Bosnia and Herzegovina is a gorgeous country with hardy people, that has been through, and continues to go through, a lot. Emerging from the aftereffects of the brutal civil war that occurred in the mid 1990s, the people of this Heart-Shaped Land are working hard to find their path forward together. There is so much for us to see and do along the way as we experience our virtual visit. Thanks for tagging along - Hope you enjoy!
Mapwork by @Slalice_Draws
TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS
This week, we will be virtually staying in three regions within this country: Sarajevo; Mostar; and Travnic, as most of the attractions we are visiting can be reached from these three locations. At the end, I will share a handful of attractions that are further afield, in case we are interested in adding another stop to our itinerary of accommodations.
From Berlin, Germany, travel is not too difficult. Many airlines can get us there, with one layover in the middle in either Vienna or Frankfurt totaling between 3 and 5 hours in each direction. Roundtrip flights right now for this journey start at about 170 Euros round trip.
When we arrive in Sarajevo, we will stay in some cool and unique accommodations. The Isa Begov Hotel is a high end hotel in the city's first and oldest Turkish Bath house. Packages, including overnight accomodations and time in the Hamam start at around 100 Euros / night.
When we travel to Mostar, we will stay at the most highest rated hotel in that area, called Hotel Mepas, which has rooms available currently starting at around 140 Euros / night.
When we are staying in Travnic, we will stay at the beautiful and historic Hotel Vezir Palace.
ITINERARY
Abandoned Olympic Site - Sarajevo
In 1984, Sarajevo (then a part of Yugoslavia) served as host to the Winter Olympics. Many beautiful facilities were built to accomodate the games. The war of the 1990s came soon after that, and the facilities were abandoned. Now, approaching 40 years later, the deteriorating facilities have become a draw for curious visitors from across the world. We will have fun exploring what remains.
Each year, filmmakers, actors, and those from the film industry from across the Balkan region and throughout the world gather at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which has become one of the premier festivals of its type. We will don our fanciest gowns and walk the red carpet!
While in Sarajevo, we will visit this clock, which is believed to be the only clock in the world that keeps lunar time.
Gazi Husrev-Bey's Mosque
Next, we will visit what is locally known as "Bey's Mosque" which is the largest, most important, and oldest mosque in the country built in 1530. It was also the first to use electricity way back in 1898. Today, this mosque is seen as the most important architectural monument from the time of Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We will have a great time and learn a lot visiting the National Museum.
ICAR Canned Beef Monument
Right next door to the National Museum, we will stumble upon this curious monument. The monument has inspired locals to opine, "If there is another siege, I would rather die than eat ICAR." During and for years after the siege of the mid-1990s, humanitarian aid appeared to help those who were suffering. ICAR Beef, a primary staple of the supplies, was reportedly not very edible, and after years of eating it, it became tough to continue to enjoy it, and those who had eaten it for so long were thrilled to eventually move on to more variety. Those who lived through this shared difficulty can now look back with the help of this monument and smile that the ICAR days are behind them.
We will then explore the War Tunnel Museum, also known by locals as the "Tunnel of Hope."
While we are underground, we will head to Tito's Nuclear Bunker, which was commissioned by Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito and up to 350 members of his inner circle as protection during the height of nuclear war and disaster concerns, for a tour of the facilities.
Bascarsija Old Bazaar
Next, it's time to enjoy a little shopping when we head over to the Old Bazaar in the heart of Sarajevo.
Ferhadija Street
Beyond the bazaar, there is plenty of shopping, dining and exploring available in Sarajevo. We will take a stroll down one of the iconic streets: Ferhadija.
Vrelo Bosne, at the Foot of Mt. Igman
After all this hustle and bustle, we will be ready for some serenity, and a visit to a popular local park, Vrelo Bosne.
Our next stop will not be a fun one, but it will be an important stop. The War Childhood Museum tells the stories of the children who were impacted by the 1992-1995 war. The museum was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in the museum world – the Council of Europe Museum Prize 2018.
A similarly tough but important visit will be that of Galerija 11/07/95, which aims to preserver the memory of the Srebrenica tragedy and the 8372 persons who perished in the massacres.
Next, we will head to this museum. Sarajevo played a significant role in the beginning of World War I, as it was here at the site of this museum where Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, was assassinated. This will be an important stop to learn about this history.
Sarajevo City Hall
As a former City Councillor myself, I always enjoy a live tour of a City Hall, and the Sarajevo one is beautiful!
Before we leave Sarajevo, we will grab a bite to eat at the Sarajevo Spite House. At the end of the 19th century, the Austro-Hungarians decided to build the City Hall and a tram station at Mustaj-Pasha’s Mejdan. At this exact site, just next to the Seher-Cehaja’s Bridge, was a house which interfered with the plan. They offered the house owner, old Benderija, money to buy off the house but he refused. The Austro-Hungarian Minister of Finances started negotiating with the owner to sell the house and offered double the original sum but the owner still refused. Eventually, the Austro-Hungarians agreed to move the house, brick by brick, to the opposite river bank and give a bag of ducats to old Benderija. The story and the house became famous. Today, it is a popular national restaurant, and a protected cultural and historical heritage site.
Stari Most Bridge
After an exciting visit in the capital city, we will move on to our next location - Mostar! Our first stop will be the historic and iconic landmark, the Stari Most Bridge. While we are there, maybe we will witness the annual Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series event, where the bravest among us will dive off a 24 Meter platform above the river below. Will we dive or will we watch?
Madjugorje
Nearby, we will join many Catholic pilgrims from around the world hoping to catch a miracle, and visit Madjugorje, which is the site of some supposed sightings of the Virgin Mary.
Abandoned Mostar Sniper Tower
We will then visit the site of the abandoned sniper tower. This structure has served lots of purposes - a bank building, taken over as a sniper tower during the mid 1990s, now a canvas for graffiti artists, and an amazing lookout over the city and surrounding landscape for those brave enough to climb to the top. We might not be brave enough to do so in person, but luckily for us, we can do so comfortably from our sofa on this virtual tour!
Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque
We can't visit Mostar without checking out one of its most iconic landmarks - the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque.
Biscevic House
While we are in Mostar, we won't want to miss a great example of Ottoman-era architecture in the Biscevic House.
Pocitelj
Nearby, we will be sure to visit the amazing village of Pocitelj, built on a natural limestone (or Karst) amphitheater.
Kravice Waterfalls
After all that, we will be ready to relax and cool off, and the nearby Kravice Waterfalls are the perfect spot for that.
Vjetrenica Cave
We will next take a tour of the largest and most important cave system discovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
When we move on from Mostar, our last location of the week will be Travnic, where we will relax and enjoy our luxurious spa-like historic palace accommodations, and visit the Museum and Birth House of proud native son, Ivo Andric. Andric won the Nobel Prize in literature and is the author of this week's novel, which I will review later in the week! We definitely don't want to miss this.
Should we find ourselves with an extra day available in our itinerary and willingness to leave the three areas where we are staying to further explore, we can check out one of the following really cool attractions:
Perucica - One of Europe's Last Jungles
Summer on the Vrbas Festival
This traditional event is held in the second half of July under the walls of Kastel fortress. Writers, actors, cultural-artistic associations, artists take part in this event and in attractive sport program one can participate in kayak race, rafting regatta, swimming competitions. Every year there are also parachutes and of the bridge jumps, sport clubs promotions etc, etc. This traditional event is held near the Kastel Fortress. What makes this festival one of a kind is its mix of of athletic events and cultural interests. Both artists and athletes display their impressive skills and abilities, so from kayak racing to meetings of artistic associations, there’s no way that visitors won’t find something just right.
Karst Landscapes - Plateaus and mountains made of Limestone
Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge
The book I will be reviewing this week took place entirely on and around this bridge (stay tuned for the review) so of course, we must visit the bridge, if only during our virtual visit!
Finally, I will leave you with the most entertaining attraction I came across during my research this week, in Mostar - a statue of Bruce Lee!
In a city and a country that can sometimes experience bitter division as its people all work hard to build their shared future, the statue of Bruce Lee (an American of Chinese descent) is, at least partially, designed to represent the hope of unity. "One thing we all have in common is Bruce Lee."
Here's to finding our shared humanity!
Phew! Such a full and busy virtual trip! What did you enjoy the most?
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