The Pliva (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Плива) is a relatively small

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in central parts of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, however one of the most significant in terms of natural, cultural and historical heritage and value as a natural rarity. For hundreds of years this region was the ultimate stronghold of the

Bosnian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bosnia ( / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and evolved out of the ...

, with the town of

Jajce Jajce ( sr-Cyrl, Јајце) is a town and municipality in the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2013 census, the town has a population of 7,172 inhabitants, wi ...

as permanent seat of the last kings of the Bosnian Kingdom. The entire region of Jajce is rich in natural heritage that cannot be viewed in isolation from the built heritage. In Jajce, these two components are closely intermingled.

Geography and hydrography

The Pliva valley is located in the northern part of central Bosnia and Herzegovina and known for its tranquil mountains rich in forests and abundance of nature, wildlife and especially bodies of water. The valley is dominated by two unique rivers, the Pliva and the Janj and two natural lakes on the Pliva river.

Hydrography and sectioning

The Pliva river flows from West to East, is 26.8 kilometers long, and has an average discharge artificially set for a biological minimum of 3.0 m³ near town of

at the

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

site. Total watershed area of the Pliva is 1,326 km². Its

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

is some 8 kilometers upstream of the town of

Šipovo Šipovo ( sr-cyrl, Шипово) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the southern part of the Bosanska Krajina region. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,293 inhabitants, while the town of � ...

near Pljeva at the foot of the mountain of Smiljevac- Jastrebnjak, where the Pliva springs out from two very strong

karstic Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...

springwells at 483 meters above sea level. The main tributary of the Pliva is the Janj, that flows into the Pliva from the right, in the center of the town of

. At the confluence, both the Janj and the Pliva are approximately the same size, and both rivers have the same amount of water. Some 12 kilometers downstream, at the village of Jezero, the Pliva flows into the largest of three lakes,

Veliko Plivsko Lake Veliko Plivsko Lake is a part artificial, part natural lake of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the municipality of Jajce. See also *List of lakes in Bosnia and Herzegovina Natural lakes in Bosnia and Herzegovina take , which is a litt ...

, then into two smaller lakes: Malo Plivsko Lake and Okruglo Lake. After the Pliva river passed through the towns of

and Jezero, and through both Plivska lakes, it reaches the town of

where it meets with the Vrbas river. The Pliva river is a left tributary of the Vrbas that, on its way north, flows into the

Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...

river, therefore the Pliva is part of the Sava river basin.

Geo-hydrology

The river Pliva is characterized by the specific

geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

nature of the

terrain Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

and distinctive morphological and

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

features, very similar as nearby Una River. The river bed of the Pliva, from the village of Jezero to its confluence with the Vrbas, consists of

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitation (chemistry), precipitate out of water in ambient temperature, unheated rivers or lakes. hot spring, Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less ...

also known as

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

which forms

barriers. In this area the Pliva river has created three natural lakes,

, Malo Plivsko Lake and Okruglo Lake, with countless low cascades and travertine barriers (

barriers), which causing these lakes to form, slowing the river and deepening it.

Pliva lakes

At the village of Jezero the Pliva flows into the larger of two lakes,

(''veliko'' meaning large), then into two smaller Malo Plivsko Lake (''malo'' meaning small) and Okruglo Lake (''okruglo'' meaning round). Both of the Pliva lakes lie in a basin of

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

ic rock, mainly dolomite and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

, which has given rise to their most distinctive feature, same as nearby Una River in Bosnia and Herzegovina and

Plitvice Lakes Plitvice or Plitvička jezera can refer to: * Plitvice Lakes National Park Plitvice Lakes National Park (, colloquially ''Plitvice'', ) is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was inscrib ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. The lakes are separated by natural dams of travertine, which is deposited by the action of moss, algae and bacteria. The encrusted plants and bacteria accumulate on top of each other, forming travertine barriers which grow at the rate of about 1 cm per year.

Pliva and Janj waters utilization

Hydroelectricity

The very first

hydroelectric power station Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

in Bosnia and Herzegovina was built on the Pliva river in 1899. It was also the very first of its kind in the Balkans. This facility was constructed and exploited by Austrian industrialist Dr. Josef Kranz and his ''"Bosnische-Elektrizitäts AG"'' company, whose successor later became " Elektro-Bosna". The power station had an installed capacity of 8 MW, and supplied electricity for "Elektro-Bosna" situated in Jajce, the largest chemical factory for production of

calcium carbide Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of . Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide. The pure material is colorless, while pieces of technica ...

in Europe at the time. The first hydroelectrical power station in Southeast Europe became operational on 24 March 1899. Today plans of construction of numerous small hydro power stations on the rivers Pliva and Janj are already undergo, although local population started expressing deep resentment and disapproval, and in some cases organized protests stopping ongoing works, at least for the time being.

Janj's "otoke"

The Janj is also considered for construction of several small hydro, but location is highly controversial as a place of great natural and environmental value.

Pliva watermills

There is a cluster of small wooden hut-like watermills on the Pliva, on steep ford where the water spills between two lakes, from upper Veliko Plivsko into lower Malo Plivsko lake. These mills are out of their primary function today, but are preserved and maintained as a

national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: *sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis o ...

. Local farmers used the mills to grind wheat into flour until the Second World War and some afterward, with a heyday of production being during the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Pliva Waterfall

At the confluence with the Vrbas, the Pliva forms the magnificent 22 meters high Pliva Waterfall for which the town of

is famous and along with numerous historic, cultural, architectural and natural monuments represent towns robust and valuable heritage and tourist attraction.

Flyfishing

The Pliva river is famous for its clean water, particularly near the source in the mountains and its richness in fish which makes the river so attractive for

flyfishing Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is ins ...

, not just in

but also in the region. A part of the 16th FIPS-Mouche European Fly Fishing Championship was held on the lake. The fishing societies ''Zlatovčica'' from

and Jezero are managing the

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

from the lake to the confluence with Vrbas.

References

External links

The historic urban area of Jajce

National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: *sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis o ...

- KONS
The natural and architectural ensemble of Jajce, BiH – UNESCO WHC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pliva (River) Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Waterfalls of Bosnia and Herzegovina Lakes of Bosnia and Herzegovina Tourist attractions in Bosnia and Herzegovina Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina Nature conservation in Bosnia and Herzegovina Protected areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina