The Cetina river

The Cetina river, the source of which dates back to the prehistoric period of Tertiary, spreads its course along the mountains of Dinaridi (direction NW-SE). The slope of the Svilaja and Dinara mountain layers shows that the mentioned mountains used to form an undivided block, later split by parallel faults. With time the terrain along the faults subsided, thus creating the rift of the today's Cetina valley. The shell in which the Cetina river lies consists mostly of limestone elements, at the river bed heavily covered with lake sediments, i.e. layers of marl. The climatic conditions of the Cetina valley region are a result of its position between the coastal belt on one side and its mountainous hinterland on the other. The varied climatic influences are also clearly visible in the distribution of the region’s vegetation, whereas the differences in altitude among the different parts of the region are also an important factor in this sense. Neither the abundance of fig trees in sun-exposed places, nor the predominance of beech on the slopes of the Svilaja mountain or the defiance of ever-present olive trees paint a uniform picture of the region's climate, which could therefore be defined as Submediterranean. And as the Cetina river is abundantly supplied by waters from higher territories of Bosnia, thus it also gives them away in abundance. The water of the Cetina river emerges in the wells of Studenci, Jadro and Žrnovnica. Cetina is in fact a miracle! The water gushes from a deep crater, at once forming into a river. The source of the Cetina river lies in a village of the same name 7 km north of Vrlika. Some 100,5 km downstream Cetina delivers its wildness to the sea, finding its final resting place by the small coastal town of Omiš.

The Cetina river region is of great historical and archeological importance. The mountain slopes and surrounding areas along its course hide genuine archaeological treasures – hatchets dating from the stone age, shields of Roman legionaries, personal items of medieval serfs and much more. The mentioned archaeological finds of the Cetina karst and silt bear witness not only of their respective historical periods, but also of the role which this river has played in the lives of the local people ever since prehistoric times.