On the south slopes the Olympic mountain, Bjelašnica is the picturesque village of Lukomir. This is the highest inhabited place in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the only settlement above 1,300 meters. It is located at 1,495 meters above sea level.
Based on the stećci (tombstones) found in the village and originating from the 14th and 15th centuries, it is believed that the village was inhabited hundreds of years ago.
Today’s inhabitants of the village are descendants of shepherds from the Herzegovinian villages of Kamen and Žulj from the vicinity of Stolac, who kept large flocks of sheep here in the summer because of the extremely rich pastures. Building the first seasonal settlements, which later grew into today’s village, people from the tribes of Čomora and Masleša, who are still the most numerous families in Gornji Lukomir, settled here.
The village of Lukomir (Gornji Lukomir) was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At first, there was only the village of Donji Lukomir, about 3 kilometers from the present village. At the beginning of the 20th century, Gornji Lukomir was mentioned as a summer village, a place where the inhabitants of Donji Lukomir brought their cattle to graze, and around 1950 the population moved to Gornji Lukomir due to better connections with the rest of the world.
The village is unique for its stone houses covered with oak, fir, and beech bark. The houses have a square base with a hearth in the middle, and small windows are placed on the stone walls. When they were building homes, the residents adapted to the peculiarities of the terrain and the harsh mountain climate.
In the colder weather, the inhabitants of Lukomir move from their houses to the southern regions, because access to the village when it snows is almost impossible.
Of the 50 houses in the village, 21 are inhabited in the summer, and in good weather, up to 4,000 sheep graze on the pastures around Lukomir.
Today, Lukomir is a top destination for rural tourism. If you decide to visit Lukomir, you will be able to try the traditional dishes that are prepared in this village.
Lukomir is like a living ethno museum, where the customs of nomadic tribes are practiced and the traditional way of life of the Dinaric highlanders is lived.
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