Sarajevo suffered... and the world just watched.
by sabsi
The Siege of Sarajevo lasted from April 1992 to October 1995.
During this time the city was surrounded by the Yugoslav People's Army and Bosnian Serb forces who bombed the city from the hills around. Along with the tanks on the hills the snipers arrived in the city so whenever somebody wanted to go from A to B it had to be quick in order not to be targeted and shot. An estimate of more than 12,000 people were killed and 50,000 wounded during this time. 85% of them civilians.
The people who stayed in Sarajevo didn't have food or water. In the winter they heated their houses with fire made from windowframes of bombed out houses. The electricity would only work seldomly. So did telephones and postal services. On the black market, however, you could get almost everything - for many many Deutschmarks. Not the freedom though! There was no way out.
It's hard to imagine how the people of Sarajevo could survive this terrible time. It's hard to imagine why nobody could help them. And for me it's hard to imagine why I didn't do anything back then. It makes me sad thinking about how this war was so close yet so difficult and thus far away from us in the 1990s... Sorry Sarajevo!
A highly generous and kind people
by daleka
This is more of a story than a tip, but to express the Bosnian ethic - I met someone at a club in Croatia one night who mentioned he was from Sarajevo, and I mentioned that I had wanted to go visit it. He told me to call if I came and he would show me around. Well, I did go to Sarajevo, not because of him, but because it had been a plan anyway, and when I arrived, I called him and he invited me to hang out with his friends and him that night. They were more than inviting, speaking to me in English when I couldn't understand the fast pace or slang of their Bosnian, offering me drinks, all completely platonically and harmlessly. As someone else said, don't talk politics unless the natives bring it up, and even then, listen more than talk, but they talked with a dry, black humor and wit that reminded me of the humor of my hometown, Seattle.
The next day my friend showed me around the city and took me up the hills to a place that looked out onto the whole valley, more beautiful than I could have imagined. That day, however, I became very sick - I was traveling by myself, and I got so weak with flu-like symptoms and fever that I could hardly bear to go out and even get myself food. But without even knowing me too well, he and his friends got me food and cold medicine, and still took me out at night (when I told them I had to go out, because how often is one in Sarajevo, cold be damned). They took care me all week, and wouldn't even let me pay for things, although I certainly could make more expendable cash more easily in US dollars than they could in KM.
The kindness they showed me gave me such a great respect for the people of Sarajevo and Bosnia, of any race or religion, since the group that hosted me was of mixed ethnicity and belief anyway. Treat these people with respect, and be appreciative of all they give you, verbally, physically or financially, because they've had to work from the ground up within the past decade to pick themselves up from the rubble of the war.
What to pack
by Krumlovgirl
Because taxis are so incredibly inexpensive in Sarajevo, there is the possibility to take them straight from the airport/bus/train depots to your hotel. So you don't have to worry so much about minimal luggage since you don't necessarily have to carry it long stretches of time. Good shose are a must, of course, as is warm weather in the winter. It snows in Sarajevo and even around March and April it can get windy and nippy. Bosnians are notoriously good dressers, so keep that in mind when packing your suitcase. You'll find pharmacies around, as well as various grocery stores where toiletries can be purchased. If you are female and think you might be on your period, youmight want to carry a couple extra tampons if there is one brand that you really prefer. I have had a hard time finidng them with applicators over there. Film is readily available for purchase, although more expensive than what you might be used to at home.
Let's drive to Vrelo Bosne!
by tomatourist
Okay, so you still have some free time after the tour of the city . . . well, let's hop in the Fiat and head to Vrelo Bosne (a spring of the River Bosna) for the afternoon! We'll pass a few interesting sites on the way there.
Džamija Hadži Mehmed Baliæ
by mikey_e
Džamija Hadži Mehmed Baliæ (I think that that’s the name of this mosque) is a quaint 16th century mosque on the border between Kovaèi and Vratnik. It must be quite old, but it has been maintain (or possibly restored) to much better shape since the war. It is a partially wooden mosque that, while having many Ottoman characteristics, also reminded me a bit of wooden Orthodox churches, like the kind in Russia. Nevertheless, this small mosque has a porch and a short but noticeable minaret. It is located on a side street on the climb up to the city’s fortifications, and it is not open to the public for visits. Nevetheless, it makes for a great set of pictures, something that you are unlikely to see anywhere other than in this wooden, mountainous part of the Balkans.
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Sarajevo tram at the train station
Yellow Bastion (Zuta Tabija)
Eternal Flame
Cevabdzinica Zeljo 2 at night
