Vrelo Bune

Vrelo Bune
Buna Spring (Vrelo Bune) with the Blagaj Tekke
Vrelo Bune and the Blagaj Tekke near Blagaj village
Official name: Bosnian: 'Vrelo Bune; English: 'Buna Spring
Name origin: Latin: Bona means Good, fine; (see also Latin names of rivers)
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Region	Hercegovina
District	Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
Municipality	Mostar
City	Blagaj
Landmark	Buna Spring (Vrelo Bune) with Blagaj Tekke
Building	Blagaj Tekke
River	Buna river
Source	Vrelo Bune
- location	Blagaj, Mostar municipality, Hercegovina-Neretva kanton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Discharge
- average	30 m3/s (1,059 cu ft/s)
Geology	Karst
Style	Ottoman architecture
Founded	1520
UNESCO WHC Tentative List	Since 11/12/2007 Ref.: 5280 Region: Europe and North America Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) iucn Category: Mixed (natural and architectural ensemble)
Website: Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Ref.: 5280 Region: Europe and North America Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) iucn Category: Mixed (natural and architectural ensemble)

Vrelo Bune is the natural and architectural ensemble at the Buna river spring near Blagaj kasaba (village-town) and a part of the wider "Townscape ensemble of the town of Blagaj - Historical and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina", southeast of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is impossible to separate the natural values from the cultural and historical heritage of Blagaj, since its distinctive quality is in the coexistence of the natural and the man-made, in the integration of the physical structure into the landscape.

The Buna river is a short river in Bosnia and Herzegovina and it is a left bank tributary of the Neretva river. Its source (Bosnian: Vrelo Bune) is a strong karstic spring, emerging from a huge karstic cavern beneath a high vertical cliff. This region is specific for the diversity of its above-ground and underground hydrography. The source of the Buna river is the finest example of an underground karst river. It's one of the largest and most beautiful springs in Europe, producing approx. 30 m³/s with extremely cold and clean water.

Blagaj is one of the most valuable urban-cum-rural structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Blagaj reached its peak of development in the 15th and 16th centuries, building in stone also reached its greatest extent. The first stone-built houses were the privilege of the wealthier class, but later, and lower-class families are also built sizeable stone houses and summer residences in large numbers. The natural and architectural ensemble of Blagaj forms a spatially and topographically self-contained ensemble. The region is also known for the diversity of its flora and a number of endemic species. At lower altitudes there are many evergreen plant and deciduous thicket species, while at higher altitudes in the hills there is sparse forest. Fertile cultivable land is suitable for the agriculture typical of the Mediterranean climate.