Tihomir Pavlović
Doboj fortress (Gradina)
Old fortress, AKA "Gradina" (XV century) in Doboj, RS, BiH.
One of the most important defenses in the medieval bannate/duchy of Usora, this large stone structure was built in the early 13th century on the site of an earlier, clay and wood-based structure from the 10th or 11th century. In the first period of its existence, from the 13th to the late 14th or early 15th century (1415), the fortress was built in the Romanesque architecture style. This magnificent object has been burned and ransacked at least 18 times (per official/written record) in its history.
After the reconstruction of 1415, the Doboj fortress became more of a Gothic structure and had its keep reinforced with thick walls (up to 3 feet or 1 meter thick at the Eastern wall) as well as addition of a bastion/plateau with six cannon on top of it. The captain's tower was the dominating feature with a very tall and square keep dominating the fortress. Three big towers (North-West, Eastern, and Southern Gate) strategically protected the flanks of the fortress, hence rendering any idea of an attack a suicidal attempt. The Southern tower's walls became round in order to deflect cannonballs (circa 1370-1380s) and local captains at the time used Dubrovnik-made cannons, bombards, and balistas as fortress' main defense weaponry.
Doboj fortress (Gradina)
Old fortress, AKA "Gradina" (XV century) in Doboj, RS, BiH.
One of the most important defenses in the medieval bannate/duchy of Usora, this large stone structure was built in the early 13th century on the site of an earlier, clay and wood-based structure from the 10th or 11th century. In the first period of its existence, from the 13th to the late 14th or early 15th century (1415), the fortress was built in the Romanesque architecture style. This magnificent object has been burned and ransacked at least 18 times (per official/written record) in its history.
After the reconstruction of 1415, the Doboj fortress became more of a Gothic structure and had its keep reinforced with thick walls (up to 3 feet or 1 meter thick at the Eastern wall) as well as addition of a bastion/plateau with six cannon on top of it. The captain's tower was the dominating feature with a very tall and square keep dominating the fortress. Three big towers (North-West, Eastern, and Southern Gate) strategically protected the flanks of the fortress, hence rendering any idea of an attack a suicidal attempt. The Southern tower's walls became round in order to deflect cannonballs (circa 1370-1380s) and local captains at the time used Dubrovnik-made cannons, bombards, and balistas as fortress' main defense weaponry.