Europa

Every year under the aegis of PostEurop, special stamps with the EUROPA logo are issued that have a unique central theme for all its members. The theme for 2017 are castles, and the stamps of Croatian Post Mostar present mediaval towns of Vranduk and Počitelj, na- tional monuments of B&H.

The old town Vranduk is located in central Bosnia
in the valley of the Bosnia river, at a high scarp and inaccessible cliff. From the 14th century this town was ruled by a governor, and afterwards by a king, the only fortified town in the Brod parish. In written documents it is mentioned for the first time in 1410. It was taken over by the Ottoman Empire in 1463 up to the annexion of B&H from Austro-Hungarian reign in 1878. After 1890 the castle is no longer used as a military - strategic point.

The old town of Počitelj is located in Herzegovina, on the left side of the Neretva river, built on the rocky cliffs that steeps down towards the river. In the Middle ages
it was the centre of the Dubrava parish and has a very significant strategic value. It was by all assumptuons built in the period of the Bosnian king Stjepan Tvrtko I. Kotromanić (1383 - 1391). In written documents it is mentioned for the first time in 1444. In 1471 it becomes part of the Ottoman Empire to which it belongs up to 1878. Following the establishment of the Austro-Hun- garian rule in B&H Počitelj loses all strategic significance and rapidly disintegrates. (Željka Šaravanja)