 | Bosnia and Herzegovina Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 49 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Miscellaneous Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (49) Many people avoid Bosnia during the summer. Many more people avoid Bosnia in the winter. The winters are mean, and yet, they leave an innocent look over a land that has had its share of woes.
I awoke one morning after a tough night of forecasting a blanket of snow entering the region from the north. The look outside my door in northern Bosnia was remarkable. The snow was so heavy that tree branches were bending and cracking. This was the worst storm in a long time. I worried of falling branches finding undiscovered mines. Having enough weight to set one off.
Bosnia during the winter is off-the-beaten path for a big reason. Until every mine has been removed, it's important to stay on the marked roads. During snowstorms, those roads are difficult to find. Hence, about 4 people lost limbs while I was here. All of them Russians.
You can't deny it's beauty though. The snow today made Bosnia look like the most peaceful nation on earth. I like how mother nature can cover pain as easily as she can create it. Leave a Comment |
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Three rivers roll through Bosnia, but mainly I lived around the Bosna River. (Note some people refer to the Bosna as the Vasna) It flows only through Bosnia. No foreign soil touches this river, 3rd largest in Bosnia.
Zenica is home to almost 100,000 people, but this number is unsure due to the war. It has been a major steel city ever since the Ausrtia-Hungarian Empire. Zenica also played some minor roles during the Ottoman empire and some relics are around, but most have been destroyed. I took this photo aboard a Blackhawk in March 2000 Leave a Comment |
For the average tourist this city would be off the beaten path. It is a quaint little city that is being developed nicely. The main street is filled with bars, restaurants and various little stores. The surrounding area is quite nice especially if ignore the garbage piles. Kljuc is located in the Northwestren part of Bosnia near the internal border seperating the Croat-Muslim Federation from the Republic of Srpska. Leave a Comment |
The smaller towns of Bosnia seemed to go through their fair share of war horrors. I took a Blackhawk helicopter ride from Uglevik on the Serbia border to Doboj, locatd in Republika Srpska. All along this path, it was easy to tell that all those involved in the war had casualties. Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbians all suffered similar fates.
It seems as though this was an all too common site. I had been told by a Serbian friend, Danny Spakovic, that this is actually improved from how things were before. Since this was 2000, I imagine things are looking a lot better by now. I hope so. Leave a Comment |
On the mountain that is overlooking the city of Kljuc are the ruins of an old castle. There is a good path up to the ruins from the town and it is safe to walk around the ruins. These are not the best ruins in the world but it still is quite interesting and it offers good views of the surrounding area. Leave a Comment |
Though partially in ruins, the castle is open for visitors and there is a guard who sells entrance tickets for 1KM (=0.5 E).
I was the only visitor, but the castle is a popular place for young local couples looking for a bit of privacy...
The large inner garden is decorated with modern stone statues.
The main castle house is open and it is in a wonderful position, overlooking the Una river valley. Leave a Comment |
The Ostrozac castle is located in the municipality of Cazin, about half way between Velika Kladusa and Bihac.
It is an impressive, huge, castle complex that dates back to the 16th century, just before the Turks invasion. The outer walls are more than 2 mt thick. Leave a Comment |
The shortest road from Sarajevo to Goradze passes through some wild mountain sceneries.
At the pass between Renovica and Goradze there is a monument to celebrate war victims. Views are breathtaking and you'll meet many UN soldiers. It's more than 1000 mt above sea level here, and it may be cold all year round.
There are just a few small villages and the number of graveyards along the way is impressive. Leave a Comment |
Because of the industrial and sewage plans from the prior communist regime, this country has many bodies of dead water. There are sinkholes, lakes, and ponds that have no life in them at all beacuse of pollution and runoff. We ( the Americans) call them the "Chocolate Lakes." Leave a Comment |
Really Bosnia is off the beaten path and many people miss out on it. Simply put most people I meet view Bosnia as a dangerous place, but those who have been there know this is simply no truer than other places. Yes there are some precautions such as watching out for landmines and unexploded ordinance (bombs) but a little common sense goes a long way here. Really Bosnia is a whole lot more than just a war torn country but it presents a great opportunity to see and learn a little about how destructive war really is, certainly not what you see or hear on the news. Bosnia has a rich history and a variety of cultural influences which really to me make this an exciting place where I think most people would be hard pressed to find boredom as a companion. Leave a Comment |
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