Una National Park and Željava Military Airport

Štrbački buk

Štrbački buk on two sides - or when the google maps "zezne" you see the same beauty on two sides. We headed to Una, or NP Una, which is located near Bihać. They booked accommodation, planned everything, but the navigation wanted us to see Štrbački buk on the Croatian side as well. It was totally outside the plan, but it was worth it. Although quite unregulated, that is, as if it was started with decorating and stopped, there are no crowds and already here we enjoy the view of this 24.5 m high waterfall. We look to the other side, to which we actually planned to go and we see that there are wooden, landscaped paths, lookouts, that there is a bit of a crowd. A little confused, we enter Bosnia for the second time, they explain to us at the border that the Croatian part is privately owned, while in Bosnia everything is under the jurisdiction of NP Una. With some jokes and useful advice, we go to the Bosnian side. Entrances are arranged, there are more, depending on how much you want to walk / drive and the like. Entrance is charged, but we're not sorry for those couples of euros. The built promenade and viewpoints, which lead all the way to the Una, which is quite wild in this part, leave you breathless.

Martin Brod

Somehow I love these legends, it's always interesting for me to read, to come to that place and think whether it's a legend, it's just a legend, or it's something more.
This legend says: ‘Sometimes a very beautiful girl, Marta, fell in love with a boy with curls of hair and an adorable face who lived there across, on the other bank of the Una.  Her parents don't even hear about that relationship and love...  One day, at a late hour, Martha set out on the way of Una, lifted up her skirts, and went over the ship to her beloved. She flipped on a slippery Una travertine and fell into the water, and on the surface of emerald water only briefly retained her golden-blue maiden hair.  This draught, or ship, as the locals call it, was called Martin Brod. Due to the unfortunate love of two young people, and in memory of the girl Marta and the forbidden love that has been forgotten to this day, this place was named Martin Brod.’
Be that as it may, a beautiful place with two waterfalls: Milančev buk, also called Big noise and is the largest waterfall on the Uni, and the Small Waterfall. Just above Milan's noise is noisy, i.e. ecological washing machine, in which even today large objects such as blankets and the like are washed, of course, without the use of chemical agents, only the power of water, which creates a centrifuge in the barrel. There is also an old mill, which is also still in operation. After sightseeing and presentation of the work of the pumpkin and mill by the host, we go to Martina trail, which leads us through a beautiful viewpoint to the railway bridge and Una to Mali slap.

Accommodation Čardaklija

When we started choosing accommodation, we imagined something like this and it came true!
At first, as is usually the case in Bosnia, we were delighted by the hosts in Čardaklija, located in the village of Vrtoče. The household has existed for 150 years and is a tradition of the Radošević family. History says that in 1858, one of the three brothers, Elijah, moved away from the brothers, made an unusual house, tall and slender, which the locals called ‘chardak’ and its household ‘Čardaklija’. Ilia's son Nikola, when the tapes were given to the estate, received the number 10 for his chard. One of Nikola's three sons, Vid, remained on the property, engaged in farming and kept the household alive until his death. The houses have long since disappeared, Ilija, Nikola have disappeared, the great-grandfather Vid has also disappeared, and ‘Čardaklija’ have remained to this day to maintain the tradition and way of life of their ancestors where life has long led them to ‘stop and get home’.
The oak forest that surrounds the entire household, domestic animals and country houses near, and yet far enough away from the central facility, are a return to some different times and ideal for a reset of accelerated life and stress. Adding to that the famous Bosnian kindness and hospitality with great gastronomic moments, it is clear why we stayed so enthusiastic this weekend

Željava Underground Military Airport

The official name of this military complex is Klek 505. It was built in the 1960s during the Cold War. Yugoslavia built it in complete secrecy and was one of the two military airfields on duty. Strategically positioned, it served for the defense and air surveillance of the territory, and was also a place hidden from radar views from the West.

It extends to 7 million m² and today it is owned by the army of the Republic of Croatia. The airport is mostly located in the Republic of Croatia, while two runways on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the direction of the City of Bihać.
The complex can be divided into three parts: barracks, tunnels and runways.

Tunnels They are certainly the most interesting and most striking part of this complex. The entrances to the tunnels were built in the form of the Mig 21 aircraft. All tunnels located within the Pljesivica mountain are interconnected, so they give the opportunity to take a peek and explore. In addition to the tunnel, there are also numerous rooms that were intended for staff who managed the entire complex and planes, and also served as places of residence, in the event of an attack with atomic weapons, which was especially feared in the Cold War.

Kasarne are located at the entrance to the military complex, right next to the village of Željava. In the initial part there are a dozen buildings that served as a command center, barracks, classrooms, mechanical workshops, generators, kitchens, etc. There are also playgrounds and workouts for employees in the courtyard of the barracks.

Piste are built at the very exits of the tunnel and are interconnected. The runways are runway-landed and are accompanied by auxiliary runways. Along with the runways, there was also a missile defense that was used to defend the entire airport.

Text and photos: Željka Žirovčić