Hutovo Fortress

Hutovo fortress or Hadžibegov Grad (the Hajji bey fort), also Hutovski Grad, is a fortress in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the municipality of Neum near the village of Hutovo.

Location and Name
The fortress is located along a narrow road leading from Hutovo Blato to Neum, below Žaba mountain and southwest of Hutovo. Strategically situated atop a hill overlooking the Prešjeci pass, it was often traversed by salt caravans from Ston traveling inland. The name Hadžibegov Grad is derived from the last lord's name, Hadžibeg Rizvanbegović.

Description
The structure forms an irregular pentagon. There is a total of nine towers, each in a corner of the fortress. Solid and high walls enclose an area of flat land. The fortification runs east to west 70 m. The eastern portion of the fortress is roughly 50 m in width, while the western portion is 30 m in width. Its walls were constructed in such a way that soldiers armed with firearms could defend every angle of the fortress.

History
A massive circular building, which was later encircled with walls, existed in 1714 as a tower in Captaincy of Stolac. A retinue of 7-8 guards guarded the pass and collected taxes. Between 1795-1802, Hajj-Mehmed-Beg commanded the fort, and was entitled to a cut of the taxes paid by Nevesinje. He turned the building into a proper fortification before 1802. There are two stone tablets placed at the fort (8 in total in the town).

Hajji-Mehmed-Beg-Rizvanbegović, was a son of captain Zulfikar-bey Rizvanbegović. In XVIII century Rizvanbegović tribe took the captainy over from the Šarić family.

When the Herzegovinian uprising of 1875 began, the Ottoman army conquered the Hutovo fortress. In one of the assaults by the rebels, under the leadership of Ivan Musić, the city itself was set on fire and every wooden construction was no more. The fort itself was abandoned during the Herzegovinian uprising of 1875-1878.

Contemporary usage
The society of Friends of the Old Hutovo use town historical settings for local celebrations.

Protection
Revitalization of the fort was started in 1969 by the National museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On May 10, 2004, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina designated it a National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three slabs bearing inscriptions found at the fortress are on display in Country House museum's lapidary in Hutovo.