Downstream the river Trebižat, 7 km from Ljubuški, is the waterfall Kravica, a rare natural phenomenon in the limestone rocks. A part of the natural heritage, it has been under the protection of the Government since 1954. The place owes its impressive beauty to the sedimentations of travestine (deposed calcite carbonate dissolved in water) which can be found in large quantities on the bottom and on the banks of the river bed. The water comes pouring down from height of 28 and forms a 120 m wide water amphitheatre at the bottom.
The travestine deposits are covered with grass, moss and lichen. The water flows over the edge of a cliff in milliards of white drops in contrast to the blue color of the river. The rich vegetation around Kravica is full of poplars, fig-trees and hemp. Today the ruins of four old water-mills can be seen near the waterfall. Thirty years ago they still in use by the local people for washing their heavy woolen rugs.
The mysterious Trebižat, known as a three-name river emerges from a cave in Peć- Mlini and flows 20 km down to Klobuk as the river Tihaljina. On its 18 km long way from Klobuk to Humac it is called the Mlada. Finally, from Humac to its confluence with Neretva, in the length of 23 km, it becomes the trebižat.
The origin of the name is vague; it could be a derivation of the expression “trijebiti žito” (divide the wheat) or the Old Slavic word “trejba” (OFFERING). Another possible explanation to the origin of the name is the word “trebežina” (cleared land).
Along the Trebižat lay fertile flood plains Vitinsko, Veljačko and Ljubuško. The amelioration works started in 1846 with the efforts of Ali-agha Rizvabegović to control the turbulent flow of the river. The works were completed in 1910 under the Austrian- Hungarian rule.
The river flows through Karst plains with sedimentary limestone rocks that are most readily attacked by erosion; it forms sink-holes all along its way. The river feeds on other rich springs in Klobuk, Vrioštica, Vitina and Kajtazovina in Studenci.
Koćuša is the second waterfall on the Trebižat in the village Veljaci. The water falls from a height of 12 m. The 30 m wide waterfall has a constant inflow of fresh water. The old water-mills scattered around Koćuša are still in use. The river Trebižat is among the clearest and cleanest running streams of Herzeg-Bosna. Its tributary Vrioštica is the coldest river in the country, with an average summer temperature of 12 ‘C.
(R. Dodig)
