2023 Balkans - Day 8 Sarajevo

Today we are in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s long been a center of cultural and religious diversity, sometimes known as the “Jerusalem of Europe”. This has been both to its benefit, and to its downfall.

I knew three things about Sarajevo before coming here: assassination, Olympics, and war

1. Our hotel is around the corner from the site of the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, which fanned the long-simmering tensions in Europe into the First World War.  A matter-of-fact stone slab marks the assassination site, along with pair of footprints showing where the assassin stood, a few blown-up photographs and a replica of the car in which they rode.

2. The 1984 Winter Olympics were here, an event of great excitement and pride for both Yugoslavia and Sarajevo. Russia boycotted these Olympics. Most of the Olympic Village and venues were destroyed during the Bosnian War (1992-1996).

3. A few weeks after the 1992 referendum on independence (mentioned in yesterday’s blog), Serbian partisans launched a barrage on the city from the surrounding mountainsides. 60 km siege line around Sarajevo. They were supported by the former Yugoslav army, and encouraged by Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. Milosevic had dreams of assimilating the Bosnia and Hercegovina Serbs into his own country, and that cleansing the country of Muslims was the route to success. 

The city endured without power, food or water for the first year. The only way to get in or out of the city was by sprinting across the airport runway. Although the airport was held by “blue helmets” - U.N. Peacekeepers - it was vulnerable to snipers in the hills outside the city. Hundreds of people were killed and injured while trying to cross the open space.

Sarajevo under siege - the airport runway ran across the funnel in the center right. 

The solution was a 1/2 mile tunnel built under the runway by the Bosnian Army. It took only 4 months to build the tunnel, which was constructed from both sides of the runway. For the next three years, it was the only way in and out of Sarajevo. Supplies could get in; people could get out. A short section has been preserved as the Tunnel of Hope, a memorial showing the construction and use of the tunnel. 

Street side of the house that hid the entrance to the tunnel outside of Sarajevo.

The tunnel has a low ceiling; I had to stoop to walk through. Carts laden with supplies (food, weapons, infrastructure needs) would be pushed along the rails to the city side. Gurneys could move wounded to safety along the rails. 

Today the area is quiet and bucolic, though there are still signs warning of possible land mines. Beyond the sign are horses grazing, and then the airport.

Even today, it’s hard to ignore the reality of the siege. Although many buildings (especially in the old city tourist area) have been restored, reminders of the war are everywhere. This is a former recreation center for seniors, an overgrown ruin for the past 30 years.

Dozens of high-rise residences line the main boulevard in and out of Sarajevo. These socialist-style buildings, nicknamed “brutalist” architecture, were designed purely with function in mind. Some are still pockmarked from the shelling.

Red paint splatters on the pavement called “Roses of Sarajevo” indicate where people were killed during the siege. Sometimes it was a group of dozens, sometimes a single individual. A nearby memorial often lists the victims. 

There are many museums in Sarajevo which memorialize events from the Bosnian War. Greg and I visited the Galerija 11/07/95, a small gallery which commemorates the 8372 victims of the infamous Srebrenica massacre. Making use of photographs, audio testimony and video footage from witnesses and family members, it’s a powerful experience. 

Sarajevo’s City Hall is a lovely Moorish-style building. It’s been largely rebuilt after being heavily damaged during the siege. 

We walked through an old Ottoman neighborhood filled with aromatic restaurants, craftsmen and people out for a stroll. 

We took a long walk to the National Museum of BH because I wanted to see the world-famous Sarajevo Haggadah. I’d read Geraldine Brook’s novel, People of the Book, years ago and had been surprised to learn the novel was based on a true story about a real document. I walked into the museum and was promptly ushered out because the museum is closed on Mondays. Oh well. 

We managed to made lemonade anyway. A couple of blocks away, there was a 4 story shopping mall. And inside, as a large sign proclaimed, was a KFC. 

We had an interactive lecture with a native of Sarajevo who was 18 years old when the siege began. He was a last-minute stand-in for our scheduled speaker who was caught in traffic. It was a fortuitous change; we really enjoyed our replacement. He helped defend his city throughout the siege. As a veteran of the war, he receives only a small pension of under 200 Euros/month - not nearly enough to live on. He was blunt and honest in his answers and assessment of where his country is now and where it’s likely headed. The population is decreasing. Politicians are not respected or trusted. Life under the Dayton Accord, with 3 co-presidents, is not sustainable in the long run. Unemployment is high. The middle class has disappeared. Young and well-educated people are emigrating to other countries where there are more opportunities. He will not leave himself, but would not try to dissuade his children from doing so. He fears his country will become a country of the very old. It sounds like a pragmatic life of resignation. 

After an enormous and tasty group dinner at a nearby restaurant, our group dispersed for the evening. We have another early departure tomorrow.