JAJCE is situated on the Pliva and Vrbas rivers, and at the terminus of a branch
railway from Sarajevo.
Jajce occupies a conical hill, overlooking one of the finest waterfalls in Europe, where the Pliva rushes down into the Vrbas, 100
ft. below. The 4th century citadel which crowns this hill is said to have been
built for Hrvoje, duke of Spalato, on the model of the Castel del' Uovo at Naples. But the
resemblance is very slight, and although both jajce and uovo
signify "an egg," the town probably derives its name from the shape
of the hill. The ruined church
of St Luke, said by
legend to be the Evangelist's burial place, has a fine Italian belfry, and
dates from the 15th century. Jezero, 5 meters west of Jajce, contains the
Turkish fort of Djol-Hissar, or "the Lake-Fort." In this neighborhood
a line of waterfalls and mares, formed by the Pliva, stretches for several
miles, enclosed by steep rocks and forest-clad mountains. The power supplied by
the main fall, at Jajce, is used for industrial purposes, but the beauty of the
town remains unimpaired.