Stjepangrad, Blagaj fortress, the old town of Blagaj or Bona is a medieval fortress with ancient roots near Blagaj, in Herzegovina.
It was built on a high karst rock, at an altitude of 310 m above sea level and 266 m above the source of the Buna river. It is difficult to access. Historical sources mention it as a territorial entity, separate from the settlement of Blagaja. The Illyrian tribe Daorsi (Dauersii, Daorsei) built a fort here on the ridge above the source of the Buna. The Romans built a castrum in this place. In the 10th century, a city developed on the ruins of the old Roman walls, which was the central location of the Hum region. Stjepangrad was built on that fortress from late antiquity, above the settlement of Blagaja. It was one of the most important towns on their estates for the great Kosač family. Stjepangrad was the city of Duke Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, after whom it was named. The fortified city was surrounded by ramparts with jagged peaks. Inside it was the city palace. The political and military turmoil of Herceg's estate had its backbone in Stjepangrad. They ended with the Ottoman conquest in 1473. It soon became the seat and place of residence of the kadi. The entrance to the city was closed by an iron gate. In 1827, an earthquake severely damaged the foundations, so it was abandoned in 1835.
The archaeological survey of Stjepangrad conducted in 1965 under the supervision of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina explored about 1000 m2, approximately one third of the space under the ramparts. On that occasion, some glass, ceramic and small iron objects were found in the medieval layer.
In the ruins of the palace, 700 kg of lead was found, and in the layer from the Ottoman period, some ceramics and small items of construction iron were found. Some fragments of Illyrian pottery and a few fragments of Roman roof tiles were also found.
Today, a well-maintained path leads from the hillfoot to the very entrance of the fortress, from which the view of Blagaj, the Buna river and the Neretva valley opens up like a postcard.
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17 сен 2024
