Unique journey diary throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina with focus on travel, business and pleasure
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bosna i Hercegovina - Боцна и Херцеговина
Sarajevo, Old city of Sarajevo BAŠČARŠIJA
Business Travel Explore – Your unique business and tourism internet address for Bosnia and Herzegovina
INTRODUCING SARAJEVO
Text by Nihad Kreševljaković
Sarajevo is one of the few places in the world that can rightfully claim to be the point where East meets West. Even if it may not be justified geographically. Sarajevo is surely such a place culturally. For Western, this city is the East. For Easterners, it is the West.
Although 1462 is officially considered the year of Sarajevo´s founding, the history of human settlement in this area goes back to the Stone Age. Perhaps because the “modern” history of Sarajevo is packed with so many overwhelming events and bad memories, Sarajlije don´t really care much for their city´s ancient past.
Walking west from Baščaršija,the Ottoman-era old trading quarters, toward the center of the city, is a walk through time. At the place aptly named “Sweet corner” you move from fabulous, typically Oriental space into one that´s typically Central European. It is decorated with the designs of architects from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. The long but pleasant stroll down Saraći Street, which than meets Ferhadija, all the way to Titova Street, encompasses 500 years of rich history. The sights, sounds, and tastes of the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the period of Southern Slav unification, the Second World War, Socialist Yugoslavia, and the longest siege in modern European history all merge into one colorful mélange that constitutes modern-day Sarajevo.
The comparison to Jerusalem is often made. Within the span of few hundred meters you can visit mosques, Ortodox and Catolic churches, and a synagogue. The sounds of church bells and Ezans (the Islamic call for prayer often overlap. The various conquerors, travelers, and asylum seekers all brought their traditions and heritage with them. In this way, the mosaic that is Sarajevo´s multi-cultural make-up was pieced together.
The city, however, is famous for more than just being a melting pot of culture. The fateful event of June 28, 1914, when Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie, will forever be engraved on the collective memory of Europe and indeed the world. This act sparked the First World War. For some, however, the first thing that come to mind is the miracle of the 1984 Winter Olympics when a snow-less Sarajevo was covered in white powder the night before opening ceremony. For others it was the heart-wrenching picture of a city and its people under a merciless siege. The painful reminders of those images however are steadily fading and are being replaced by ones that excite the imagination.
Today the streets are alive with coppersmith shaping coffee set as their forefathers did centuries ago. Tradesmen and women of all sorts sell their wares in the dozens of lanes crisscrossing the Old Town. Modern, Western shops and countless cafes line the Ferhadija walkway. The young and old cluster in pubs and bistros that dot the cityscape. Also included in the mix; many famous people have walked these avenue. One such person is Susan Sontag, our honorary citizen. During the siege, Sontag staged Samuel Beckett´s Waiting for Godot.
Sarajevo, and indeed Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a land of contrasts. There contrasts make it a fascinating, dynamics, invigorating and confusing city. Here you will find East and West. The Occident and the Orient. Indigenous Islam and Christianity. Socialism and Capitalism. Sarajevo is an authentic, sometime raw and truly genuine city. Enjoy the ride.
Photo journey throughout Sarajevo, it´s streets and neighborhoods
Night skyline panorama toward downtown of Sarajevo
Olypmic City of Sarajevo
Olympics Games is Sarajevo where held in 1984
Sarajevo 1984 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia., that took place Feb. 8–19, 1984. The Sarajevo Games were the 14th occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games.
The awarding of the 14th Winter Olympics to Sarajevo (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina) caught many by surprise, including the host country, which went to work building new facilities and making improvements to others in order to accommodate the Games. The choice of Sarajevo proved appropriate, however, as the 1984 Games were highlighted by the appearance of smaller countries. In order to encourage participation, the International Olympic Committee agreed to pay the expenses of one male and one female participant from each country. Egypt, the British Virgin Islands, Monaco,Puerto Rico, and Senegal made their Winter Olympics debuts as a Winter Games-record number of national Olympic committees (49) competed at Sarajevo. The Olympics were a triumph for Yugoslavia.
The awarding of the 14th Winter Olympics to Sarajevo (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina) caught many by surprise, including the host country, which went to work building new facilities and making improvements to others in order to accommodate the Games. The choice of Sarajevo proved appropriate, however, as the 1984 Games were highlighted by the appearance of smaller countries. In order to encourage participation, the International Olympic Committee agreed to pay the expenses of one male and one female participant from each country. Egypt, the British Virgin Islands, Monaco,Puerto Rico, and Senegal made their Winter Olympics debuts as a Winter Games-record number of national Olympic committees (49) competed at Sarajevo. The Olympics were a triumph for Yugoslavia.
Sarajevo, city of festivals
Sarajevo Film Festival
After the 4-year-long siege of Sarajevo, and with an intention to recreate civil society of the City, in 1995, we founded the Sarajevo Film Festival. Today, we are proud to say that Sarajevo Film Festival represents the main meeting place for all regional producers and authors and is recognized by film professionals from all over the world as the pinnacle point for networking for all wishing to learn more about the possibilities this region has to offer.
The Sarajevo Film Festival has thirteen festival programs that are visited by 100.000 people each year. Our public is mainly from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we also attract large numbers of international film professionals who find Sarajevo Film Festival as a unique point for networking and learning about the possibilities this region has to offer.
Travel Business Pleasure - Introducing of Bosnia and Herezgovina
Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina is gradually increasing, and Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes an emerging tourism destination. According to estimation of the World Tourism Organisation, Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the third highest growth rate in the world between 1995 and 2020.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, a land of breath-taking natural beauties and everlasting historical and cultural heritage, largely matches the new market travel trends particularly requirements of the travellers who are looking for new destinations, adventure and authenticity. This beautiful country has so much to offer for those people who seek different experiences, away from the crowd, whether they are looking of skiing, rafting, hunting or patient bird-watching. Those who search for more cultural tourism will be able to relive centuries of history by visiting many vestiges and heritage dating back to Roman, even prehistoric times.
The most promising tourism segments:
• Ski and Mountain tourism
• Ecotourism
• SPA & Health tourism
• Cultural Heritage & Religious tourism
• Adventure tourism
• Sea tourism
Enjoy Life - Enjoy Bosnia and Herzegovina
http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/
Ponit of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herezgovina. Night satelit view over Europe
View from air - towns and regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina - VIDEO
On your way around Bosnia and Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is a historical and geographical region in the southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, once called Humska land, Zahumlje or Hum. The total surface is about 10 000 km². According to the population census from 1991, Herzegovina numbered 437 000 inhabitants. As a natural region, it consists of two micro regions: low (coastal and Adriatic) and high (upper and mountainous) Herzegovina.
The high Herzegovina comprehends the upper and middle Neretva basin, a large part of the Dinaric region, mount Velež, Volujak, Prenj, Čvrsnica and Crvanj, and the well-known Nevesinjsko and Gatačako karst plains. The low or Adriatic Herzegovina spreads around the lower course of the Neretva River and in the Bregava and Trebižat river basins. It comprehends the big Popovo plain, Mostarsko plain and valley, and Trebinjsko plain. With its sub-Mediterranean and Mediterranean climate, Herzegovina is a region where Mediterranean fruit and vegetables thrive.
Many think of it as the “California” of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Grape vine, fig, peach, tangerine, apple, pomegranate, olive and other varieties, as well as medicinal herbs such as sage, heather, immortelle, etc., grow here. It’s exactly because of this mild climate that Herzegovina is the biggest and single grapes and wine producer in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two autochthonous varieties, Žilavka and Blatina, have long ago acclimated to the region and yield crops and quality like nowhere else. Herzegovina is the land of sun and stone, and its glades and vales are covered by low and high vegetation, such as brambles, oak tree, ash, common maple, juniper, and pine trees. This environment provides to each passer by unforgettable views pleasant for the eye and the soul. As a historical region, Herzegovina offers a lot of historical sites such as the Old Town in Mostar, the Old Town of Počitelj, Tekija in Blagaj, Mogorjelo, Radimlja, the tower of Ljubuški, etc. In the museums of Herzegovina several findings and fossils from ancient history have been preserved.
Therefore, Herzegovina offers to each visitor a “walk” through time. Mostar, its capital, together with Međugorje, the pilgrimage center, Neum, the seaside resort, and other attractions, represents one of the most desirable regions in the southeast Europe.
Mostar
" When you spend a night in Mostar, it is not the sound that wakes you up in the morning, but- the light. I know this from my own experience. It was the light that welcomed me when I arrived, it followed me from the morning to the evening, and when I left, that light forever stayed in me as the main characteristic of my memories of Mostar..."
Ivo Andrić, Nobel Prize winner
The city of Mostar is situated in a beautiful valley bedded between high mountains of Herzegovina. It is thanks to the river Neretva that Mostar was able to develop as a city in the desert-like landscape of Herzegovina. Neretva’s size turned Mostar very early in to a trading centre of the region. What makes this city known is it’s famous bridge. The Old Bridge was built by the Ottoman empire in 1565. It was the great architect Mimar Hajrudin who had succeded with the impossible mission to cross the Neretva river with a single span stone bridge.
Mostar got its name after that same Bridge, or more precisely after the bridge keepers. They used to guard the bridge and were called “Mostari”, thereby the city got its name. Mostar’s population in 2003 was 105,448. With its hot summers and mild winters, Mostar is also one of Europe’s sunniest cities.The name of the city signifies "bridge-keeper", as a bridge has always been at the heart of the town's identity. By the sixteenth century, Bosnia had become part of the Ottoman Empire and was ruled by a provincial governor. In a matter of decades, Mostar was transformed from a minor river crossing to a thriving imperial crossroads. As the Ottoman administrators strove to extend their influence and integrate local inhabitants into their empire, their architecture became an important symbol of the social and economic changes in the city. Constructed from 1557 to 1566, the Stari Most (Old Bridge) replaced a precarious wooden suspension bridge and facilitated travel, trade and the movement of military troops, becoming a symbol of the benevolence and power in the Ottoman Empire. It is known for the graceful elegance and engineering ingenuity of its slender single-span masonry arch that was recently rebuilt after its destruction during Bosnia's inter-ethnic conflict.
Built by love and destroyed by prejudice, it proudly lent its shiny and uniquely arched back to us Mostarians for centuries. To a merchant, passerby or royalty, we were all the same to it. "Stari Most", the Old Bridge with its two towers, was built in 1566 in honour of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. The Old Bridge was the first founding stone of Mostar, a fairy-tale city of poetry and sleepy, narrow and winding streets. Not surprisingly, Mostar derived its name from the medieval guardians of the Old Bridge, who were called "Mostari".
The Bridge witnessed and symbolized four centuries of multi-ethnic life and cosmopolitanism of Bosnia and Herzegovina, connecting its east and west areas. Its old eyes have seen much of history unfold, withstood earthquakes, floods and warfare, but always remained, like its people, stoic in its beauty, serving as a living testimony to the unique tolerant civilization of Bosnians. It saw the Ottoman Empire blossom and crash, to be replaced by the Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav Empires and Communist Yugoslavia. It has been a time machine of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a testimony to our long traditions, prosperity and culture.
Even the Nazi regime respected the "Old Father". A few of "our own" ironically were the ones whose hearts were poisoned by hate and whose minds were blinded by propaganda, who hated the Old Bridge because it represented our multi-ethnic coexistence. The Old Bridge stood as a thorn, a painful reminder of the truth to these propagators of "ethnic cleansing", who argued that my people never lived in harmony. If they could only destroy the "Old Father", they grotesquely believed that the spirit of Mostar could be forever crushed.
Nature and resorts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sutjeska National Park
Sutjeska is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest parks. It is famous for the Partisan victory over the Germans in WW II and there are large stone monuments commemorating the event. The park itself is 17,500 hectares of magnificent and untouched wilderness.
It hosts one of the last two remaining primeval forests in Europe, called Perucica. Beech trees tower over 60 metres high and endemic black pines stem from the rocky faces that protect the ancient forest. Skakavac waterfallcan be seen from the look-out point – this seventy five metre plus waterfall is dwarfed by the massive blanket of green trees that cover the valley. The Sutjeska River has carved a stunning valley through the middle of the park and divides Zelengora (Green Peaks) Mountain from Maglic and Volujak Mountains.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's highest peak, Maglic at over 2,386m, is located in the park, directly on the border with Montenegro. It presents a challenging climb for even experienced hikers. Zelengora Mountain is great for hiking and walking and there are several newly renovated mountain huts on the mountain. Bear and wolf sightings are common.
WIld horses - Bosnia and Herzegovina
People and places of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Amazing Bosnia and Herzegovina ! Truly exiting experience !
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Whitewater rafting and kayaking in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Archeology tourism – Bosnian valley of Pyramids
Dreams about Bosnia and Herzegovina
Experience food - Bosnia and Herzegovina
Explore food and tast thruly Bosnia and Herzegovina - story about food, people and places
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Rivers, lakes and waters of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Monumental medieval tombstones in Bosnia
Stećci (singular: Stećak), are monumental medieval tombstones that lie scattered across the landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are the country’s most legendary symbol. These are the tombstones of those who lived between the 11th and 15th centuries and refused to swear allegiance to any kingdom but their own or to be swayed by any influence. Instead they stayed true to themselves and to what they could find only within themselves and in Bosnia.
Their most remarkable feature is their decorative motifs, many of which remain enigmatic to this day. These motifs depict knights in armor, hunters hunting, farmers in the fields, warriors competing in tournaments, rearing horses, dancers, ladies in dresses, flowers, wolves, bears, wild boars and dogs. Among favored ornaments were the crescent moon, stars, cross and swastika. The images celebrate life, joy, physical strength, and merriment. Questioning of death and oblivion appears in some of the inscriptions but is absent in the carved images. They are around 80 primary and 320 secondary motifs found on about 7 500 Stećci.
These stone slabs are sometimes as heavy as 30,000 kilograms and vary in shape. Sometimes they take the shape of a roofed sarcophagus, sometimes of a high pillar, an ordinary flat slab, a chest in the shape of a elongated cube with flat surfaces, or simply an irregular roughly hewn monolith. On average they are two meters long and one meter wide. The slates are between 30 and 50 centimeters high and the sarcophagi and tombs are approximately 1.5 meters in height. The height of the pillars ranges from two to three meters.
Stećci are gruped in what is known as Nekropola which is a graveyard, and almost all of the Nekropola (graveyards) are located on hills overlooking the surrounding country-side where those who truly loved this country with their hearts and souls trace their roots.
Etno village near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina -daily exiting excursion
Sarajevo Haggadah
The Sarajevo Haggadah - The story
The astonishing and unique SarajevoHaggadah was created in the middle of the 14th century, the golden age of Spain. We still do not know the exact date and place of the book’s creation or the name of the artist who illuminated it. Was it perhaps a wedding gift on the occasion of the marriage of members of two prominent families called Shoshan and Elazar, since there are two coats of arms in the bottom corners, one representing a rose (shoshan) and the other a wing (elazar)? Perhaps we will never learn.We do, however, know that in the eighteenth year after the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, the Haggadah changed hands. A note mentions this fact but does not provide us with the names of either of the owners. There is another note, dated 1609, stating that the book does not speak against the Church, which saved it from being burned by the Spanish Inquisition. We know nothing further about it until it is mentioned in 1894. It is assumed that the manuscript came to Bosnia and Herzegovina either as part of a dowry or as a bribe, or simply as the property of those seeking sanctuary in Sarajevo, the “European Jerusalem”, where Jews have lived alongside other faiths since 1565. It was in this city that the Jewish cultural, educational and humanitarian society, “La Benevolencia”, was established in 1892, and when a certain Josef Cohen offered to sell it to the society, they found that it was too expensive. What is its market value today? No one is certain. The estimates have been as high as 700 million US$, but this was probably a misprint for 7 million. It was bought for 150 Crowns (the equivalent of around $10,000) by the National Museum in Sarajevo (Zemaljski muzej), which was established in 1888.The manuscript was then sent to Vienna for an expert assessment, and was returned to Sarajevo a few years later. It is somewhat astonishing that the Austrians did not keep it for their own museum, but whether they returned it because Sarajevo was part of the Monarchy or it was the act of honest professionals, we are still grateful to them a hundred years later.
The Haggadah was never publicly displayed. It was always kept in a special place and was available for viewing only to the select few. It was not seen, yet everyone knew about it. One of the first objects that the German forces demanded after entering Sarajevo in 1941 was the Sarajevo Haggadah. Thanks to the ingenuity of Mr Jozo Petrović, the director, and Mr Derviš Korkut, the curator of the National Museum, the Haggadah was not handed over. Obersturmbannfuehrer Fortner was quite puzzled when he was told that a German officer “has just taken the book away.” “And his name?” “How could we dare ask?” In any case, the book was saved, while the lives of its former owners and many of its enthusiastic readers ended in Jasenovac, Auschwitz, Gradiška, Jadovno and other concentration camps. The Haggadah survived, but no one now knows where or how. According to one version, it was hidden under the threshold of a mosque in a village at the foot of Mt Bjelašnica. Another claims that it was buried under a cherry or walnut tree. It is more realistic to assume that it was hidden among other titles in the museum’s rich library, as its nondescript binding would have prevented even the most sharp-eyed visitors from suspecting the real contents within the plain cardboard covers.
Whatever the truth, after the liberation in 1945, the Haggadah was back in the National Museum. The first studies on it appeared and disputes over its ownership began. The Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled that the Haggadah was the property of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that its custodian was the National Museum, which ended the dispute.
The Madrid organisers of the Sefarad ’92 exhibition, marking the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, requested that the Haggadah be sent for display in this, the largest exhibition of Sephardic art ever. However, the Madrid Museum required it to be insured for 7 million US$ and, because of the wars in Slovenia and in Croatia, this idea had to be abandoned as the premium was too high. Thus, the Haggadah remained in Sarajevo awaiting the coming war. This time, it was saved in a dramatic fashion. The hero was Dr Enver Imamović, the director of the Museum, who, together with several brave policemen and members of the territorial guard, rescued the Haggadah from the Museum, which was on the front line, and transferred it to the vault of the National Bank.
While the war raged in Bosnia and Herzegovina several newspaper articles abroad speculated that the Haggadah had been destroyed or even that the Government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina had sold it and used the funds to buy arms, all of which was untrue. By the beginning 1995 the plight of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo was no longer high on the agenda for media around the world. This gave rise to the idea of refocusing international attention on Sarajevo by using the Haggadah. US Senator Lieberman declared that he would come to Sarajevo for Passover if the Sarajevo Haggadah were on the table. President Izetbegović and Prime Minister Silajdžić accepted the idea and the Haggadah was brought to the Jewish Community building for Passover in 1995 under extremely tight security. The event was reported by news agencies around the world and quite a few sent their reporters to Sarajevo especially for the occasion. It was breaking news on CNN, though Senator Lieberman did not make it to Sarajevo because of the siege and the closing of the airport.
Thus, the Haggadah was presented to the public once again. It proved that we, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, cared for cultural values created in milieux other than our own, and at the same time we achieved our aim of drawing world attention to Sarajevo and to the Haggadah.. The following year 12 million American viewers saw a programme on ABC Night Line dedicated to this priceless manuscript.
Through the joint efforts of the UN Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, our Jewish Community, the National Museum and several donors, in 2002 a room with special security was opened so that the Haggadah could finally be on permanent public display.
Jakob Finci
President of the Jewish Community of Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sarajevo
The Haggadah was never publicly displayed. It was always kept in a special place and was available for viewing only to the select few. It was not seen, yet everyone knew about it. One of the first objects that the German forces demanded after entering Sarajevo in 1941 was the Sarajevo Haggadah. Thanks to the ingenuity of Mr Jozo Petrović, the director, and Mr Derviš Korkut, the curator of the National Museum, the Haggadah was not handed over. Obersturmbannfuehrer Fortner was quite puzzled when he was told that a German officer “has just taken the book away.” “And his name?” “How could we dare ask?” In any case, the book was saved, while the lives of its former owners and many of its enthusiastic readers ended in Jasenovac, Auschwitz, Gradiška, Jadovno and other concentration camps. The Haggadah survived, but no one now knows where or how. According to one version, it was hidden under the threshold of a mosque in a village at the foot of Mt Bjelašnica. Another claims that it was buried under a cherry or walnut tree. It is more realistic to assume that it was hidden among other titles in the museum’s rich library, as its nondescript binding would have prevented even the most sharp-eyed visitors from suspecting the real contents within the plain cardboard covers.
Whatever the truth, after the liberation in 1945, the Haggadah was back in the National Museum. The first studies on it appeared and disputes over its ownership began. The Supreme Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina ruled that the Haggadah was the property of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that its custodian was the National Museum, which ended the dispute.
The Madrid organisers of the Sefarad ’92 exhibition, marking the 500th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, requested that the Haggadah be sent for display in this, the largest exhibition of Sephardic art ever. However, the Madrid Museum required it to be insured for 7 million US$ and, because of the wars in Slovenia and in Croatia, this idea had to be abandoned as the premium was too high. Thus, the Haggadah remained in Sarajevo awaiting the coming war. This time, it was saved in a dramatic fashion. The hero was Dr Enver Imamović, the director of the Museum, who, together with several brave policemen and members of the territorial guard, rescued the Haggadah from the Museum, which was on the front line, and transferred it to the vault of the National Bank.
While the war raged in Bosnia and Herzegovina several newspaper articles abroad speculated that the Haggadah had been destroyed or even that the Government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina had sold it and used the funds to buy arms, all of which was untrue. By the beginning 1995 the plight of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo was no longer high on the agenda for media around the world. This gave rise to the idea of refocusing international attention on Sarajevo by using the Haggadah. US Senator Lieberman declared that he would come to Sarajevo for Passover if the Sarajevo Haggadah were on the table. President Izetbegović and Prime Minister Silajdžić accepted the idea and the Haggadah was brought to the Jewish Community building for Passover in 1995 under extremely tight security. The event was reported by news agencies around the world and quite a few sent their reporters to Sarajevo especially for the occasion. It was breaking news on CNN, though Senator Lieberman did not make it to Sarajevo because of the siege and the closing of the airport.
Thus, the Haggadah was presented to the public once again. It proved that we, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, cared for cultural values created in milieux other than our own, and at the same time we achieved our aim of drawing world attention to Sarajevo and to the Haggadah.. The following year 12 million American viewers saw a programme on ABC Night Line dedicated to this priceless manuscript.
Through the joint efforts of the UN Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, our Jewish Community, the National Museum and several donors, in 2002 a room with special security was opened so that the Haggadah could finally be on permanent public display.
Jakob Finci
President of the Jewish Community of Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sarajevo
The window to rich history and cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo war tunel (tunel of hope) Sarajevo
During the Siege of Sarajevo during Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995, the Sarajevo Tunnel was constructed by the besieged citizens of Sarajevo in order to link the city of Sarajevo, which was entirely cut-off by Serbian forces, with the Bosnian-held territory on the other end of the supposedly neutral area at the Sarajevo Airport controlled by the United Nations. The tunnel linked the Sarajevo neighborhoods of Dobrinja and Butmir.
Beginning in January 1993, the Sarajevo Tunnel was dug by Bosnian volunteers working in 8-hour shifts. The Sarajevo tunnel was completed in mid-1993, which allowed food and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out. The tunnel was one of the major ways of bypassing the international arms embargo and providing the city defenders with weaponry.
The tunnel was 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and about 1m in width, and ran for approximately 960 metres (3,150 ft) in length. During the time it was used, it is estimated that 20 milliontons of food entered the city, and 1 million people passed in and out of it.
Beginning in January 1993, the Sarajevo Tunnel was dug by Bosnian volunteers working in 8-hour shifts. The Sarajevo tunnel was completed in mid-1993, which allowed food and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out. The tunnel was one of the major ways of bypassing the international arms embargo and providing the city defenders with weaponry.
The tunnel was 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and about 1m in width, and ran for approximately 960 metres (3,150 ft) in length. During the time it was used, it is estimated that 20 milliontons of food entered the city, and 1 million people passed in and out of it.
Počitelj, village somewhere between heaven and earth
The historic urban site of Počitelj is located on the left bank of the river Neretva, on the main Mostar to Metković road, to the south of Mostar, in the territory of Čapljina Municipality.
In the middle ages, Počitelj was the administrative centre and centre of governance of Dubrava župa (county), and its westernmost point, which gave it major strategic importance. It is supposed that the fortified town and its attendant settlements were built by Bosnia's King Stjepan Tvrtko I in 1383.
The walled town of Počitelj evolved over the period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Architecturally, the surviving stone-built parts of the town are a fortified complex, in which two stages of evolution may be observed: mediaeval, and Ottoman.The first documented reference to the town dates from 1444, in Charters issued by Kings Alfonso V and Friedrich III. During the period 1463-1471 the town held a Hungarian garrison. Following a brief siege in 1471, the town fell to the Ottomans, and was to remain within the Ottoman Empire until 1878. From 1782 to 1879 it was the centre of a kadiluk (area under the jurisdiction of a kadija or qadi - judge) and from 1713 to 1835 it was the headquarters of the Počitelj military district.
The significance and appearance of the town has altered during the course of its history. Three periods seem to be significant for the development of Počitelj:
1. The time of the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus when the town had significant strategic importance (1463-1471),
2. The period of development of the settlement under the Ottoman Empire with the erection of typical public buildings: mosques, mekteb (Muslim primary school), imaret (charitable kitchen), medresa (Muslim high school), hamam, Turkish baths, han (inn) and sahat-kula (clock-tower) (1471-1698). During this period military conflicts occurred in more remote areas.
3. The period of recovery of its strategic importance after the Venetians conquered and destroyed Gabela (1698-1878).
With the establishment of Austro-Hungarian rule in BiH in 1878, Počitelj lost its strategic importance and began to deteriorate rapidly. The loss of the town's strategic role helped to safeguard the original urban architectural ensemble, so that the town has been preserved in its original form to this day.
Healthy and SPA´s centers and resorts in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia is apparently derived from an old Indo-European word ‘bosana’, meaning water. Its certainly one thing there is no lack of here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not only blessed with a great abundance of crystal clear mountain rivers but to high quality thermal springs as well. BiH is heavily investing in modernizing its thermal spas facilities to offer our guests top quality spas services for only a fraction of the price of our other European neighbours. With full service facilities available in more than 15 locations there is always a relaxing spot for a massage or full range thermal treatment. Terme in Sarajevo is an ideal location, near both the city center and the Bjelasnica/Igman ski center. The spas in Teslic, Fojnica and Banja Luka also offer spas services with modern facilities and are all located in beautiful natural surroundings.
Medjugorje
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Medjugorje is a village in the Herzegovina municipality of Citluk, today part of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has become famous because of a series of reported sightings of the Virgin Mary, to six young people.
On June 24th, 1981, at about 6 pm, six young people - Ivanka Ivankovic, Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Jakov Colo and Marija Pavlovic, allegedly saw on the hill called Crnica, several hundred meters above the place called Podbrdo, a young woman with a child in her arms, who gave them a sign with her hand to come nearer. Surprised and scared, they did not approach her.
The Second day
On the second day, the 25th of June 1981, the children agreed to meet once again at the same place that Our Lady had previously appeared, in the hope of seeing her again. All of a sudden there was a flash of light. The children looked up and saw Our Lady, this time without the child. She was smiling and joyful and was indescribably beautiful. With her hands she gestured to them to come closer. The children braced themselves and went up to her. They immediately fell to their knees and began to pray the "Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be". Our Lady prayed together with them except for when they prayed the "Hail Mary".
After the prayer she began to speak with the children. Ivanka, first of all, asked her about her mother who had died two months previously. And Mirjana asked Our Lady for some sign to be given to show to the people that they were neither lying nor crazy, as some people had said.
Our Lady finally left the children with the words,” God be with you my angels!" Before that, when the children asked her if they would see her the following day, she replied by nodding her head.
According to the visionaries the whole encounter was indescribable. On that day two of the children, which made up the previous group were missing: Ivan Ivankovic and Milka Pavlovic. They were replaced by two others: Marija Pavlovic and Jakov Colo. And from that day onwards according to these six children, Our Lady regularly appears to them. Milka Pavlovic and Ivan Ivankovic, who were present on the first day of apparitions, did not see Our Lady again, even though they returned to the apparition site, in the hope of seeing her.
On June 24th, 1981, at about 6 pm, six young people - Ivanka Ivankovic, Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Jakov Colo and Marija Pavlovic, allegedly saw on the hill called Crnica, several hundred meters above the place called Podbrdo, a young woman with a child in her arms, who gave them a sign with her hand to come nearer. Surprised and scared, they did not approach her.
The Second day
On the second day, the 25th of June 1981, the children agreed to meet once again at the same place that Our Lady had previously appeared, in the hope of seeing her again. All of a sudden there was a flash of light. The children looked up and saw Our Lady, this time without the child. She was smiling and joyful and was indescribably beautiful. With her hands she gestured to them to come closer. The children braced themselves and went up to her. They immediately fell to their knees and began to pray the "Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be". Our Lady prayed together with them except for when they prayed the "Hail Mary".
After the prayer she began to speak with the children. Ivanka, first of all, asked her about her mother who had died two months previously. And Mirjana asked Our Lady for some sign to be given to show to the people that they were neither lying nor crazy, as some people had said.
Our Lady finally left the children with the words,” God be with you my angels!" Before that, when the children asked her if they would see her the following day, she replied by nodding her head.
According to the visionaries the whole encounter was indescribable. On that day two of the children, which made up the previous group were missing: Ivan Ivankovic and Milka Pavlovic. They were replaced by two others: Marija Pavlovic and Jakov Colo. And from that day onwards according to these six children, Our Lady regularly appears to them. Milka Pavlovic and Ivan Ivankovic, who were present on the first day of apparitions, did not see Our Lady again, even though they returned to the apparition site, in the hope of seeing her.