Travnik got its name from the word grass (trava). It is grass that is lush, rich and full of life, strong, fragrant, vivid… and such grass would not exist if it were not for the meadow waters, present at every corner of this ancient city. In Travnik, they say, just dig a little in the ground and water or even a new spring will appear.
The winding river Lašva is certainly one of the main reasons for the greenery of Travnik, along with powerful mountain streams and springs of northern Vlašić and southern Vilenica.
Vlašić’s story
If you go along the eastern gate of the city, among the multitude of springs and streams, the first one is Plava Voda (Blue Water) at the foot of Bukovica, below the Old Town fortress. These are constant springs with extremely sharp and cold water, the old people of Travnik also say “hard”, which is no coincidence, because the water comes from the mountain depths of Vlašić and its slopes descend steeply into the Travnik basin.
When the mountain snow melts, Plava Voda is especially abundant, heralding the beginning of spring, and in the summer it refreshes travelers in one of the garden restaurants, right next to the bubbling water, with good coffee and barbecued or Travnik sweet or savory delicacies.
On the other side of the Old Town fortress, the noisy Hendek occasionally flows. When the time comes for the Vlašić snow to melt, it appears in a sudden roar and through its cascades under the old bridge it rapidly bounces downhill until the early summer days when it disappears. Hendek, like Plava Voda, is timid, sharp and extremely cold, as in already mentioned Vlašic story.
And then comes a natural phenomenon, very close to Hendek and the Old Town fortress, the permanent springs of Jala, Hazna and Dokuzi, which are almost next to each other. The water of those springs is different from the waters of Vlašić because it is “soft”, and according to old stories, also medicinal. It is not a mere coincidence that in the past people from other parts of Travnik came with pots just to get it.
Those soft waters of Travnik rose quite high to the Vlašic side below Lašva from the Vilenica side and became an intruder to the Vlašic waters. A real natural phenomenon when water emerges high up the hill.
Further down come the northern Travnik waters, which in most places can be drunk from the palm of your hand from many public fountains, as well as many courtyards, houses and buildings. These are the waters from Bašbunar, the main waterworks, and also a favorite promenade from which you can see the panorama of Travnik.
Fragrant meadows
On the way towards the waters of the western Travnik settlement Kalibunar and beyond, a transition to different kinds of waters is made. Vilenica mountain and its waters exude tameness and are somehow calmer compared to the ones from Vlašić.
The strength of the Vilenica waters is far less and they are not as attractive as those of Vlašić, but these waters are drinkable, soft and fruitful. The dominant deciduous trees and the milder scented meadows grow there. Streams there almost dry up in the hot summer days and quietly come from the south to their older sister Lašva.
When travelers drink Travnik water, no matter which one, the way locals drink it, from the palm of their hand, especially during hot summer days, they simply want to come back to Travnik and treat their palate again.
At the end of this story, Travnik would not be Travnik without its waters, and this old town in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina would certainly not bear this name.
