Čapljina is a city in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated in the lower Neretva valley, about 30 kilometres south of Mostar and only 20 kilometres from the Adriatic Sea. The Trebižat river, one of the main tributaries of the Neretva, flows through the municipality.
The name Čapljina most likely derives from the word čaplja — heron — reflecting the abundance of these birds in the surrounding wetlands and along the Neretva. It is a fitting name: the municipality borders some of the most important wetland habitats in the region, including Hutovo Blato to the east and the Neretva Delta to the west.
Visitors to Čapljina often remark on its neatness and greenery. The city centre is well-maintained, with parks, flower beds, and tree-lined streets that give it a pleasant, liveable character somewhat unexpected for a mid-sized provincial town. A prominent landmark in the main square is the statue of King Tomislav, the first king of Croatia, reflecting the predominantly Croatian character of the population. The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi is another notable presence in the townscape. The municipal coat of arms incorporates the Croatian chequy, the tower of Počitelj, and Saint Francis — three symbols that together summarise the city's identity.
The area around Čapljina has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Illyrians settled here long before the Roman conquest, and Roman presence left significant traces — most notably the villa rustica at Mogorjelo, just 5 kilometres from the city centre, considered the most important Roman archaeological site in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the fall of Rome, the area passed through the hands of various medieval rulers before the Ottoman Empire took control in 1483, holding it for nearly four centuries until the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878. The railway arrived in 1885 with the opening of the narrow-gauge Narentabahn, connecting Čapljina to Mostar and eventually Sarajevo. Between 1963 and 1966, the Yugoslav State Railways rebuilt the line to standard gauge. At Čapljina, a now-discontinued narrow-gauge branch once diverged toward Dubrovnik.
During the 1992–1995 war, Čapljina suffered considerable damage and significant demographic changes. Before the war the population was mixed; today ethnic Croats make up the large majority.
In the Yugoslav era, Čapljina was home to a significant industrial plant connected to one of the most remarkable companies in the former Yugoslavia. In 1976, the Energoinvest conglomerate — headquartered in Sarajevo and at its peak the largest exporter in Yugoslavia with over 42,000 employees and a turnover exceeding one billion US dollars — established an industrial valve and armatures factory in Čapljina as part of its five-plant valve group. By 1980 it was operating as an ultrapure steel foundry, producing valves for nuclear power plant installations and other demanding applications. After privatisation, the plant became Armature d.o.o. Čapljina and continues operating today, manufacturing steel castings and industrial equipment to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards.
Lasta is perhaps the most beloved name in Čapljina's industrial heritage. The company began as a small city bakery with fourteen employees, later introducing waffle and biscuit production in 1977. During the Yugoslav era the factory employed around 1,000 workers , and its products — štrudle, čajni kolutići, Linđo biscuits, wafers, and cream sticks — were known throughout the former Yugoslavia. Following privatisation, the factory was purchased by the Croatian company Zvečevo in 2000, before eventually closing at the beginning of 2017 and entering bankruptcy proceedings in 2018. The south of Herzegovina had been recognised by its Lasta products for decades, and their disappearance was felt widely. In 2019, entrepreneur Petar Ćorluka, owner of the Violeta group from Grude, purchased the factory and invested 20 million euros in its complete reconstruction. On 18 May 2022, the factory was ceremonially reopened , equipped with new production lines from Italy, Germany and Switzerland, and solar panels providing its own electricity. Lasta can now produce up to 2,500,000 biscuits per day, with an annual capacity of 13,000 tonnes. Products are exported to Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and onward into the EU. In January 2025, a further expansion of the factory was announced.
Today the local economy is based primarily on agriculture, food processing, and growing tourism. The municipality had 776 registered commercial entities in 2017 and generated substantial exports to the European Union. An industrial zone at Zvirovići is designated for attracting further investment. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested 4.4 million euros in water supply infrastructure in 2014. The Čapljina Pump-Storage Hydro-Power Plant, currently undergoing reconstruction and modernisation, will further strengthen the region's energy capacity.
Čapljina is an important transit point on the north-south corridor linking Mostar and Ploče via the main road M-17. The east-west route M-6 connects it toward Trebinje. The railway station is the southern terminus of the scenic Sar