Arriving at the village of Batovo, situated along the Batovka River—which later flows into the Janjina in Međurječje—was an exceptionally pleasant surprise due to the natural beauty and the wealth of cultural and historical heritage. It is a true hidden gem; according to the pre-war census of the Archaeological Lexicon of BiH, a total of 18 archaeological sites were recorded in the Čajniče municipality, most of which are necropolises of medieval tombstones.
In the Čajniče municipality, between 2007 and 2013, five necropolises were declared National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three of those five were recorded for the first time during that process. We assume this status was granted for the purpose of their future protection; however, no visible measures have been taken on that front since then.
At the Ploče site, above the village of Batovo, there are approximately 60 medieval tombstones, predominantly in the shape of chests, some of which are crafted as double chests. The necropolis was first recorded by V. Palavestra, but we are of the opinion that he did not actually visit this site as it was not explored in detail, given that the exact number of stones, their orientation, and decorations were not documented. During our visit, we established that the medieval tombstones are oriented in northwest–southeast and north–south directions, while other characteristics were not visible due to a thick layer of leaves and moss. The necropolis is completely neglected, and it is evident that no one has visited it for decades.
It remains unclear to us why this necropolis has not also been declared a National Monument, considering it is more numerous and better preserved than some of the necropolises in the Čajniče municipality that have already been designated.
Due to the short daylight hours, we were unable to visit the Stijene necropolis in the village of Vihnići, which is a declared National Monument located in a mountainous area with an extremely poor access road. We plan to visit it during our next tour of the Čajniče municipality in the spring of 2026.
