Orlovaca Cave, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Located near the source of the Sinjave River, Orlovaca cave is one of the biggest and most beautiful cavernous systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its value lies in its outstanding plentitude and unique preservation of cave decorations (stalactites, stalagmites, various salivates, coral jewelry and biguine tubs), but also in rich paleontological material. Orlovaca is renowned for its cave bear bones (Ursus spelaeus) discovered rather recently, and for other archaeological details such as Mesolithic pottery fragments, ammonites of the era of the Mesozoic Sea and bricks from the Roman period.

The cave is named after Orlovaca hill (1,056 m asl) overlooking it. The development of a show cave started in 1987 under the auspices of Radenko Lazarevic from the Speleological Society "Bosnia-Herzegovina Karst" from Sarajevo. By 1992 220 m of tourist trail and a reception building had been built. The development was interrupted by the war, but it resumed with the help of the Faculty of Philosophy from East Sarajevo after the Dayton Agreement. The adapted hut in front of the cave serves as ticket office and cave museum with exhibits, such as bones of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus).

Orlovaca cemetery is situated on a field that extends to Zeleznik in the south and is bordered by Kruzni Put road on the west and Ibar highway on the east. The southern part of the city's urban proper, together with the neighborhoods of Mastirine, Logoriste, Drenjak, and Prekoplandiste, is adjacent to the cemetery.

In addition to the main building, which houses a crypt, chapels and auxiliary facilities, there is an outdoor memorial area with a 10 m (32.8 ft) dome over it, designed in the form of flowers. The dome is covered with glass, allowing natural light to enter the interior of the main building and the crypts.

The best time to visit Orlovaca  is from April to June or from September to November, when the weather is mild and the tourist crowds are smaller. During the summer months, from July to August, it is very hot and humid. The temperature drops significantly in the autumn and winter, with some rainy days. The number of rainy days increases in January and decreases in April, June, August, October, and December.