This quaint, sunny southern town full of striking Ottoman architecture is a true playground for those intrigued by anthropology,archaeology and history.
The area has been settled for at least 15,000 years, as evidenced by the markings in Badanj Cave, which experts have dated 12,000 - 16,000 BCE.
Throughout its long history, Stolac has been an outstandingly cultured town. No other town in Bosnia and Herzegovina has produced such a rich array of intellectuals, artists, poets and leaders. Strolling through Stolac to the sound of the rushing Bregava river and the many songbirds, it is easy to imagine the inspiration felt by its many generations of extraordinary personalities.
Ali-paša Rizvanbegović (1783-1851), the semi-independent ruler (vizier) of Ottoman Herzegovina from 1833 to 1851, was born in the Begovina neighbourhood of Stolac.
During World War II the Cetniks attacked the city and killed over 1,150 people.
In July 1993, Croatian extremists burned the Begovina neighbourhood to the ground. The Bosnian government plans to rebuild the whole neighbourhood.
Containing, in one small area, unique cultural and aesthetic values, Stolac's historic core is an example of a complex cultural-historical and natural environmental ensemble. It is an example of the organic connection between human and natural architectures, which also testifies to the fact that the beauty of the location was crucial in its building and planning - the guiding principle often present in the development of mediaeval towns. Nine historical layers compose Stolac's architectural ensemble: pre-history, Illyrian-Roman period, the early Middle Ages, advanced and late Middle Ages, Ottoman period, Austro-Hungarian period, and the time of the first and second Yugoslavia. A multitude of various influences on the architecture of town, in which contrasts and similarities are frequently evident as well as planning and full spontaneity, lend this town a complex image
