Sarajevo was a special place to visit with my dad. After visiting Sarajevo in the 80s, and being stationed there in the late 90s, my dad witnessed what life was like in the city both before and after the Bosnian War (1992-1995). Almost thirty years later, he went back, this time with me. As meaningful as it was for me to be with him and walk around the city, I have no doubt it was even more so for him. In mostly pictures, here is a snapshot of our time spent in Sarajevo.
Walking around the narrow cobblestone streets of old town Sarajevo was so enjoyable. There were beautiful mosques on every corner and it was a very lively place to explore. Cafes were full of people sipping on Bosnian coffee and shops seemed to be getting great business with all the visitors in town.
The food in Sarajevo is amazing. My favorite dish was Bosnian burek. Baked in crisp phyllo dough, burek is traditionally filled with meat or vegetables and cheese. It melts in your mouth! Cevapi (grilled kebab meat) is another very popular dish in Bosnia and you will find no shortage of roasted vegetable dishes as well. I am looking forward to trying stinging nettle next time around 🙂
Looking at the hilly terrain of Sarajevo, there are so many minarets poking up from the buildings and trees. It is a really beautiful and unique sight. There are many places you can go to get a good view of the city below too, like dining at hilltop restaurants or taking the cable car up to Trebević mountain.
Historically, Sarajevo is probably most well known for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, leading to the eventual outbreak of World War I. He was shot as his car was crossing the Latin Bridge over the Miljacka river. It was a strange feeling to stand where this took place, and it makes one wonder how the world might have been different if the archduke had not been killed.
Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984. The significance of this event was huge for Yugoslavia at the time and is still a source of pride for the people of Bosnia today. Unfortunately, a lot of the Olympic sites were destroyed during the Bosnian War and left abandoned. You can still visit some of these sites today. There is also a small but impactful museum dedicated to those winter games.
Right by the airport you will find the Sarajevo Tunnel. Now converted into a museum, this tunnel was a way for people to safely escape from the city during the Siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. For this reason, it is also called the Tunnel of Hope because of its use to rescue people from the Serbian controlled inner city to Bosnian territory on the other side of the airport. It is certainly worth the time to visit this museum to learn about the Siege and how this tunnel saved countless lives.
While the city is quite beautiful today, there is no denying it has been through a lot. Soviet era architecture is a remnant of former Yugoslavia while bullet ridden buildings reveal the devastating effects of the Bosnian War. Yet despite its turbulent past, Sarajevo has survived and so have its people. I loved getting to visit this city for the first time with my dad and I look forward to returning someday to further explore more of Sarajevo’s rich history.