Lake Bileća is one of the main, but underutilized tourist attractions in Herzegovina. This largest artificial reservoir in the Balkans offers great potential for tourism development.
The clear water, extremely rich in fish, is a real paradise for fishermen. On hot summer days, residents of Bileća and occasional travelers on the shores of this lake find refreshment from the summer heat.
The size and width of Lake Bileća cannot be completely perceived from the nearby hills, so the people of Bileća are proud to say that it is the Herzegovinian sea.
This pearl in the karst is an accumulation made for the needs of the system of hydroelectric power plants on Trenjišnjica, in the early sixties of the last century. With an area of about 33 square kilometers, it is the largest artificial lake in the Balkans.
Nikola Bajević, director of the Tourist Organization of Bileća, says that most visitors and fishermen, but also excursionists with boats, are in the morning and afternoon.
– Until this year, until the epidemic broke out, there were many foreign tourists who camped here and went hunting and fishing – says Bajević.
Many consider this “Herzegovinian sea” to be a real paradise for fishermen, so fishermen from Herzegovina come to the waters of Lake Bileća, and foreign fishermen during the summer months. It is a real oasis for sport fishermen, for those who are challenged to hunt trout, carp, or capital specimens of catfish up to 120 kilograms. And those who simply like to enjoy the view of the crystal clear water will not be deprived either.
If you get tired of fishing, you can find salvation from the summer heat at one of the beaches.
The people of Bileća do not want to compare this lake with the sea, because, as they point out, it is more beautiful for them here. Warm and clean lake water, peace, and quiet. The participants in the swimming marathon, which was organized in the last two years with the aim of promoting sports, but also the tourist potentials of Lake Bileća, were convinced of that.
Like the whole of Herzegovina, the surroundings of the lake are a real treasure trove of cultural and historical heritage. “Stećak” (monumental medieval tombstone) tombstones from the Trebišnjica valley, before the construction of the dam and the sinking of this valley, were relocated near Bileća, thus creating the largest artificial necropolis of stećak tombstones in BiH.
A visit to Lake Bileća can also include a tour of the Dobrićevo monastery, dedicated to the Presentation of the Most Holy Mother of God, which was moved from stone to stone, also before the sinking of the Zavođe.
TST
