In the eastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is a clean, drinkable and beautiful river Bioštica where you can find salvation in hot summer days.
It springs at the foot of Mount Devetak near Sokoca, in the village of Knežina, and the cave where its spring originates is protected by law as a special geomorphological reserve. It is an unexplored cave with three entrances, and Bioštica stands out from one of them.
The cave where he was born is rich in cave jewelry and has a lake in it, and in its immediate vicinity there is another cave – Podlipe, where evidence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens was found.
A few more words should be said about the spring itself. Namely, not far from its spring in Knežina, there are also two thermal springs – “Toplik” and “Ilidža”, with a constant annual temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, which, in addition to the natural beauty of this locality, gives the possibility of organized tourism.
From there, downstream to the village of Margetići, the Bioštica flows gently for five kilometers through the meadows, creating gentle creeks with deeper passages, where fish – trout and grayling – hide.
Fishermen consider this river to be heaven on earth, so they have been organizing competitions for years in the organization of the Sports-Fishing Society “Bioštica” – Sokolac, in the village of Žunovi, a few hundred meters from the fishing path.
On the Bioštica river, you can enjoy a phenomenal adrenaline adventure on kayaks organized by the VIP Jahorina agency , almost 5 km long and three hours long, which you will enjoy on hot summer days, especially since you can also swim in Bioštica. If you don’t have equipment for this adventure, don’t worry, you will get it from your guides.
The tour ends at the Knežak-source, where a picnic and rest is organized.
Knežak-spring became popular after Halid Bešlić’s song “Romanija” in which he sings about it, and the locals know that this spring has always been sung about and that many folk songs tell about it.
It is located near the Selimije mosque in Knežina, 12 kilometers from the administrative center of the Sokolac municipality, and is known for several legends about that village.
According to one of them, this place got its name from the source Knežak, and according to the other the other way around, Knežak after the place where it is located.
The water on Knežak springs from under a rock on which an inscription in Arabic script is carved into the edge of the stone slab, which, as the locals claim, means “A lot of water, a little bread”.
One of the legends says that a long-ago visitor to Knežina left a clear message about life in this region where there is more water than bread.
Near Knežak there are several small streams and springs, including one hot spring, and Bioštica, the largest river in the area of the Sokolac municipality, flows not far from this spring.
Knežak became widely known after the popular singer Halid Bešlić, born in a village near Knežina, sang about this spring, but, according to the locals, Knežak was always sung about in original folk songs in this region.
According to one of them, this place got its name from the source Knežak, and according to the other the other way around, Knežak after the place where it is located.
The water on Knežak springs from under a rock on which an inscription in Arabic script is carved into the edge of the stone slab, which, as the locals claim, means “A lot of water, a little bread”.
One of the legends says that a long-ago visitor to Knežina left a clear message about life in this region where there is more water than bread.
Near Knežak there are several small streams and springs, including a hot spring, and not far from this spring flows the Bioštica, the largest river in the area of Sokolac municipality.
If you go on a kayak tour, you can also enjoy horseback riding afterwards.
Source: furaj.ba
