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

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

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, 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 t ...

") is a 35 km-long river in eastern

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 ...

. It is a tributary of the

Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long river in the Balkans, 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 Al ...

river, which it meets south of

Foča Foča ( sr-Cyrl, Фоча, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the south-east 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 the main river basin largely located within

Sutjeska National Park The Sutjeska National Park ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Nacionalni park Sutjeska, Национални парк Сутјеска, ) is a national park located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Established in 1962, it is Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest 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 an 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 The Sutjeska National Park ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Nacionalni pa ...

valley through the middle of the park.

Tributaries

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 species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

, and offers terrains for

fly fishing 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 in ...

. In its lower course the river is also important spawning ground 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Battle of the Sutjeska Case Black (), also known as the Fifth Enemy Offensive ( sh-Latn, Peta neprijateljska ofanziva) in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav historiography and often identified with its final phase, the Battle of the Sutjeska ( sh-Latn ...

External links

Official website

Sutjeska National Park - BH Tourism Official website

References

Bibliography

Biology

* Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Hucho habitats in Bosnia and Herzegovina {{BosniaHerzegovina-river-stub