The Forgotten City of Sarajevo

Posted on 15. Nov, 2009 by in Destinations, Europe

I booked my ticket to Sarajevo on a blind whim. I knew about Bosnia’s recent bloody history, and I’d read an article somewhere on how pretty the city was, but other than that, I really had no idea what to expect from this beautifully named place in the center of Southeast Europe. What I found was a conflicted city, where luscious natural beauty and regal charm clashed with the physical reminders of a horrific war.

Here were some of my highlights:

The view flying into Sarajevo is breath taking. Endless green hills and snow-capped peaks surround a valley of red roofed buildings. I was in love before the plane even hit the tarmac of the infamous Butmir airport.

Sarajevo is like a cross between Vienna and Istanbul. Beautiful art nouveu architecture mashes up against elegant mosques and domes. All around the city are street cafes perfect for a rest and a cold Sarajevsko beer. Spanning the Miljacka River is the famous Spanish Bridge, where the archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking World War one.

On one edge of town is the neighborhood of Baščaršija, a Turkish market where the specialty is brass jewelry, plates and coffee sets. I bought a thin bronze bracelet which the craftsman engraved while I watched. Five times a day the hills echo with the Muslim call to prayer reminding you that Bosnia is one of the few Muslim countries in Europe.

It’s a beautiful and peaceful city now, but the past is never far from mind or sight. Although the worst ruins have been repaired or demolished, shattered, gutted buildings still dot the city. There is still shrapnel in the sidewalks. If you walk along the river you will come upon the formerly grand National Library of Bosnia. Serb forces bombed it in 1992, along with the 2 million volumes inside. The government doesn’t have the money to rebuild it or the heart to tear it down, so the building stands as a monument to all that’s been lost.

Even more jarring are the tombstones. They are everywhere. Glance up in any direction at the rolling hills which surround the city and you will see a sea of uniform white pillars. Get closer and you can see they are all dated within the same 5-year period.  The 1984 Olympic stadium is now a massive graveyard. Some of the other hills are still blanketed in unexcavated land mines.

On our last day we took a ride out see the Sarajevo Tunnel. Cut off from the outside world and surrounded by snipers in the hills, the people of Sarajevo banded together to dig a tunnel 800 meters long that stretches underneath the airport and into what was unoccupied territory. For two years this tunnel was the only means of sneaking food, drinking water and medical supplies into the city. Crawling through the short segment of tunnel still open to the public was strange and claustrophobic, but the drive of the city to survive was inspiring.

The most amazing thing about Sarajevo was the people. These are Bosnians who loved this city so much that they could not abandon it even as the bullets flew. They’ve turned that determination towards rebuilding their beautiful city, and towards welcoming outsiders back with open arms. It’s a city I would absolutely encourage anyone to visit. The rest of the country is equally beautiful and inspiring, and I will be talking about that in more detail on Tuesday.

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29 Responses to “The Forgotten City of Sarajevo”

  1. Abbie

    15. Nov, 2009

    Such a beautiful city and a rich history – I’ll have to make my way out there someday.

    Reply to this comment

  2. Andrew

    15. Nov, 2009

    Wow such great photos in this article. Great job!

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      15. Nov, 2009

      thanks! I had a hard time picking which photos to use, Sarajevo is such a pretty city.

      Reply to this comment

  3. Nancy

    15. Nov, 2009

    This is so beautiful Steph. I’ve never really stumbled upon pictures of Sarajevo. Mostar, yes. Sarajevo, no. And these pictures are stunning, not to mention your evocative descriptions.
    .-= Nancy´s last blog ..Analysis of Rock Music: An Oxymoron? =-.

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      15. Nov, 2009

      Thanks Nancy! I’m actually posting about Mostar on Tuesday. I didn’t know anything at all about either before I decided to go to Bosnia. Totally underrated part of the world.

      Reply to this comment

      • Emir

        18. Nov, 2009

        Not really underrated… for example Sarajevo got on Lonely Planet’s top 10 list..

        I could agree on “Totally unexplored” :)

        Cheers!

        Reply to this comment

  4. Shannon OD

    15. Nov, 2009

    I just loved this post – it took me right back to Bosnia. I stopped there on my last travels also on a whim…I didn’t know a lot about what to expect. I was just utterly surprised by how much I loved the city and the entire country – it’s such a gem that few people make it to!
    .-= Shannon OD´s last blog ..A Little Contemplation…Readjusting to a Dose of Reality =-.

    Reply to this comment

  5. neha

    16. Nov, 2009

    beautiful pictures! am hoping to make it to Sarajevo sometime next year.
    .-= neha´s last blog ..I Heart My City =-.

    Reply to this comment

  6. Travelfusion

    30. Mar, 2010

    Wow – fantastic photos! I just blogged a snapshot that I found of Sarajevo that I thought was beautiful, but yours take the cake! Thanks for sharing.

    http://blog.travelfusion.com/2010/03/27/saturday-snapshot-sarajevo-bosnia/

    Kathryn @Travelfusion

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      30. Mar, 2010

      thank you! I was actually really frustrated. I kept taking pictures of the orange roofed hills and nothing seemed to quite capture the beauty.

      Reply to this comment

  7. Michael

    20. Apr, 2010

    These pics are amazing. Interesting article too. You’ve convinced me to go to Sarajevo.

    Reply to this comment

  8. Mel

    05. May, 2010

    Hi Steph,

    Thanks for sharing your experience. Amazing photos. My hubby and I are thinking of exploring the Balkans this fall; namely Bosnia, Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro. What was your itinerary like? We don’t know where to start. Thanks!

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      05. May, 2010

      Hi Mel! I flew into Sarajevo then headed south towards Mostar and Montenegro. Took a LONG overnight bus ride up to Belgrade then from there went up to Slovenia for a week before heading down to Croatia. I’ve written a lot of other articles about my trip on the site so be sure to have a look (I’m going to do a round up post of all of them sometime this month). Enjoy! I really, really fell in love with the area.

      Reply to this comment

      • Mel

        19. May, 2010

        Thanks a lot Steph. We are still working out our itinerary. Sarajevo, Mostar, Dubrovnik and Zagreb are in but we are still undecided between Montenegro (Kotor Bay) and Slovenia. But I think we’ll give Belgrade a skip.

        Btw, I read your other blogposts, glad to know you’ve been to Malaysia. I’m from KL, so next time you are here again, do gimme a shout :-)

        Reply to this comment

        • Steph

          20. May, 2010

          Ohh tough call. If you are going to Dubrovnik already then I might pick Slovenia, just for diversity. I loved both areas though.

          I actually haven’t been to Malaysia yet- but it’s on the itinerary for next year so I may get in touch!

          Reply to this comment

  9. Lana

    18. May, 2010

    Steph :)

    Just discovered your blog – love it.

    I know exactly what you mean – I fell in love with Sarajevo and Bosnia & Herzegovina in general. Beautiful country with beautiful people :)

    Lana
    .-= Lana´s last blog ..Going Solo… =-.

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      18. May, 2010

      Thanks! Glad you found me. I am hoping to return to Bosnia at some point- it was so beautiful.

      Reply to this comment

  10. Mike Klein

    30. Jul, 2010

    Overall, a good piece–I’ve written something similar on my own blog, http://shallwedansk.posterous.com

    I do take issue with one thing–the idea that the Olympic Stadium has been turned into a cemetery. It’s not true.

    Yes, some of the practice fields have been converted to burial grounds (and not just of the ‘uniform pillar’ variety–but reflecting all of Sarajevo’s historical religious communities), and the seats in the Zetra Olympic Hall were used for wood to make coffins with. But the Olympic Stadium is now the main football ground in BiH, and Zetra has been reborn as a multipurpose sport and concert venue rivalling those in much larger European cities.

    Happy to share my other Bosnia reflections.

    Mike

    Reply to this comment

  11. Lara

    12. Jan, 2011

    Wow, I just stumbled upon this entry. Excellent writing! I lived in Sarajevo for 7 weeks this past summer and fell absolutely in love with Bosnia. I miss those stunning mountains and the wonderful cafes, but mostly the people. I hope more people realize what a gem Bosnia is!

    Reply to this comment

  12. Heidi

    29. Jan, 2011

    Really enjoyed your photos and writings!

    Reply to this comment

  13. twoOregonians

    28. Jun, 2011

    I’ve always had an interest in Bosnia, though I’ve never been able to visit. (I was born during the 1984 winter Olympics in Sarajevo, and my aunt – whose cousin won a gold medal that year (!!!?) – nickname me “Jevo” – a title that has stuck for life!)

    A few years back, I helped organize the trip for a native Bosnian and director of the American Friends Service Committee, Davorian Brdanovic, to come to Portland, Oregon and share about his work in developing community gardens as part of the post-war reconciliation efforts in Bosnia Herzegovina. The stories were amazing…both the horrors of the war and the way that civilization had been so jarringly altered, and the stories of re-connection that happened as people from all different ethnic backgrounds slowly began to participate in the community garden efforts.

    Out of curiosity, after reading your post, I dug up the old information from his lecture. At the time, there were 2,000 people involved in 15 different sites around the area (including “pensioners, the unemployed, students, children, physically and mentally challenged persons, prisoners, refugees, displaced persons and returnees, and varied ethnic and religious groups”). It’s encouraging to see progress and re-built relationships after the devastation of war…

    Anyway…very enjoyable to see your photos and read of you visit. Thanks, as always! xx

    Reply to this comment

    • Steph

      28. Jun, 2011

      Thank you for sharing! It’s so important to record and remember those stories so that it never happens again.

      Reply to this comment

      • Malka

        07. Oct, 2012

        Hi there Steph, I would like to thank you on your story about Sarajevo, I was born
        and raised in Sarajevo it’s my home town, and yes, it’s most beautiful city in the
        whole wild world. I was there during the war, I was only 19 back then…:(

        Thanks!!!!

        Reply to this comment

  14. A.G.

    17. Nov, 2011

    Hey, I am really glad you enjoyed in Sarajevo, beautiful capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. But I just want to remind you about one mistake: Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a Muslim country. Officially it is secular country with 40 % of population declared themselves as Muslims, 31% as Orthodox Christians and 15 % Catholic Christians. The rest don’t belong to any religion or they are the part of some very small religious groups.
    Religion is there important cultural segment but in dailiy life you will meet very secular, let’s say, typical people from Europe.

    Reply to this comment

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Week Reflections and Favorites 11/20/09 » nancy.the.gnomette - November 20, 2009

    [...] 1. The Forgotten City of Sarajevo. Stephanie, over at Twenty-Something Travel, writes about her experiences in Sarajevo and shares some great pics. [...]
  2. Top 10 Newest Countries | Destination Europe - February 13, 2011

    [...] the main street heading out of the city. Yay! I did see enough to make me want to go back and these two posts convinced me Sarajevo would be one of the highlights of the Balkans. Even though my day trip [...]

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