By: Emir Medanhodžić
Škav or Bosnić (named after the noble family Bosnić) is a small medieval town ($14^{th}$–$15^{th}$ century), of which only ruined walls remain and which is not mentioned in historical documents. It was first recorded by M. Mandić in 1928, but archaeological research has never been conducted. The town was built on the summit of an Illyrian hillfort featuring artificial terraces and traces of mining activity, as large remains of iron slag have been found.
The hillfort is situated above the Prale River, which flows into the Lašva, and it marks the origin of the town of Vitez during the era of King Tvrtko Kotromanić, serving as part of the defense line of the Lašva Valley: Vranduk – Travnik – Škav. On the site, there is also a stone chair used as a lookout, a water well, and a cave, all of which speak to the continuity of life from prehistory to the Middle Ages.
This is further supported by the large number of Illyrian hillforts in the surrounding area, such as Mali Mošunj, Veliki Mošunj, and the hillforts of Oblak, Jasike, Glavica, Gradac, Čatrnja, and Podcrkavlje, which we did not visit this time due to the short daylight hours. Vitez has great potential for the development of cultural tourism, but care must be taken to ensure that information boards display verified historical data rather than nationalist propaganda—such as the unsubstantiated claim that Croats arrived at this town in the $7^{th}$ century.
It is heartening to see that a local NGO is caring for Škav/Bosnić; they have cleared the access path and installed benches, signposts, and beautiful medieval coats of arms of the Bosnian nobility, including the Kotromanić, Kosača, and Sanković families, among others. We regret that due to the heavy snow, we were unable to climb to the very top of the hillfort to examine it in detail.
I extend my thanks to my friend Haris from Vitez, who led me to this location and with whom I spent a wonderful day socializing and touring the cultural heritage of Vitez.
