LAC DE BLIDINJE

This lake (Blidinje Jezero) gives its name to the Blidinje Nature Park, of which it occupies the central part, at 1 185 m altitude. It offers beautiful landscapes, since it is dominated by Mount Bernard to the north (1,313 m above sea level) and Mount Jelinjak to the south (1,790 m), while to the northwest ends the Dugo polje. With a maximum length of 2.5 km and a width of up to 2.1 km, it has a theoretical surface area of 5.3 km2 with an average depth of 1.9 m. This is rarely the case: its extent varies, and it is sometimes almost dried up. This is the result of climatic variables, but also of the action of man. Often presented as the largest glacial lake of the country, the lake of Blidinje was in fact created by the shepherds in the 1880s in order to have water reserves for their herds (up to 100 000 sheep). For this purpose, the surroundings were deforested and trees were used to retain water from the Čvrsnica and Vran massifs located on both sides of the Dugo polje. On the northern bank, along the R419, the Orlova Stina chalet of the Tomislavgrad Mountaineering Association is open by reservation only. Further on, in the polje, there is a former airfield. South of the lake, the hamlet of Barzonja is home to a medieval necropolis of sixty-four stećci and the modern Catholic church of Our Lady of the Snows (1995). Then, 2 km further south, the R419 describes a large yaw where one enjoys a magnificent view of the lake, before continuing south to Posušje and Croatia.