Highlights of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Highlights of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The final two weeks of my Sophomore year of college took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with most of our time spent in the capital city of Sarajevo. I was shocked to find that I really like this weird little city in the middle of the Balkans. Here are some of my favorite parts of our time in Sarajevo.
The Sarajevo Cable Car
On our first full day in the city, we took the cable car up to Mount Trebević, where visitors can get a panoramic view of the city. The ride up was nice and peaceful, and the view from the top was stunning. The city is laid out before you, and beautiful mountains can be seen from all sides.
Standing above the city of Sarajevo
Standing above the city of Sarajevo
It is a bit sobering to know that snipers were perched on all of those hills, shooting at civilians in the city below, but it is an important part of the city’s history.
The view of Sarajevo from Mount Trebević
The 1984 Winter Olympics Bob-Sled Track
Up on Mount Trebević by the cable car is the bob-sled track used in the 1984 Winter Olympics hosted in Sarajevo. This Olympic games was the first to be hosted in a socialist country, and it was a huge deal for the people of Sarajevo and what was at the time Yugoslavia.
The bob-sled track is now super run down and covered in graffiti, but if you’re like me and you love weird art and abandoned stuff, then you’ll love this track. It’s fun to just wander down and pretend that you’re in a dystopian novel.
Walking along the remains of the Olympic bob sled track
Connie and I on the Olympic bob sled track
A Visit to the OSCE Mission to BiH
To give you a glimpse into actual academic things we do with Global (of which there are a lot), I’ll talk a bit about our visit to the OSCE, or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We had the opportunity to visit their headquarters in Vienna at the beginning of the semester and their mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end.
There, we spoke with two field experts and the U.S. OSCE ambassador to BiH. They explained about how the OSCE was on the ground soon after the war, working to help them organize and recover. The OSCE is now working on softening ethnic divisions, which are incredibly strong in BiH, and which pose a security threat as they are what lead to the war 25 years ago. They are especially concerned with education, as curriculums are completely separate for the three ethnic groups living in Bosnia, with some schools even being divided down the middle, with Bosniak (Muslim) children learning one thing and Croat (Catholic) kids learning something completely different all under the same roof.
It was very interesting and super valuable to hear first-hand from an influential international organization what they are doing to aid the tense situation here in Bosnia.
The Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina
At first glance, this building looks abandoned. Chunks are missing out of the front stairs, windows are broken, and it looks like no one’s given it a good wash in 30 years. But, this dystopian-looking building houses valuable artifacts and information about the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The primary exhibition displays information about the war that took place here from 1992-1995. There are old makeshift stoves and other appliances from Sarajevo, when citizens had to improvise to survive. There are also tons of photos, posters, and news articles that give a glimpse into the bleakness of that time.
A poster from 1994 in the midst of the war
Another temporary exhibition spoke to something very infrequently talked about: “children born because of war.” The exhibition said that these children were “children for whom it is less likely that they would have been born if not for a war in the region to where their fathers were sent or positioned on official or military duty.” The fathers of these children in the context of Bosnia were soldiers, members of peace-keeping forces, or employees of foreign humanitarian missions, and their mothers are locals. The exhibition displayed photos of the children, now in their twenties, and their mothers. It was especially powerful considering many were a result of rape, which is something that often gets swept under the rug.
Images from the exhibition of children born because of war
After seeing these two main exhibitions, a guide took us to the basement where they store heaps of items from the two world wars and the socialist period. Items are just piled up and left down there, where they were put for protection during the war, due to lack of funding. They also have an impressive photo lab down in the basement, where interns are trying to digitalize each image.
A negative in the photo lab
The museum has a lot of cool stuff, but is in dire need of funding. They receive absolutely nothing from the government, and they have to rely on donations and grants, which are few and far between.
Kafanas
A Kafana is a local space that serves alcohol and has live music. The popular night for events like this is Monday, and the locals go out in droves to drink and listen to Bosnian music. We attended a Kafana with a local Bosnian girl we met while attending a conference in Rome. It was something we never would have found on our own, and definitely gave a glimpse into the culture.
We got there and ordered rakija, a liquor served throughout the region. It’s basically moonshine mixed with different flavored syrups, cherry being my favorite flavor. The rakija kept flowing throughout the night, and once the locals had had a bit more to drink, they started dancing.
It was fun to watch them sing along with the band word for word and dance in between the tables. Kendall and I danced a bit with the locals, but mostly contented ourselves with observing the Bosnians let loose.
Cherry rakija served at the kafana
The band playing at the kafana
The small room where the kafana takes place
A Visit to the United Nations Mission in BiH
Like our visit to the OSCE, we visited the United Nations mission in Sarajevo to hear about what they are trying to accomplish in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Like the OSCE, they are working on a local and national level to combat divisions. The situation here is pretty rough, as the government is so divided between ethnic groups – they have 3 presidents! One for each ethnic group!
There was a lot of doom and gloom to listen to at the UN, and it was not reassuring when, after being asked what positive things are going on in Bosnia, the two speakers both simultaneously went “uhhhhhh.”
There are good things happening here, though, albeit slowly. Some children are being integrated across ethnic groups, more people are talking about the war, and Bosnia is making slow but sure strides towards joining the European Union. Beyond that, the people we have met are so incredibly kind and welcoming, and the country itself is stunning. It’s not all bad here, for sure, even if the rhetoric at the UN is largely negative.
Cheap and Delicious Food
If you’re used to living on the U.S. dollar or Euro, then everything in Bosnia is super cheap. The food especially was a high point for me because I could get a huge, hearty meal for usually under $5.
Traditional foods include Ćevapi, sausages often served in a pita; Klepe, meat-filled dumplings; and Burek, pastries stuffed with beef, chicken, spinach, cheese, potato, or pumpkin. I had multiple servings of each of these and was not disappointed. Bosnians are have strong coffee culture, and serve coffee a certain way that must be enjoyed slowly. I don’t drink coffee, but I had some tea while my classmates had traditional Bosnian coffee.
A large serving of Ćevapi, which cost about $3.50
A serving of Klepe, which cost about $6
Traditional Bosnian coffee
Tea served in the Old Town of Sarajevo
Kendall and I also had some of the best food we’ve ever had at a local vegan/vegetarian restaurant called Karuso. It is near impossible to find vegan food in Bosnia where meat dishes reign supreme, but Karuso has an extensive vegan menu, and the owner makes the dishes from scratch right after you order.
It’s kind of an eclectic place because you absolutely have to have a reservation so that the owner knows how many people to prepare for that night, and meals there are often long due to the wait for fresh-made food. It is totally worth it, though, and Kendall and I “splurged” to eat there two nights. When I say splurge, I mean our meals including drinks cost less than $12 U.S. dollars each.
Fresh-made mushroom and cauliflower risotto at Karuso
Fresh-made curry vegan sauté at Karuso
The Movies!
While in Sarajevo, Avengers: Endgame came out in theaters. As soon as we confirmed that it was showing in English, I rushed to get a ticket. The movie ticket to see the most popular movie out right now cost 7.50 Bosnian marks, which is the equivalent of FOUR US DOLLARS. CRAZY.
What’s even crazier is that my classmates got large drinks and popcorns to have during the movie and paid less than 5 DOLLARS. Wild. They paid less for concessions and the ticket than moviegoers in the States would pay for just the tickets.
Also, the movie was amazing. No spoilers here, but holy cow.
The Yellow Fortress at Sunset
The yellow fortress is an old structure at the top of one of the hills of Sarajevo that has a beautiful view of the city that is even more amazing at sunset. We hauled ourselves up the hill one night with Ćevapi in hand to enjoy the sunset, and it was wonderful and worth the climb.
The view of Sarajevo at sunset from the yellow fortress
Me with my yummy Bosnian food enjoying the sunset from the yellow fortress
Sarajevo surprised me. I had low expectations for Bosnia that were exceeded by far. This has been one of my favorite trips with Global and one of my favorite countries that I have visited in Europe, and that’s saying a lot. For the first semester of our senior year, we conduct research and work as interns with an organization more or less anywhere in the world, and I would not be surprised if I ended up back in Sarajevo.