Cape Tower

The tower on the Krupa River, or Cape Tower, is a fortification structure from the Ottoman period in the settlement of Dračevo, municipality of Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has been declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The tower is mentioned in the Venetian plan of Čitluk and Gabela from 1678, where the tower on the Krupa is referred to as Tore Vechio (Old Tower). In the Venetian plan from 1695, it is called Tore di Kruppe (Krupa Tower).

It was built before 1678, during the Ottoman administration as part of a broader defense system established on the border with the Venetian Republic. It also served to prevent piracy and smuggling, which were very widespread in the Neretva valley.

The new mention of the tower on the Krupa appears during the Ottoman-Venetian War at the beginning of the 18th century. While retreating from Gabela, the Venetians destroyed the tower in early 1716. After that, the Ottomans rebuilt the defense line at Gabela, including the tower on Krupa.

The ownership of the settlement of Dračevo at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century belonged to the Gavrankapetanović family. The tower on Krupa is mentioned during the Herzegovina Uprising from 1875 to 1878. Conflicts also occurred in the village of Dračevo, and the targets of the insurgents were the bridge (which was located a few hundred meters upstream from the tower) and the tower where the defense against the insurgents was strongest.

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the outbreak of the Herzegovina Uprising, the municipality of Čapljina erected a memorial monument in 1995 on the parcel above the location of the tower.

Description of the Tower

The tower belongs to smaller fortification structures with a circular base, approximately 3.60 meters in diameter, about 7–8.0 meters high, and reaching up to 10.0 meters on the outer side. The walls of the tower, 1.2 meters thick, are built of hewn stone blocks of limestone. A part of the southern wall has been preserved.

Based on old drawings and a photograph from 1878, it can be seen that there were stairs next to the tower connecting this tower with another square-based tower. Around Cape Tower, there are remnants of walls on three sides.