{"id":8873,"date":"2019-11-21T05:59:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T13:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strangersinthelivingroom.com\/?p=8873"},"modified":"2022-07-30T11:20:49","modified_gmt":"2022-07-30T18:20:49","slug":"siege-of-sarajevo-balkan-war-memories-in-bosnia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strangersinthelivingroom.com\/8873\/siege-of-sarajevo-balkan-war-memories-in-bosnia\/","title":{"rendered":"Siege of Sarajevo: Balkan War Memories in Bosnia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sarajevo endured the longest military siege of a city in modern times from 1992 through 1995. The human suffering seems more distant with every passing year, but the scars from the Siege of Sarajevo run deep.<\/p>\n

The Bosnian capital is filled with memorials to the dead and tributes to the courage of those who stayed alive under constant bombardment from the surrounding hills. Although much of the damage has been repaired and today’s residents welcome visitors, Sarajevo’s ghosts may haunt you long after your visit.<\/p>\n

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Bascarsija, the crossroads marketplace of Sarajevo, symbolized the city where people of different religions could live in peace.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sarajevo’s History of Harmony and Conflict<\/h4>\n

Sarajevo has a proud history as a crossroads where people of different cultures and religions could live together. As you wander the streets, you’ll see both historic mosques from Ottoman times and stately churches built under Austrian rule. The city showcased its inclusiveness to the world during the 1984 Winter Olympics. One relic of the games is the ruined bobsled track on Mount Trebevic, which became a snipers’ nest during the siege, and today can be reached by cable car for a fascinating hike. More details on how to plan your visit in this post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife in 1914 set the stage for World War I. The royal couple was on a state visit to Sarajevo when they were shot by a Serb nationalist as their carriage passed by the Latin Bridge. The location is marked with an unpretentious monument that is easy to miss on a busy street corner. For more context go inside the National Library (Vijecnica) a few blocks down the street, which has a room depicting the Austrian royals in the last building they visited before being gunned down.<\/p>\n

Bosnia’s National Library<\/h4>\n

The library’s architecture may look Moorish but it was actually built under Austrian rule. Today it serves as the city hall, but minders watch the entrance to make sure foreign visitors pay the admission fee to enter the soaring atrium and ceremonial rooms. It includes an audio guide that may or may not work with your phone. The Vijecnica was hit by enemy shells on August 25-26, 1992, and burned to the ground — along with millions of books. A sign near the entrance to the beautifully restored building urges visitors to “remember and warn.”<\/p>\n

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The beautifully restored atrium of the National Library in Sarajevo may look Moorish, but was originally built when the Austrian Empire ruled present-day Bosnia. It was shelled and burned to the ground during the siege of Sarajevo.<\/p><\/div>\n

After World War II, Bosnia-Herzegovina was a member republic of Yugoslavia. Strongman Josip Broz Tito held the various nationalities together with the ideals of “brotherhood and unity,” but it started to fray at the edges after Tito’s death in 1980. By the time Slovenia declared its independence in 1991, the ethnic tensions erupted into all-out war as other nationalities resisted Serbia’s strong-arm attempts to dominate the region from Belgrade.<\/p>\n

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A great read for your trip to Bosnia: learn about the real events of the Balkan Wars by following the adventures of some fictional young fighters, including the siege of Sarajevo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Recommended reading:<\/strong>\u00a0If all of this seems like a bit too much history to digest on your vacation, there’s an easy and fun way to get informed. Tito’s Lost Children<\/a> is a three-part novel that follows a fictional band of young adults through the Balkan Wars in the 1990s. It’s based on solid research by a PhD and will keep you turning the pages as a fictional daughter of Marshall Tito interacts with the real people and events, including the sieges of Dubrovnik<\/a> and Sarajevo.<\/p>\n

In fact, I visited Sarajevo when I accompanied the author on a research trip. (Disclosure: Author Andrew Anzur Clement is my son.) And if you really want to wonk out on history, here’s a post listing some definitive works on the breakup of Yugoslavia<\/a>. History buffs may also enjoy one of the many tours offered on Trip Advisor.<\/a><\/p>\n

Bascarsija: the Old Town Market<\/h4>\n

Ground Zero for your Sarajevo visit is the fountain in the large square that is the door to the cultural and historic heart of the city. It’s a central meeting spot and good place to catch a bus or a tram or change money. You can spend hours wandering the narrow streets of wooden stalls, which seem old despite having been destroyed in the siege and rebuilt. Some kiosks once sold Balkan War memorabilia, like pens made out of artillery shells, but this is becoming rare.<\/p>\n

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The stalls in Sarajevo’s marketplace may look old, but were actually destroyed and rebuilt after the siege. Artifacts like pens made out of artillery shells are becoming rare.<\/p><\/div>\n

You’ll see the remains of the ancient caravansarai among the stalls and restaurants. The merchants are nowhere near as pushy as you might encounter in Istanbul’s Grand Market. When I stopped to try on a cute pair of handmade slippers, the friendly Bosnian shopkeeper took the opportunity to strike up a lengthy conversation in English about his son, a college student in the United States. And, guys, if you’re feeling scruffy, pop into one of the neighborhood barber shops for a cheap but great haircut.<\/p>\n

Ghosts of the Bosnia’s War Dead<\/h4>\n

A short but steep walk up the hill from the Bascarsija you’ll find one of many sprawling cemeteries to those killed in the siege of Sarajevo and the wider war, pictured at the top of this post. Fallen fighters of all ages line the path to a museum about the life of Alija Izetbegovi\u0107, the Muslim activist who led Bosnia through the war to its independence. It’s also a chance to walk inside the ancient city wall that houses the museum in two of its towers. Admire the panoramic cityscape in the background as you walk back down the hill to catch the #6 tram at the Bascarsija.<\/p>\n

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Admission to a museum honoring President Izetbegovi\u0107, who led Bosnia during the Balkan Wars, allows you to walk on and inside the ancient city walls of Sarajevo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tram Ride on Snipers’ Alley<\/h4>\n

Sarajevo’s trams are a motley collection of castoffs from other countries and battered vehicles that survived the siege. Buy your ticket at a kiosk and then settle in for a ride along Sarajevo’s main street, now called Zmaj od Bosna (Dragon of Bosnia), but known during the siege as “Snipers’ Alley.”<\/p>\n

You’ll have to look closely to find buildings that still bear shrapnel marks on their concrete facades. Imagine living in one of the apartment bloks<\/em> that provided easy civilian targets for the shooters on the surrounding hills. A shiny new parliament building and towering skyscrapers have risen from the ashes of war.<\/p>\n

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Bomb craters filled in with red resin were nicknamed the “Sarajevo Roses.” This one is in the marketplace where a shell exploded in 1994, killing 69 civilians.<\/p><\/div>\n

Look into the faces of the passengers on the tram and ponder what it must have been like for those who survived the siege without running water or electricity, when people risked their lives to go out for a loaf of bread. Plan to return later to the city center’s covered marketplace where a shell landed on February 5, 1994, and wiped out 69 innocent shoppers, wounding more than 200. Some of the city’s bomb craters were filled in with red resin; these “roses of Sarajevo” in the sidewalks are starting to disappear as rebuilding efforts continue.<\/p>\n

You’ll also pass the highly fortified American embassy and the bright yellow high-rise hotel<\/a>, the former Holiday Inn made famous as the headquarters of the international news media during the siege.<\/p>\n