The Culture Capital of Europe: old city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

*WS 94: the Culture Capital of Europe: old city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina*

Sarajevo is the capital and largest city in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans. It started to grow as a stronghold of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. 

First a few words on the recent Civil War (1992-95). The former Yugoslavia was made up of 6 socialist republics. After the disintegration of socialist Soviet Union in 1991, 2 republics, Bosnia and Croatia wanted independence from Yugoslavia and unilaterally declared independence. But the most powerful republic, Serbia, refused to let them leave. Civil wars erupted on many fronts, ended only with the intervention of the international community. Bosnia suffered the most. 

Before the Civil War, the old city of Sarajevo was made up of about 50% Bosniaks who are Muslims, 32% Serbs (Orthodox Christians), 14% Croats (Catholics) and minorities like Jews. It was so cosmopolitan that it is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe”. It is one of the few European cities to have mosques, churches, and synagogue built within sight of one another. After the Civil War, the population of Serbs have been greatly reduced after being forced out to relocate to Serbia. 

It is this rich cosmopolitan culture that makes Sarajevo a tourist city. Different cultures flourish because of religious freedom and tolerance. The dominant Muslims do not have the restrictive Sharia law. So inter-religious marriage is allowed and common. It was voted as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. We spent 2 full days here in 2012. 

The 1st photo shows the main plaza at the old city center while the 2nd shows the most recognisable landmark in the old city: the Moorish wooden Sebilj Fountain dated to 1891. The next 3 shows the religious buildings located within a few hundred meters of one another: the Ghazi Husrev Bey Mosque, built around 1531 in typical Ottoman architecture, the Catholic Cathedral built in 1887 and the Orthodox Cathedral built in 1868. 

The 6th photo shows the modern city tram. Sarajevo first used the tram network in 1885, the 2nd city in the World to have a full-time electric tram network, after San Francisco in the USA. The 7th photo shows the Latin Bridge. On June 28, 1914, the crown prince, Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo and this incident triggered the First World War. The assassination took place near the northern (left) end of the bridge. The 8th photo shows a “Rose of Sarajevo” which is a concrete scar on the pavement caused by a mortar shell's explosion during the Civil War, and later filled with red resin. Mortar rounds landed in concrete create a unique floral pattern of fragmentation. Only explosions with 1 or more deaths were marked this way. And of course there are many of such “roses”. Promoting tourism with blood? 

The last 2 are interesting sights: an advertising convoy and a modern all-glass showroom standing side by side with an old building with domes and chimneys.

*Extension of WS 94: the interesting assassination story of crown prince Ferdinand in 1914*

The assassination was briefly mentioned in the text of WS 94. I would like to expand that as it is interesting. 

I mentioned in the story that Sarajevo has been inhabited by the Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Who are these people? Actually they are the same people: by race all are Southern Slavs. It is religion and geography that separate them and they are called by different names. Sarajevo (and Bosnia) was under Ottoman rule for many hundreds of years until 1878 when it was taken over by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Around that time the idea of a unified South Slavic nation became a popular political ideology in the region. There was an active underground nationalist movement to counter the Austro-Hungarian rule. So when the news of Archduke (or crown prince and heir to the throne) Franz Ferdinand visiting Sarajevo was made known, the nationalist movement decided to kill him. 

The assassination story is fascinating. On this fatal day the nationalistic movement placed 6 assassins on the route where Ferdinand's 6-car convoy was supposed to travel from the railway station to the Town Hall along this road called Appel Quay. Princip, a Serb by race, was the 4th assassin. The first 2 didn't do anything. The 3rd threw a bomb but it fell off Ferdinand's car and exploded on the ground damaging the next car. The convoy sped off and the assassin Princip had no chance to act. 

He loitered around there and later went "limp kopi" at the "mamak stall" near the Latin Bridge. The crown prince was not supposed to come back on this route. But because of the bombing, Ferdinand decided on a change of plan after his business at the Town Hall. He decided to visit the injured officer at the hospital and their convoy came back to this Appel Quay. Because of the change of plan and route there was some miscommunication. No mobile phone yet. No GPS too. Certainly no "Waze". Ferdinand's car made a wrong turn somewhere and had to reverse. But the early 20th century car was even less reliable than our Proton Saga. While reversing the gear jammed and the car stalled. And the open-top sports car stalled right in front of the cafe where Princip was enjoying his "kopi tarik". What a lucky day. He came out and shot the crown prince and his wife at point blank range, killing both.

So you can see what an unlucky day this Ferdinand had, to be killed like that. Change of route and stalled car! And you say got caught by some greedy mata-mata while speeding through a red light unlucky?