Gornja Bukovica is an extremely spacious, picturesque and in many ways historically significant high mountain village in the municipality of Šavnik, located in the heart of the Drobnjak/Bukovica geographical region.
Here are the most important and interesting details about this place:
1. Geographical position and nature
Location: The village is located north of the town of Šavnik itself, in the valley of the upper course of the Bukovica river (which together with Bijela forms Šavnik, and later Pridravica/Komarnica).
Plateau at the foot of Durmitor and Sinjajevina: Gornja Bukovica is surrounded by imposing mountain massifs. It is located in a natural cut between the slopes of Durmitor, Ivica and Sinjajevina, at an altitude of about 1,000 to 1,200 meters above sea level, with extremely rich pastures, meadows and coniferous forests.
2. The origin of the name and the abundance of water
Name: It got its name from the dense, age-old beech forests that surround this area and from the river Bukovica itself.
Clean river and watercourses: The Bukovica river is known for its exceptionally clear and cold water, rich in brown trout. Several streams and springs flow through the village, so the area has always been ideal for life and cattle breeding.
3. History, Drobnjaci tribe and heroic tradition
Gornja Bukovica is one of the historical seats and core of the famous Montenegrin and Herzegovina Drobnjak tribe.
Many old brotherhoods from Drobnjak live in this village and its surroundings (such as Karadžić, Zeković, Jakšić, Tomić, Kasalić and others).
The end gave rise to a large number of notable heroes, insurgents and participants in the Wars of Liberation, the Battle of Mojkovac and the Thirteenth of July Uprising in World War II. The roots of some of the most famous figures of Serbian and Montenegrin history and culture (including the ancestors of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić) come from this region and the wider area of Bukovica.
4. Animal husbandry, katuns and Durmitor cheese
Thanks to its spacious and fertile meadows, Gornja Bukovica has always been a leading livestock settlement in the Šavnica region.
For centuries, the locals drove their cattle to the high hills of Durmitor, Ivica and Sinjajevina.
The village is known for the production of authentic Durmitor cheese from the mixture (rind) and top quality cream/cream, which are still made according to the traditional recipe.
5. Gornja Bukovica today
Like most of the high mountain villages in the municipality of Šavnik, Gornja Bukovica faced a strong wave of depopulation in the second half of the 20th century.
In recent years, the village has attracted lovers of ethno-tourism, fishing (fly fishing on the Bukovica River), hiking and untouched nature, so many natives are renovating old houses and estates.
