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RIVER LJUTA
Have you ever asked yourself for how long has a river in a certain region been in existence?
There are several indications that the River Ljuta did not exist in Antiquity. According to oral history, still alive in Herzegovina, the River Ljuta emerged in Konavle in the 10th Century in the area of the present day Zubci, where the River Sutjeska used to flow. AS THE STORY GOES, TWO SOURCES, NAMED THE RIKALO AND THE OKA, EMERGED AFTER SEVENTEEN DAYS OF UNDERGROUND NOISE AT THE FOOT OF THE HILL RUNJAVI, AND THEN A THIRD SOURCE EMERGED AT THE FOOT OF SNJEĊ½NICA IN KONAVLE, GIVING BIRTH TO RIVER LJUTA. There is a popular saying: "Rikalo gave birth to his children, Oka and Ljuta."
According to another oral history in Konavle, the river emerged in the 11th Century, causing long-lasting floods in the Konavle Field, which made its inhabitants run away and relocate. Many established themselves in new homes just below the hills, outside the reach of flooding water, engaging mainly in cattle-breeding.
This is supported by the position of the Konavle villages at the beginning of the 15th Century. We notice the absence of settlements from Ljuta to Uskopje, where originally stood Roman farmhouses (villae rusticae), directly above the fields at the elevation of today's church in Lovorno. All of the present settlements are located to the north, below the hills. Also, during the reconstruction of the mills between 2001 and 2011, no traces were found from Antiquity in this area.