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Recent research into Vjetrenica cave (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and the current view of the cave regarding its candidature for the World Heritage List

Vjetrenica is the largest and most interesting cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina, developed in the deeply marked Karst of the southern Dinarid massif, in the final part of the course of the canyon river Trebišnjica. It has been the subject of research and exploration throughout history. It was proclaimed to be a natural monument in 1950, the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After this proclamation, modern exploration followed to draw up plans to make it accessible for tourists. In 1964 a tourist path was opened and electric lighting set up over about 1050 m of the cave, a motel was opened and tourist guides began work. In 1991 war broke out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vjetrenica was one of the first places to be affected by the war, all its tourist installations and all the buildings were destroyed, and even the Institute for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage in Sarajevo, where documents on Vjetrenica were destroyed by fire. Over the past five years, after a ten-year break caused by the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, research into Vjetrenica has been going on, and this has resulted in some important new discoveries related to the picture of the cave. A new speleological plan of Vjetrenica has been made, which has corrected some earlier erroneously defined situations, and this formed the basis for a monograph entitled “Vjetrenica, a glimpse into the Earth’s soul” which covered, systematized and presented all the knowledge about Vjetrenica available at that time. This particularly relates to information about fauna, where Vjetrenica is the second in the world in terms of biodiversity. After the monograph the speleological research continued and comprehensive bio-speleological research launched including drawing up an inventory of habitats and fauna, and the recently introduced all year round ecological monitoring. All these events concerning Vjetrenica have been accompanied by enviable publicity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where there is a need and desire for perspective and more positive news. The basic tourist program has been restored and the idea born of entering Vjetrenica as a candidate for the World Heritage List, and this has been done. Efforts are now being made to gain public support for the building of an institution which would work on this idea in an organized manner, and also the idea of setting up a multi-functional center for Karst, which would organize research, education, tourist activities and environmental protection. Vjetrenica is the biggest, the most famous and the most explored cave in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is situated around the middle of the western edge of Popovo Polje, some 12 km from the Adriatic Sea.

wind, history, speleology, biology, tourism

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