Sarajevo
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina, is the country’s administrative, economic, cultural, education and sports center. It is one of the most historically interesting and culturally diverse cities in Europe, the city famous for its traditional religious mixture, where Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism have been coexisting for centuries. It is on UNESCO’s Tentative List considered for nomination for the World Heritage List sites.
On 28 June 1914, Sarajevo witnessed the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event that triggered the World War I. In 1984 Sarajevo hosted the XIV Winter Olympic Games, only to be besieged and on the edge of annihilation a few years later in the 1990s.
Today, its restored historic center is full of welcoming cafes and good-value lodgings, the bullet holes largely plastered over on the city’s curious architectural mixture of Ottoman, Yugoslav and Austro-Hungarian buildings. Its magical historic center blends East and West, visitors can feel they’re in Vienna one minute and Istanbul the next.
Hotels.com writes about the 10 Places in Sarajevo That Shaped the World – Link.
The antique stone-flagged alleys of Baščaršija give the delightful Old Town core a certain Turkish feel. Directly north and south, steep valley sides are fuzzed with red-roofed Bosnian houses and prickled with uncountable minarets, climbing towards green-topped mountain ridges, giving the city a sublime architectural feel.
Link to Baščaršija page.
Westward, Sarajevo sprawls for more than 10km. At the westernmost end of the tramway spine, affluent Ilidža gives the city a final parkland flourish, ending at the majestic source of the river Bosnia. In winter, Sarajevo’s mountain resorts Bjelašnica and Jahorina offer some of Europe’s best-value skiing, just 30km away.
When to visit:
Jul–Aug Hot weather and with high-season prices but colorful life.
May & Sep Warm enough for street cafes, hotels are half empty.
Mid-Jan–Feb The mountains are snow-covered; bargain skiing.
The Bistrik Railway Station, one of symbols of Sarajevo, has been renovated at the cost of about 2.9 million BAM (1.45 Euros). You can read more about that here.
From Philipp Gärtner’s blog: Sarajevo, the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the greenest capital of Europe. Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. With a population of 380.000, Sarajevo is among the smaller capitals in Europe. Read the full article here.
More about the Canton and the city of Sarajevo you can read on the official web site of the Sarajevo Canton Tourism Association – Visit Sarajevo: http://visitsarajevo.ba/?lang=en.
Watch Sarajevo walking tour from 4K Urban Life on YouTube – Link: Virtual Walking Tour in 4K 60fps – SARAJEVO – The Capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina – YouTube.
Download the Guide2Sarajevo FREE audio guide app. Guide2Sarajevo provides you with everything to make your trip fulfilling and comfortable – city stories and legends, offline and paper maps for navigation. Download the FREE app HERE.
There are many cities called Saray in this world…, but this fortified Bosnian city of Sarajevo is the most advanced, most beautiful and most lively of them all. – Evlija Čelebi, 17th century Ottoman traveler