As promised, today I want to tell you something about Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the reason why I fell in love with this City. One special thing about Sarajevo is that it is a combination of different elements. Firstly, religion plays a key role in Sarajevo, which is steeped in history. Throughout a number of decades, different religions were brought to that area, which was inhabited by Illyrians before. The Illyrians became converted by Christian missionaries and the Muslim Ottomans. Today, the capital is mainly made up of Muslims, followed by Orthodox Christians, Catholics and even of a few Jews. So it is no coincidence that Sarajevo is also known as Europeans Little Jerusalem. Within a 500-metre radius, tourists can admire a Mosque, an Orthodox Church, a Catholic Church and a Synagogue, which is unique in the world, considering the distance between those buildings! Furthermore, you can find a diversity of styles of architecture, which leads me to the second point. On the way from the outskirts of the city to its centre, you can find a variety of buildings in different parts of the town, such as industrialised apartment blocks of former communist Yugoslavian times, a few skyscrapers which were build in the last ten years, apartments and buildings of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and architectural styles of the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, you cannot overlook the run-down buildings and the countless bullet holes, caused in the 90ies, when Sarajevo was engulfed by war and occupied for three years.
The river, called Miljacka, which is known to be the place of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, who was killed by the later condemned Gavrilo Princip in 1914, flows through the city. Next to the river is the Old Town of Sarajevo. The Old Town is a picturesque part in the heart of Sarajevo. Every time I go there, I immerse myself in a world consisting of narrow paths of white stones, many bazaars and a wide range of small restaurants. Those restaurants provide traditional Bosnian food. Almost every menu offers Burek or Ćevapi which are considered as the most popular national food. I really love this food, although it sometimes turns out to be too stodgy. After a meal, I often enjoy the spirit of the Old Town with a cup of turkish coffee and a piece of Baklava, a sweet cake made of flaky pastry and nuts. Unfortunately, the spirit of Sarajevo is more than such a dreamlike place. The streets are full of begging, ravenous children and miserable inhabitants who need to budget every day to make sure they can make ends meet for the rest of the month. The high unemployment rate of Bosnia is the result of the bloody disintegration of Yugoslavia and the consequent politics. While corrupt political leaders line their own pockets, a lot of the rioters act out of desperation and anger because the government is not addressing their needs in any way. Due to the war and political circumstances, Bosnians, such as my family, moved away. Today, they are still better off in other countries. Nevertheless, in summer holidays, a vast multitude of emigrants return to Sarajevo to spend time in their homeland. Besides, more and more tourists and backpackers visit the City, which boosts the economics. It makes me happy that the interest for the city rises every year. I can only recommend to visit Sarajevo. For me it is like an open book, full of incomparable, historical pictures!
The Old Town's Center
Bazaars of the Old Town
Sarajevo
That's a link to an interesting page providing pictures of the 90ies and its desrcriptions.
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