The Sutjeska ( sr-cyrl, Сутјеска, ; lit. "

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to c ...

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cut ...

") is a 35 km-long river in eastern

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. It is a tributary of the

Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps wh ...

river, which it meets south of

Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and a municipality located in Republika Srpska in south-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the banks of Drina river. As of 2013, the town has a population of 12,234 inhabitants, while the municipality has 1 ...

Geography

The Sutjeska River could be considered main river basin largely located within Sutjeska National Park itself. The Sutjeska divides Zelengora Mountain from Maglić, Volujak and

Bioč Bioč (Serbian Cyrillic: Биоч) is a mountain within the Piva Regional Park in Montenegro, and in part within the Sutjeska National Park in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The highest peak is Veliki Vitao (also called Vitlovi) with an altitude of . The ...

mountains, and has carved impressive canyon deep, and

Tjentište Tjentište ( sr-cyrl, Тјентиште) is a village and a valley in the municipality of Foča, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies entirely within Sutjeska National Park. History The village was known for the war memorials co ...

valley through the middle of the park.

Tributaries

Udoli Hrcavky, v pozadi hlavni hreben Zelengory s Bregocem

Tributaries of the Sutjeska are: * left tributaries are Klobučarica Creek, Jabučnica Creek, and Hrčavka River; * right tributaries are Suški Creek (also called Suha River or Creek Sušica), Prijevor Creek and Perućica Creek.

Ecology and ichthyofauna

Running mostly through the national park which mandates high level of protection, the river Sutjeska is rich in salmonides, mostly

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

, and offers terrains for

fly fishing Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diff ...

. In its lower course the river is also important

spawning ground Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aqu ...

for huchen which enter the river during spawning season from the Drina river.

Historical significance

It is famous for having been the site of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Battle of the Sutjeska Case Black (german: Fall Schwarz), also known as the Fifth Enemy Offensive ( sh-Latn, Peta neprijateljska ofanziva) in Yugoslav historiography and often identified with its final phase, the Battle of the Sutjeska ( sh-Latn, Bitka na Sutjesci ) ...

External links

Official website

Sutjeska National Park - BH Tourism Official website

References