. A one-way ticket costs 23,60 KM).
bhtourism.ba
