Pavlovac Fortress, historic fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pavlovac Fortress is a ruined fortress on a hillside near the village of Prača in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The site features limestone walls and the remnants of towers that once commanded views over a deep canyon and the surrounding lands.

Pavlovac was built before 1415, when Duke Pavao Radenović (Radinović) died; some charters point to 1392. It is first documented in 1423, when a Ragusan envoy visited Pavao's son Radoslav Pavlović, and was then called Pavlovac Novi grad u Prači. After the Ottomans took the region in 1463, it became part of the Vilajet Pavli; the fortress remained in use until the mid-16th century.

The name Pavlovac comes from the Pavlović family, a powerful noble clan who ruled this region in medieval times. The ruins still remind visitors of how this family shaped the area and its history.

Access to the fortress is steep and the terrain is uneven with overgrown pathways, so sturdy hiking shoes are needed. The location has few modern facilities nearby, so visitors should come prepared and allow time for the climb.

Pavlovac was also called Novi Grad (New Town) in charters, and in 1423 a envoy of the Dubrovnik Republic visited Radoslav Pavlović here. The walls stand six to ten metres high and about 1.5 metres thick, and the approach wound up in an S-shape. After the Ottoman conquest in 1463 the area became the Vilajet Pavli, a sultan's has.