About eighteen months ago, I received an email from Bosnia and Herzegovina sent by IOV member, Dr. Ruzica Soldo. In it, she explained that a project was underway near her hometown of Siroki Brijeg to build an animal sanctuary to protect and, hopefully, propagate the few remaining specimens of a breed of small cow, horse and donkey found only in Herzegovina. The animals were once commonplace, but during the Bosnian War the breeds almost disappeared.

In subsequent emails from Ruzica, I learned that land for the sanctuary had been purchased and a water system installed. Local and regional governments had given money for the project and construction had begun.

Ruzica forwarded me the budget for the project, information on how the finances were managed, a list of institutions which were partners in the project and a very thorough explanation of the various phases and what each would cost.

On paper, the proposal seemed to be well planned and the credentials of the partners in the project were impeccable. I knew, however, that before I could commit to becoming involved in raising funds for this project, I would need to see it first hand and meet some of the people who were behind it. It was about this time last year that I learned funds had run out and construction had come to a halt. I continued to correspond with Ruzica, however, and she kept me updated on developments.

West Herzegovina (white) in South Central Bosnia and Herzegovina

In June of this year I and a delegation of IOV USA Section members traveled to Herzegovina. IOV members David Carlquist and Cinda Chambers flew with me from Seattle. In Split, Croatia we were joined by IOV North America Regional Executive Secretary Jim Dries and Carol Swarbrick, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Traditional Theater. Ruzica met us there and drove us to Siroki Brijeg. The drive took just over three hours, passing through small, meticulously maintained mountain villages along the new highway. I was impressed by the progress that had come to Croatia since my last visit there 15 years ago.

Dr. Ivica Ravic explains the project

Crossing the border into Herzegovina, we immediately noticed a change. The roads weren’t quite as wide or as well paved as those in Croatia. The towns were clean and yards well maintained, but many of the homes and buildings still bore the scars of the war. Nearly 30 hours from the time we had boarded our flight in Seattle, we arrived in Siroki Brijeg, where we spent the night.

The next morning after breakfast, we set off on a 20 minute drive with Ruzica and Dr. Ravic to see the project. On our way, we drove past rolling hills covered with well kept vineyards. As we traveled further away from Siroko Brijeg, the terrain became rocky. Abandoned fruit orchards were losing ground to wild pomegranates.

Dr. Ivica Ravic (on right), Dr. Ruzica Soldo discuss the watering hole with Boris, a friend who directs a folkloric ensemble.

At one point, Ruzica and Dr. Ravic stopped to show us some ancient watering holes built by Roman settlers 2000 years earlier. The watering holes were lined with rocks to slow down the loss of water. Located at points where they were constantly fed by underground springs and aquifers, the holes provided water for livestock and humans in even the driest summer months. They were teeming with small fish.

The project came into sight as the road entered a small valley surrounded by steep hills. On the valley floor, the walls of two immense buildings stood without roofs, doors or windows. Above them, on the hillside, Dr. Ravic explained the layout of the project. He started by showing us the rain water collection system, which consisted of a concrete pad covering an underground cistern. The cistern was full of water collected from rain that had fallen on the concrete pad.


The two main buildings as seen from the water storage tank

We learned that the funds for construction had run out before the roof could even be started. Dr. Ravic told us that there was no shortage of volunteer labor, but the materials were expensive and without an infusion of about 50,000 euro, the project would remain as it is. 50,000 euro would put a roof over the structures, purchase doors and windows and permit the animals to be moved to the property from their temporary home at a nearby farm.

I was impressed at the scale of the project. It was well designed and the workmanship was first rate. Dr. Ravic showed us the drawings for the structures which had been prepared by the Faculty of Engineering at nearby Mostar University. When completed, the project will include a botanical garden, a cultural center and museum, and a traditional 18th Century Herzegovinian rock farmhouse that would eventually be moved onto the property. In addition to providing shelter for the cows and donkeys, the spacious buildings will also provide conference facilities and classrooms for students of veterinary medicine.

After an hour at the project, we drove to the farm where the cows and donkeys were being cared for by a farmer and his family. Keeping the animals fed costs Dr. Ravic about 1000 euro a month, money he earns as a veterinarian. There are about 40 or 50 donkeys and roughly the same number of cows. When the project began, they were scattered across the country, usually mixed with other breeds in small farm herds. The first task was to acquire the animals from the farmers.


The cows were anxious to get to the pasture

In general, the residents of the area had been sympathetic with the project and were happy to sell Dr. Ravic their stock. It came as no surprise to us that when we asked Dr. Radic where the money had come from to purchase the stock, he answered that most of the money had been his own.

The farm yard had been divided into two large corrals, one for cows and the other for donkeys. The cows were small, with curled horns and according to Dr. Ravic, gave milk with an unusually high cream content. Five or six calves stood together under a shed consisting of stone walls and a thatched roof, while their mothers stood a few feet away in the sun swatting flies with their tails. Next to the cow pen, 8 or 10 donkeys were pushing at their gate trying to get a closer look the pasture where they would normally be grazing this time of the day. They had been corralled for our benefit and were protesting the fact that we were behind schedule.


Calves inside the stone shed

I unlatched the gate and as I did, the donkeys pushed it from my hands, crushed it into the ground and reduced it to kindling as they exited the corral. The cows might have done the same thing except that the farmer quickly threw open their gate, allowing them to join the donkeys on the narrow path that led across a small stream in the direction of a fenced patch of grass.

We inspected the enclosures where several small calves were standing by a cow that resembled Joan Crawford. I decided to keep my distance. The calves appeared healthy, but the conditions were cramped. Once they can be relocated to the sanctuary, they will have plenty of space to play and grow, I thought.

As we drove away, the road curved around the farm house toward the pasture where we could see the donkeys grazing. Slightly down hill, toward the farm house, was a pile of splintered wood that had been the gate to the donkey corral just 20 minutes earlier. Just about then, Dr. Ravic slammed his foot on the brakes to avoid hitting the same group of calves we had seen earlier in the stone shed. Now they were standing on the road. They made no effort to move, so we drove around them and continued on our way. We were already more than a little late for lunch and we still had a full day ahead of us.

Joan Crawford “look alike” keeps watch.

The project, when completed, will house a collection of traditional farm tools, textiles, folk costumes, cooking utensils and other household items commonly found on 19th Century Herzegovinian farms. By the time the fighting ended and the U.N. Peace keepers arrived, many of the farms in the region had been destroyed or abandoned and the possessions of the former residents carried away, burned or sold.


A stone house, like the one above, will be moved to the project.

Much of what survived the war didn’t make it through the decade that followed. The 80,000 soldiers assigned to keep the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina found local residents eager to sell family heirlooms at unbelievably low prices to get enough hard currency to buy food and other necessities for their families. Anything of interest that could be boxed and shipped was soon on its way to other parts of Europe and beyond.

This 19th Century bowl and other household. Items will be on display in the museum

Ruzica explained that already there is a growing collection of old pots, looms, spinning wheels and other relics that have been assembled from the belongings of families in the region. A simple structure is needed in which to store these things until a permanent museum can be built. “Right now, they are spread out among the farms of the region - a few here and some there - while we try to raise enough money to bring them all together under one roof,” Ruzuca said.

Ruzica continued by explaining how the region had once been dotted with stone farm houses of the kind they were planning to move to the project. The war had taken its toll on them and now only a few remained undamaged. “It is obviously important that at least one stone farm house be preserved as a symbol of how life once was in West Herzegovina,” she told us. We agreed. In order for this to happen, 20,000 euro must be raised to purchase the house and move it to the property, where it will function as part of a cultural museum.

There are many reasons to try to save the donkeys and cows, the artifacts of 19th Century life and the stone house. For centuries they have shared this region with the human inhabitants. Now they are part of the cultural heritage of a nation that needs to remember how life was before the war. They symbolize an era when neighbors -Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox - would meet every morning to share a pot of coffee. They help put the events of recent years into the context of history and give the people of Siroki Brijag hope for a future where farms and villages will prosper again.



The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Miniature Donkey is the world’s smallest breed.

As we prepared to leave West Herzegovina, I explained to Ruzica and Dr. Ravic that IOV doesn’t have money to fund projects, even the most worthy. All IOV can do, I said, is make people aware of this project and encourage friends and colleagues to make a contribution.

I realized that in West Herzegovina, a cultural treasure will disappear forever unless something is done soon. The project is almost finished – the animals are ready to move to their new home, the water is ready and waiting, the floors are poured and the walls are up. Just a roof and some doors and windows stand between saving a part of Herzegovina’s cultural heritage and losing it forever. Raising the 50,000 Euro needed to construct the roof is not such a big order - unless you are Ruzica and Dr. Ravic trying to do it without help.

Contributions can be made directly to the project bank account in West Herzegovina in your name or that of IOV. Ideas and suggestions from IOV members and their colleagues and friends on how to raise awareness and funds are welcome. No contribution is too small.

Bank Transfers:

UNICREDIT BANK
Poslovnica Siroki Brijeg
IB4272229350000
Client: UDRUGA ZA ZASTITU I OCUVANJE IZVORNIH PASMINA DOMACIH ZIVOTINJA
Account Number for foreign currency:
-IBAN: BA39 3389002209410041
SWIFT: UNCRBA 22

Note: Funds are audited by an independent accounting firm not related to the project or any of its directors. Specifics on the project, its financing and other details are found in the information that follows. Questions about this and other matters concerning the project may be addressed to Dr. Ruzica Soldo at Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla .

The project is about a 20 minute drive from the National Park where these falls are located .

George M. Frandsen

IOV Vice-President
Legal Affairs