Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including

Sarajevo Canton The Sarajevo Canton, officially the Canton of Sarajevo ( bs, Kanton Sarajevo; hr, Sarajevska županija; sr-Cyrl, Сарајевски кантон), is one of 10 cantons of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It ...

, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities is home to 555,210 inhabitants. Located within the greater Sarajevo valley of

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans, a region of Southern Europe. Sarajevo is the political, financial, social and cultural center of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a prominent center of culture in the Balkans. It exerts region-wide influence in entertainment, media, fashion and the arts. Due to its long history of religious and cultural diversity, Sarajevo is sometimes called the " Jerusalem of Europe" or "Jerusalem of the Balkans". It is one of a few major European cities to have a mosque, Catholic church, Eastern Orthodox church, and synagogue within the same neighborhood. Although there is evidence of human settlement in the area since prehistoric times, the modern city arose in the 15th century as an Ottoman stronghold, when the latter empire extended into Europe. Sarajevo has gained international renown several times throughout its history. In 1885, it was the first city in Europe and the second city in the world to have a full-time electric tram network running through the city, following San Francisco, California, of the United States. In 1914, it was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a local Young Bosnia activist Gavrilo Princip, a murder that sparked World War I. This resulted in the end of

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

rule in Bosnia and the creation of the multicultural Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the Balkan region. Later, after World War II, the area came under control of the communist Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the republic also known as

Second Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...

. As Sarajevo was designated as this larger republic's capital, its population and businesses expanded rapidly, with investment in infrastructure and economic development. In 1984 the socialist republic hosted the

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...

, which marked a prosperous era for the city. However, after the start of the Yugoslav Wars, the city suffered the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare, for a total of 1,425 days, from April 1992 to February 1996. This was during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

and the

breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

, under nationalist ethnic passions that tore families apart and resulted in genocide and massacres. With continued post-war reconstruction in the aftermath, Sarajevo is the fastest growing city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The travel guide series '' Lonely Planet'' ranked Sarajevo as the 43rd best city in the world.Lonely Planet (March 2006). ''The Cities Book: A Journey Through The Best Cities in the World'', Lonely Planet Publications, . In December 2009, it recommended Sarajevo as one of the top ten cities to visit in 2010. In 2011, Sarajevo was nominated as the 2014 European Capital of Culture. It was selected to host the European Youth Olympic Festival. In addition, in October 2019, Sarajevo was designated as a

UNESCO Creative City The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a project of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a major factor in their urban development.Cities of Film.

Etymology

The name ''Sarajevo'' derives from the Turkish noun , meaning "palace" or "mansion" (from Persian , , of the same meaning). Scholars disagree on the origin of the ''evo'' attached to the end. In Slavic languages, the addition of "evo" may indicate a possessive noun, thereby making the name of Sarajevo, 'city of the palace." One theory is that the name may have been derived from the

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

term , first recorded in 1455, meaning "the plains around the palace" or simply "palace plains". However, in his ''Dictionary of Turkish Loanwords'', Abdulah Škaljić maintains that the ''evo'' ending is more likely to have come from the widespread Slavic suffix used to indicate place names, than from the Turkish ending . The first mention of the name Sarajevo was in a 1507 letter written by Firuz Bey. The official name during the 400 years of Ottoman rule was ''Saraybosna'' ("Palace of Bosnia"), which remains the city's name in Modern Turkish. Sarajevo has had many nicknames. The earliest is , the term Isa-Beg Ishaković used to describe the town he was going to build—which is Turkish for "city" (), in turn coming from the Persian (, meaning "city"). As Sarajevo developed, numerous nicknames came from comparisons to other cities in the Islamic world, i.e. "

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

of the North" and "European Jerusalem"; the latter being the most popular.

Environment

Geography

Sarajevo is near the geometric center of the triangular-shaped Bosnia and Herzegovina and within the historical region of Bosnia proper. It is situated

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

and lies in the Sarajevo valley, in the middle of the Dinaric Alps. The valley was once an expansive, fertile and green space, but considerable urban expansion and development took place following World War II. The city is surrounded by forested hills and five major mountains. The highest of the surrounding peaks is Treskavica at , followed by Bjelašnica mountain at , Jahorina at , Trebević at , and

Igman Igman ( sr-cyrl, Игман, ) is a mountain plateau in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. Geologically, Igman is part of the Dinaric Alps and formed largely of secondary and tertiary sedimentary rock, mostly Limestone. It is located southwest of Sa ...

the shortest at . The last four are also known as the Olympic Mountains of Sarajevo When the city hosted the

, venues were constructed at these mountains for many winter sports events. The city is developed within hilly terrain; there are many steeply inclined streets and residences that seem to perch on the hillsides. The Miljacka river is one of the city's chief geographic features. It flows through the city from east through the center of Sarajevo to the west part of the city, where it eventually meets up with the Bosna river. Miljacka river is also known as "The Sarajevo River". Its source (''Vrelo Miljacke'') is south of the town of Pale at the foothills of Mount Jahorina, several kilometers to the east of Sarajevo center. The Bosna's source,

Vrelo Bosne The Spring of the Bosna river ( bs, Vrelo Bosne, ) is a public park in Bosnia and Herzegovina featuring the system of numerous springs of the River Bosna at the foothills of the Mount Igman, on the outskirts of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Her ...

near Ilidža (west Sarajevo), is another notable natural landmark and a popular destination for Sarajevans and other tourists. Several smaller rivers and streams such as

Koševski Potok Koševski Potok is a river in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The river is partially subterranean, as a significant portion of its course passing through long box culvert, covering the river in a man-made structure and diversion project, desi ...

also run through the city and its vicinity.

Cityscape

Sarajevo is close to the center of the triangular shape of Bosnia and Herzegovina in southeastern Europe. The Sarajevo city proper consists of four municipalities (or "in Bosnian and Croatian: općina, in Serbian: opština"): Centar (Center), Novi Grad (New City), Novo Sarajevo (New Sarajevo), and Stari Grad (Old City), while the Sarajevo metropolitan area (Greater Sarajevo area) includes these and the neighbouring municipalities of Ilidža, Hadžići, Vogošća and Ilijaš. The Metropolitan area was reduced in the 1990s after the war and the Dayton-imposed administrative division of the country, with several municipalities partitioned along the border of the newly recognised

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Republika Srpska. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists ...

(FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS), creating several new municipalities which together form the city of Istočno Sarajevo in the Republika Srpska: Istočna Ilidza, Istočno Novo Sarajevo,

Istočni Stari Grad Istočni Stari Grad ( sr-cyrl, Источни Стари Град, lit. "East Old Town") is a municipality of the city of Istočno Sarajevo located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 1,131 ...

, Lukavica, Pale (RS-section), and Trnovo (RS-section), along with the municipality of Sokolac (which was not traditionally part of the Sarajevo area and was not partitioned). The city has an urban area of . Veliki Park (Great park) is the largest green area in the center of Sarajevo. It's nestled between Titova, Koševo,

Džidžikovac Džidžikovac ( cyrl, Џиџиковац), ''(from "džidži" Bosnian pronunciation for ota, güzel; in bs, nagizdan, nađiđan, lijep; or ),'' is a neighborhood in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and since 2008 a National Monument of Bosnia ...

, Tina Ujevića and Trampina Streets and in the lower part there is a monument dedicated to the Children of Sarajevo.

Climate

Sarajevo has either a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification: Dfb), or an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

( Köppen climate classification: Cfb), depending on if either the 0 °C or the -3 °C isotherms are used. Sarajevo's climate exhibits four seasons and uniformly spread precipitation, typical of both Cfb and Dfb climates. The proximity of the Adriatic Sea moderates Sarajevo's climate somewhat, although the mountains to the south of the city greatly reduce this maritime influence. The average yearly temperature is , with January ( on average) being the coldest month of the year and July ( on average) the warmest. The highest recorded temperature was on 19 August 1946, and on 23 August 2008 (41.0) while the lowest recorded temperature was on 25 January 1942. On average, Sarajevo has 7 days where the temperature exceeds and 4 days where the temperature drops below per year. The city typically experiences mildly cloudy skies, with an average yearly

cloud cover Cloud cover (also known as cloudiness, cloudage, or cloud amount) refers to the fraction of the sky obscured by clouds on average when observed from a particular location. Okta is the usual unit for measurement of the cloud cover. The cloud co ...

of 45%. The cloudiest month is December (75% average cloud cover) while the clearest is August (37%). Moderate precipitation occurs fairly consistently throughout the year, with an average 75 days of rainfall. Suitable climatic conditions have allowed winter sports to flourish in the region, as exemplified by the

that were held in Sarajevo. Average winds are and the city has 1,769 hours of sunshine. Panorama de Sarajevo 2

Air quality

Air pollution is a major issue in Sarajevo. According to the 2016 World Health Organization's Ambient Air Pollution Database, the annual average PM2.5 concentration in 2010 was estimated to be 30 μg/m³ based on PM10 measurement, which is 3 times higher than recommended by WHO Air Quality Guidelines for the annual average PM2.5. There are no recent direct long-term PM2.5 measurements available in Sarajevo and only estimates can be made from PM10, which is the less health-relevant than PM2.5. Real-time air quality data in the form of PM10, ozone, NO₂, CO and SO₂ by th
Federal Hydrometeorological Institute
.

History

Ancient times

One of the earliest findings of settlement in the Sarajevo area is that of the Neolithic Butmir culture. The discoveries at Butmir were made on the grounds of the modern-day Sarajevo suburb Ilidža in 1893 by

authorities during the construction of an agricultural school. The area's richness in flint was attractive to Neolithic humans, and the settlement flourished. The settlement developed unique ceramics and pottery designs, which characterize the Butmir people as a unique culture, as described at the International Congress of Archaeologists and Anthropologists meeting in Sarajevo in 1894. The next prominent culture in Sarajevo were the Illyrians. The ancient people, who considered most of the Western Balkans as their homeland, had several key settlements in the region, mostly around the river Miljacka and the Sarajevo valley. The Illyrians in the Sarajevo region belonged to the '' Daesitiates'', the last Illyrian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to resist Roman occupation. Their defeat by the Roman emperor Tiberius in 9 AD marks the start of Roman rule in the region. The Romans never built up the region of modern-day Bosnia, but the Roman colony of Aquae Sulphurae was near the top of present-day Ilidža, and was the most important settlement of the time. After the Romans, the Goths settled the area, followed by the

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

in the 7th century."Sarajevo", ''New Britannica'', volume 10, edition 15 (1989). .

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, Sarajevo was part of the Bosnian province of Vrhbosna near the traditional center of the

Kingdom of Bosnia The Kingdom of Bosnia ( sh, Kraljevina Bosna / Краљевина Босна), or Bosnian Kingdom (''Bosansko kraljevstvo'' / Босанско краљевство), was a medieval kingdom that lasted for nearly a century, from 1377 to 1463, and ...

. Though a city named ''Vrhbosna'' existed, the exact settlement in Sarajevo at this time is debated. Various documents note a place called ''Tornik'' in the region, most likely in the area of the

Marijin Dvor Marijin Dvor or Marindvor (; en, Mary's Palace) is a neighborhood in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The neighborhood is noted for buildings from the Austro-Hungarian Empire era.(BosniaThe Commission to Preserve National Monuments Decision ...

neighborhood. By all indications, Tornik was a very small marketplace surrounded by a proportionally small village, and was not considered very important by Ragusan merchants. Other scholars say that ''Vrhbosna'' was a major town in the wider area of modern-day Sarajevo.

Papal The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

documents say that in 1238, a cathedral dedicated to

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

was built in the area. Disciples of the notable saints Cyril and

Methodius Methodius or Methodios may refer to: * Methodius of Olympus (d. 311), Christian bishop, church father, and martyr *Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius, a seventh-century text purporting to be written by Methodius of Olympus * Methodios I of Constantinop ...

stopped in the region, founding a church near

. Whether or not the town was somewhere in the area of modern-day Sarajevo, the documents attest to its and the region's importance. There was also a citadel Hodidjed north-east to the

Old City Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town. Old City may refer to several places: Historical cities or regions of cities ''(by country)'' *Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan * Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...

, dating from around 1263 until it was occupied by the Ottoman Empire in 1429.

Ottoman era

Sarajevo was founded by the Ottoman Empire in the 1450s upon its conquest of the region, with 1461 used as the city's founding date. The first Ottoman governor of

, Isa-Beg Ishaković, transformed the cluster of villages into a city and state capital by building a number of key structures, including a mosque, a closed marketplace, a public bath, a hostel, and of course the governor's castle ("Saray") which gave the city its present name. The mosque was named "Careva Džamija" (the Emperor's Mosque) in honor of Sultan

Mehmed II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

. With the improvements, Sarajevo quickly grew into the largest city in the region. By the

15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. M ...

the settlement was established as a city, named ''Bosna-Saraj'', around the citadel in 1461. Following the expulsion of Jews from Spain at the end of the 15th century, and the invitation from the Ottoman Empire to resettle their population, Sephardic Jews arrived in Sarajevo, which over time would become a leading center of Sephardic culture and the

Ladino language Judaeo-Spanish or Judeo-Spanish (autonym , Hebrew script: , Cyrillic: ), also known as Ladino, is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish. Originally spoken in Spain, and then after the Edict of Expulsion spreading through the Ottoman Emp ...

. Though relatively small in size, a Jewish quarter would develop over several blocks in Baščaršija. Many local Christians converted to Islam at this time. To accommodate the new pilgrims on the road to Mecca, in 1541, Gazi Husrev-beg's quartermaster Vekil-Harrach built a Pilgrim's mosque for which it is still known to this day as the Hadžijska Mosque. Under leaders such as the second governor Gazi Husrev-beg, Sarajevo grew at a rapid rate. Husrev-beg greatly shaped the physical city, as most of what is now the Old Town was built during his reign. Sarajevo became known for its large marketplace and numerous mosques, which by the middle of the 16th century numbered more than 100. At the peak of the empire, Sarajevo was the biggest and most important Ottoman city in the Balkans after Istanbul. By 1660, the population of Sarajevo was estimated to be over 80,000. By contrast,

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

in 1683 had 100,000, and Zagreb as late as 1851 had 14,000 people. As political conditions changed, Sarajevo became the site of warfare. In 1697, during the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...

, a raid was led by

Prince Eugene of Savoy Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy–Carignano, (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736) better known as Prince Eugene, was a Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty during the 17th a ...

of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

against the Ottoman Empire, which conquered Sarajevo and left it plague-infected and burned to the ground. After his men had looted thoroughly, they set the city on fire and destroyed nearly all of it in one day. Only a handful of neighborhoods, some mosques, and an Orthodox church, were left standing. Numerous other fires weakened the city, which was later rebuilt but never fully recovered from the destruction. By 1807, it had only some 60,000 residents. In the 1830s, several battles of the

Bosnian uprising Bosnian may refer to: *Anything related to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina or its inhabitants *Anything related to Bosnia (region) or its inhabitants * Bosniaks, an ethnic group mainly inhabiting Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of three const ...

had taken place around the city. These had been led by Husein Gradaščević. Today, a major city street is named ''Zmaj od Bosne'' (Dragon of Bosnia) in his honor. The rebellion failed and for several more decades, the Ottoman state remained in control of Bosnia. The Ottoman Empire made Sarajevo an important administrative centre by 1850. Baščaršija became the central commercial district and cultural center of the city in the 15th century when Isa-Beg Ishaković founded the town. The toponym Baščaršija derives from the Turkish language. Saraybosna-cami-2.JPG, Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and

Sarajevo Clock Tower The Sarajevo Clock Tower ( Bosnian: ''Sarajevska sahat-kula'') is a clock tower in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located beside Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and is the tallest of 21 clock towers built in the country at 30 m. Th ...

. Courtyard to the Gazi Husrev-beg's Mosque.jpg, Mosque courtyard. Gazi Husrey Bey Complex - panoramio.jpg, Gazi Husrev-beg Library - Baščaršija Islamic School (Kurumlija Madrasa). Sarajevo Gazi-Husrev-Beg-Basar01.jpg, The Gazi Husrev-beg-Bazaar. Sarajevo Bascarsija 2011-10-28 (4).jpg, Pigeon Square. Sarajevo City Center from Trebevic.JPG,

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary's occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina came in 1878 as part of the Treaty of Berlin, and complete annexation followed in 1908, angering the Serbs. Sarajevo was industrialized by Austria-Hungary, who used the city as a testing area for new inventions such as tramways, which were established in 1885 before they were later installed in Vienna. Architects and engineers wanting to help rebuild Sarajevo as a modern European capital rushed to the city. A fire that burned down a large part of the central city area (''čaršija'') left more room for redevelopment. As a result, the city has a unique blend of the remaining Ottoman city market and contemporary western architecture. Sarajevo also has some examples of Secession- and Pseudo-

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

styles that date from this period. The

period was one of great development for the city, as the Western power brought its new acquisition up to the standards of the Victorian age. Various factories and other buildings were built at this time, and a large number of institutions were both Westernized and modernized. For the first time in history, Sarajevo's population began writing in Latin script. For the first time in centuries, the city significantly expanded outside its traditional borders. Much of the city's contemporary central municipality ( Centar) was constructed during this period. Architecture in Sarajevo quickly developed into a wide range of styles and buildings. The

Sacred Heart Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral may refer to: Africa *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Moundou, Chad *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bamako, Mali *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown, Sierra Leone *Sacred Heart Cathedra ...

, for example, was constructed using elements of neo-gothic and Romanesque architecture. The

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

, Sarajevo brewery, and

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

were also constructed during this period. Additionally, Austrian officials made Sarajevo the first city in this part of Europe to have a tramway. Although the Bosnia Vilayet '' de jure'' remained part of the Ottoman Empire, it was '' de facto'' governed as an integral part of Austria-Hungary with the Ottomans having no say in its day-to-day governance. This lasted until 1908 when the territory was formally annexed and turned into a

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

, jointly controlled by both Austrian

Cisleithania Cisleithania, also ''Zisleithanien'' sl, Cislajtanija hu, Ciszlajtánia cs, Předlitavsko sk, Predlitavsko pl, Przedlitawia sh-Cyrl-Latn, Цислајтанија, Cislajtanija ro, Cisleithania uk, Цислейтанія, Tsysleitaniia it, Cislei ...

and Hungarian Transleithania. In the event that triggered World War I, the

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. F ...

was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

, along with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian and self-declared Yugoslav, and member of Young Bosnia. This was followed by the

Anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo The anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo consisted of large-scale anti-Serb violence in Sarajevo on 28 and 29 June 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Encouraged by the Austro-Hungarian government, the violent demonstrations ass ...

, which resulted in two deaths and destruction of property. In the ensuing war, however, most of the Balkan offensives occurred near Belgrade, and Sarajevo largely escaped damage and destruction. Following the war, Bosnia was annexed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and Sarajevo became the capital of the Drina Province. Glavna posta (2991301799).jpg, Sarajevo Main Post office. Npsa 3 (2992157218).jpg, Sarajevo National Theatre design by

Karel Pařík Karel Pařík (4 July 1857 – 16 June 1942) was a Czech-born architect in the Austro-Hungarian empire. Pařík spent most of his life in Sarajevo where he designed over seventy major buildings, which are today classified among the most beautif ...

. Academy of fine art and Festina lente.jpg, The Academy of Fine Arts was originally built to serve as an Evangelical Church in 1899. BOR Bank in Sarajevo.JPG, Privredna banka Sarajevo. Sarajevo City Hall Vijecnica (23242695334).jpg, National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina established in 1896.

Yugoslavia

After World War I and pressure from the Royal Serbian Army, alongside rebelling Slavic nations in Austria-Hungary, Sarajevo became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Though it held some political significance as the center of first the Bosnian region and then the Drinska Banovina, the city was no longer a national capital and saw a decline in global influence. During World War II, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's army was overrun by German and Italian forces. Following a German bombing campaign, Sarajevo was captured on 15 April 1941 by the 16th Motorized infantry Division. The Axis powers created the Independent State of Croatia and included Sarajevo in its territory. Immediately following the occupation, the main Sephardi Jewish synagogue,

Il Kal Grande ''Il Kal Grande'', also spelled ''Il Kal Grandi'' (Judaeo-Spanish: The Great Synagogue) was the place of worship of the Sephardi community in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The large synagogue was constructed in the Moorish Revival style in ...

, was looted, burned, and destroyed by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

. Within a matter of months, the centuries-old Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Sarajevo, comprising the vast majority of Bosnian Jewry, would be rounded up in the Old Synagogue (Stari hram) and deported to their deaths in Croatian concentration camps. Roughly 85% of Bosnia's Jewish population would perish at the hands of the Nazis and the Ustaše during the Holocaust in the region. The Sarajevo Haggadah was the most important artifact which survived this period, smuggled out of Sarajevo and saved from the Nazis and Ustaše by the chief librarian of the National Museum, Derviš Korkut. On 12 October 1941, a group of 108 notable

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...

citizens of Sarajevo signed the Resolution of Sarajevo Muslims by which they condemned the Genocide of Serbs organized by the Ustaše, made a distinction between the Bosniaks who participated in such persecutions and the rest of the Bosniak population, presented information about the persecutions of Bosniaks by Serbs, and requested security for all citizens of the country, regardless of their identity. During the summer of 1941, Ustaše militia periodically interned and executed groups of Sarajevo Serbs. In August 1941, they arrested about one hundred Serbs suspected of ties to the resistance armies, mostly church officials and members of the intelligentsia, and executed them or deported them to concentration camps. By mid-summer 1942, around 20,000 Serbs found refuge in Sarajevo from Ustaše terror. The city was bombed by the Allies from 1943 to 1944. The Yugoslav Partisan movement was represented in the city. In the period February–May 1945, Maks Luburić set up an Ustaše headquarters in a building known as

Villa Luburić The Villa Luburić or Vila Folkert or Colonel Luburić's Centre: "Njegov stab, »Stozer pukovnika Luburica«, postao je muciliste nevidenih i neslucenih razmjera i oblika." was the seat of Ustaše headquarters in 1945 Sarajevo, Independent State o ...

and used it as a torture and execution place whose 323 victims were identified after the war. The resistance was led by Vladimir Perić Valter, who died while leading the liberation of the city on 6 April 1945. After the war, Sarajevo was the capital of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Republic Government invested heavily in Sarajevo, building many new residential blocks in the municipalities of Novi Grad and Novo Sarajevo, while simultaneously developing the city's industry and transforming Sarajevo into a modern city. Sarajevo grew rapidly as it became an important regional industrial center in Yugoslavia. Between the end of the war and the end of Yugoslavia, the city grew from a population of 115,000 to more than 600,000 people. The

Vraca Memorial Park The Vraca Memorial Park ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Spomen-park Vraca'' / Спомен-парк Враца) is a park dedicated to the World War II victims in Sarajevo. It covers 78,000 square meters and mentions the names of over 11,000 ...

, a monument for victims of World War II, was dedicated on 25 November, the " Statehood Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina" when the ZAVNOBIH held their first meeting in 1943. A crowning moment of Sarajevo's time in Socialist Yugoslavia was the

. Sarajevo beat out Sapporo, Japan and Falun/

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden to host the Olympic Games. The games were followed by a tourism boom, making the 1980s one of the city's most prosperous decades. File:Health Institute in Sarajevo.JPG, Health Institute in Sarajevo. File:Sarajevo Tram-227 Line-3 2011-10-05.jpg, Iconic Sarajevo Holiday Inn (now Hotel Holiday) and UNITIC World Trade Towers. File:Sarajevo Tram-201 Line-3 2011-11-08.jpg, Eternal flame. File:Sarajevo Panorama 2011-09-25.jpg, View west toward parts of Novo Sarajevo. File:View on Novi Grad, Sarajevo.JPG, Residential buildings in Novi Grad.

Bosnian War

The

for independence resulted in large-scale destruction and dramatic population shifts during the Siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996. Thousands of Sarajevans lost their lives under the constant bombardment and sniper shooting at civilians by the Serb forces during the siege, the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Bosnian Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996. When Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia and achieved United Nations recognition, Serbian leaders declared a new Serbian national state Republika Srpska (RS) which was carved out from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Army of Republika Srpska encircled Sarajevo with a siege force of 18,000 stationed in the surrounding hills, from which they assaulted the city with artillery, mortars, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, heavy machine-guns, multiple rocket launchers, rocket-launched aircraft bombs, and sniper rifles. From 2 May 1992, the Serbs blockaded the city. The Bosnian government defence forces inside the besieged city were poorly equipped and unable to break the siege. Signing the Dayton Agreement Milosevic Tudjman Izetbegovic

Signing the Dayton Agreement Milosevic Tudjman Izetbegovic

During the siege, 11,541 people lost their lives, including over 1,500 children. An additional 56,000 people were wounded, including nearly 15,000 children. The

1991 census A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census. ''Census 1991'' was organised by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in England and Wales, th ...

indicates that before the siege the city and its surrounding areas had a population of 525,980. When the siege ended, the concrete scars caused by mortar shell explosions left marks that were filled with red resin. After the red resin was placed, it left floral patterns which led to them being dubbed Sarajevo Roses. Division of the territory according to the Dayton Agreement resulted in a

mass exodus Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another with intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location (geographic region). The movement often occurs over long distances and from one country to another (ex ...

in early 1996 of some 62,000 Sarajevo Serbs from the city and its suburbs, creating today's more monoethnic post-war city.

Present

Various modern buildings now occupy Sarajevo's skyline, most significantly the Bosmal City Center, BBI Centar,

Sarajevo City Center Sarajevo City Center (SCC) is a business complex and shopping center in downtown Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, that consists of three main parts: a shopping mall and leisure complex, a five star hotel tower and a commercial offices tower, with ...

(all the three by architect

Sead Gološ Sead Gološ (8 June 1969 – 4 November 2020) was a Bosnian architect. Biography Gološ was born in Sarajevo. He graduated in 1994 from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sarajevo. From 1996 till 2001 he worked for the Sarajevo Cit ...

) and the Avaz Twist Tower, which at the time of its building was the tallest skyscraper in former Yugoslavia. Recent years have seen population growth as well as increases in tourism. In 2014, the city saw anti-government protests and riots and record rainfall that caused historic flooding. Bosmal City Center Sarajevo.jpg, Bosmal City Center Towers, erected 2001. Sarajevo Twist Tower.jpg, Avaz Twist Tower, erected 2008. BBI Shopping and Business Center.jpg, BBI Centar, erected 2009. Sarajevo Tram-291 Line-3 2013-10-25 (cropped).jpg,

, erected 2014. Sarajevo from the cable car.jpg,

Sarajevo cable car Sarajevo Cable Car ( bs, Sarajevska žičara) is a cable car in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, connecting the old part of the city with the mountain Trebević. History Trebević Cable Car was first built in 1959, and opened for the public o ...

, reopened in 2018.

Administration

Largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo is the capital of the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its sub-entity, the

, as well as of the

. It is also the ''de jure'' capital of another entity, Republika Srpska. Each of these levels of government has its parliament or council, as well as judicial courts, in the city. All national institutions and foreign embassies are in Sarajevo. Sarajevo is home to the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina The presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine, separator=" / ", Предсједништво Босне и Херцеговине) is a three-member body which collectively serves as head of state of ...

, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the operational command of the

Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Oružane snage Bosne i Hercegovine, OSBiH, Оружане снаге Босне и Херцеговине, ОСБИХ) is the official military force of Bosnia and Herz ...

. Bosnia and Herzegovina's Parliament office in Sarajevo was damaged heavily in the

. Due to damage, the staff and documents were moved to a nearby ground-level office to resume work. In late 2006, reconstruction work started on Parliament and was finished in 2007. The cost of reconstruction was 80% funded by the Greek Government through the Hellenic Program of Balkans Reconstruction (ESOAV), and 20% by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Municipalities and city government

The City of Sarajevo comprises four municipalities: Centar, Novi Grad, Novo Sarajevo, and Stari Grad. Each operate their own

municipal government A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, while united they form one city government with its own constitution. The

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...

( bs, Gradska uprava) consists of a mayor, with two deputies and a cabinet. The legislative branch consists of the City Council, or ''Gradsko vijeće''. The council has 28 members, including a council speaker, two deputies, and a secretary. Councilors are elected by the municipality in numbers roughly proportional to their population. The City Statute requires the city council to include at least six councillors from each constituent people and at least two from the ranks of Others. Sarajevo's Municipalities are further split into "local communities" (Bosnian, ''Mjesne zajednice''). Local communities have a small role in city government and are intended as a way for ordinary citizens to get involved in city government. They are based on key neighborhoods in the city.

Economy

Sarajevo's large manufacturing, administrative, and tourism sectors make it the strongest economic region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Indeed, Sarajevo Canton generates almost 25% of the country's GDP. After years of war, Sarajevo's economy saw reconstruction and rehabilitation programs. The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina opened in Sarajevo in 1997 and the

Sarajevo Stock Exchange The Sarajevo Stock Exchange or SASE ( bs, Sarajevska berza) is a stock exchange which operates in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. History and structure The Sarajevo Stock Exchange (SASE) was founded on 13 September 2001 and commenced trading o ...

began trading in 2002. While Sarajevo had a large industrial base during its communist period, only a few pre-existing businesses have successfully adapted to the

market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand, where all suppliers and consumers ...

. Sarajevo industries now include tobacco products, furniture, hosiery, automobiles, and communication equipment. Companies based in Sarajevo include BH Telecom, Bosnalijek,

Energopetrol Energopetrol is a Bosnian oil company based in Sarajevo. It was founded in the 1960s as a part of the Energoinvest corporation. Its logo includes the orange letters "EP" in a serif font surrounded by an orange circle. Due to large debt and genera ...

Sarajevo Tobacco Factory Sarajevo Tobacco Factory ( bs, Fabrika duhana Sarajevo; abbr. FDS) was a cigarette producer with headquarters in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Sarajevo Tobacco Factory was founded in 1880, only two years after the occupation of B ...

, and Sarajevska pivara (Sarajevo Brewery). In 2019, the total export for the Sarajevo Canton was worth about 1,427,496,000 KM. Most of Sarajevo's exports (20.55%) head to Germany, with Serbia and Croatia following behind at 12% respectively. The largest amount of imported goods come from Croatia, at 20.95%. With a worth of total import at about 4,872,213,000 KM, the total import is almost 3.4 times the total export. In 1981, Sarajevo's GDP per capita was 133% of the Yugoslav average. Gross pay in Sarajevo in 2019 was or , while net salary was or .

Tourism and recreation

Sarajevo has a wide tourist industry and a fast expanding service sector thanks to the strong annual growth in tourist arrivals. Sarajevo also benefits from being both a summer and winter destination with continuity in its tourism throughout the year. The travel guide series, '' Lonely Planet'' named Sarajevo as the 43rd best city in the world, and in December 2009, listed Sarajevo as one of the top ten cities to visit in 2010. In 2019, 733,259 tourists visited Sarajevo, giving 1,667,545 overnight stays, which was 20% more than in 2018. Sports-related tourism uses the legacy facilities of the

, especially the skiing facilities on the nearby mountains of Bjelašnica,

, Jahorina, Trebević, and Treskavica. Sarajevo's 600 years of history, influenced by both Western and Eastern empires, makes it a tourist attraction with splendid variations. Sarajevo has hosted travellers for centuries, because it was an important trading center during the Ottoman and

empires and because it was a natural stop for many routes between East and West. Examples of popular destinations in Sarajevo include the

park, the Sarajevo cathedral, and the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. Tourism in Sarajevo is chiefly focused on historical, religious, cultural sites and winter sports. There are many parks throughout the city and on the outskirts. A popular activity among locals is street chess, usually played at

Trg Oslobođenja - Alija Izetbegović Trg oslobođenja - Alija Izetbegović is a square in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies between the municipalities Stari Grad and Centar. It links the main pedestrian thoroughfare of the Sarajevo old town, Ferhadija street, with Zelenih B ...

. Veliki Park is the largest green area in the center of Sarajevo. It is nestled between Titova, Koševo,

, Tina Ujevića and Trampina Streets and in the lower part, there is a monument dedicated to the Children of Sarajevo. Hastahana is a popular place to relax in the Austro-Hungarian neighborhood of

. Goat's Bridge, locally known as ''Kozija Ćuprija'', in the Miljacka Canyon is also a popular park destination along the Dariva walkway and river Miljacka. On 24 December 2012, a park hosting two brass sculptures resembling two mourning mothers was dedicated as the Friendship Park, commemorating over 45 years of friendship between Sarajevo and

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

. Sarajevo is also famous for its city lookouts; including an observation deck on Avaz Twist Tower, Park Prinčeva restaurant, Vidikovac lookout (Mt. Trebević), Zmajevac lookout and Yellow/White fortresses lookouts (in Vratnik) as well as numerous other rooftops throughout the city (i.e. Alta Shopping Center, BBI Centar, Hotel Hecco Deluxe). A symbol of Sarajevo is the

Trebević cable car Sarajevo Cable Car ( bs, Sarajevska žičara) is a cable car in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, connecting the old part of the city with the mountain Trebević. History Trebević Cable Car was first built in 1959, and opened for the public ...

which was reconstructed in 2018, also it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city taking visitors from the city center to Mount Trebević. There is also a UNESCO tentative monument, the Old Jewish Cemetery, almost 500 years old site that is the second-largest Jewish sepulchral complex in Europe, the one in Prague being the largest. It is also one of the most significant memorial complexes in the world. It represents the eternal proof of coexistence of two or more different confessions under different administrations and rules, and the proof of mutual respect and tolerance. Sarajevo Veliki park.jpg, Great Park ''(Veliki Park)''. Koševo Park, Sarajevo.JPG, Koševo Park. Sarajevo Wilsons-Promenade 2013-10-18 (2).jpg, '' Vilsonovo Šetalište'' (Wilson's Promenade) along the Miljacka. Ilidža - Velika aleja.JPG, Great Lane ''(Velika aleja)'', Ilidža. Bridge on Vrelo Bosne.jpg, The spring of the

Bosna river The Bosna () is the third longest river in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is considered one of the country's three major internal rivers, along with the Neretva and the Vrbas. The other three major rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the Una, to ...

is in Sarajevo.

Demographics

Jerusalem' due to city's diverse ethnic and religious makeup"> File:Tsars Mosque.jpg, Emperor's Mosque. File:Saborna crkva u Sarajevu noću.jpg, Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos. File:Bosnia Church.jpg,

. File:Sarajevo, Ashkenazi Synagogue.jpg, Sarajevo Synagogue. Sarajevo - Etnicki sastav po naseljima 1991 1 L

Sarajevo - Etnicki sastav po naseljima 2013 1 L

Thanks to steady but constant and stable growth after the war, today's built-up area that includes not only previously mentioned urban municipalities but the urban part of Hadžići that is uninterruptedly connected to Ilidža, the westernmost part of the Sarajevo urban settlement, is inhabited by more than 419,000 people, while the metro area including 8 additional municipalities, 14 in total goes up to 555,210 inhabitants. It is noticeable that the fastest-growing municipalities are Novi Grad, one of the main ones and the most inhabited one where the population has increased by almost 4,000 people or 2.95% since the 2013 census, and Ilidža that has recorded an increase of almost 7% since 2013. In June 2016, the final results of the 2013 census were published. According to the census, the population of the

was 413,593, with 55,181 residents in Centar, 118,553 in Novi Grad, 64,814 in Novo Sarajevo and 36,976 in Stari Grad. The last official Yugoslav census took place in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

and recorded 527,049 people living in the city of Sarajevo (ten municipalities). In the settlement of Sarajevo proper, there were 454,319 inhabitants. The war displaced hundreds of thousands of people, a large majority of whom have not returned. The war changed the ethnic and religious profile of the city. It had long been a multicultural city, and often went by the nickname of "Europe's Jerusalem". At the time of the 1991 census, 49.2 per cent of the city's population of 527,049 were

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry ...

, 29.8 percent Serbs, 10.7 percent Yugoslavs, 6.6 percent Croats and 3.6 percent other ethnicities (Jews, Romas, etc.). According to academic Fran Markowitz, there are a number of "administrative apparatuses and public pressures that push people who might prefer to identify as flexible, multiply constituted hybrids or with one of the now unnamed minority groups into one of the three Bosniac-Croat-Serb constituent nations". These include respondents being encouraged by census interviewers to identity as belonging to one of the three constituent peoples. Her analysis of marriage registration data shows, for instance, that 67 percent of people marrying in 2003 identified as Bosniak or Muslim, which is significantly lower than the 79.6 percent census figure from 2002 (unlike the census, where people respond to an interviewer, applicants to the marriage registry fill in the form themselves).

Transportation

Roads and highways

Sarajevo's location in a valley between mountains makes it a compact city. Narrow city streets and a lack of parking areas restrict automobile traffic but allow better pedestrian and cyclist mobility. The two main roads are Titova Ulica (Street of

Marshal Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his death ...

) and the east–west Zmaj od Bosne (Dragon of Bosnia) highway (E761). Located roughly at the center of the country, Sarajevo is Bosnia's main intersection. The city is connected to all the other major cities by highway or national road like

Zenica Zenica ( ; ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. Th ...

, Banja Luka, Tuzla, Mostar,

Goražde Goražde ( cyrl, Горажде, ) is a city and the administrative center of Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of Drina river. As of 2 ...

and Foča. Tourists from Central Europe and elsewhere visiting

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

driving via Budapest through Sarajevo also contribute to the traffic congestion in and around Sarajevo. The trans-European highway,

Corridor Vc European route E73 forms part of the United Nations International E-road network, connecting Hungary and eastern Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Adriatic Sea in the vicinity of the port of Ploče. This route is also designated as the P ...

, runs through Sarajevo connecting it to Budapest in the north, and Ploče at the Adriatic sea in the south. The highway is being built by the government and should cost 3.5 billion Euro. Up until March 2012, the

invested around 600 million Euro in the A1. In 2014, the sections Sarajevo-Zenica and Sarajevo- Tarčin were completed including the

Sarajevo Beltway The Sarajevo Beltway is a beltway in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It runs from the southern part of Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, towards local exits near Blažuj. The Sarajevo Beltway is part of European route E73 European r ...

ring road.

Tram, bus and trolleybus

Sarajevo Bus Centrotrans Line-Dobrinja-Vijecnica 2011-09-28

Sarajevo's electric tramways, in operation since 1884 and electrified since 1895, are the oldest form of public transportation in the city. Sarajevo had the first full-time (dawn to dusk) tram line in Europe, and the second in the world. Opened on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...

in 1885, it was the testing line for the tram in Vienna and the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, and operated by horses. Originally built to , the present system in 1960 was upgraded to . The trams played a pivotal role in the growth of the city in the 20th century. There are seven tramway lines supplemented by five trolleybus lines and numerous bus routes. The main railroad station in Sarajevo is in the north-central area of the city. From there, the tracks head west before branching off in different directions, including to industrial zones in the city. Sarajevo is undergoing a major infrastructure renewal; many highways and streets are being repaved, the tram system is undergoing modernization, and new bridges and roads are under construction.

Future metro plans

To solve traffic congestion in the city, Sarajevo-based architect Muzafer Osmanagić proposed a study called "Eco Energy 2010–2015", proposing a subway system underneath the bed of the river Miljacka. The first line of Metro Sarajevo would connect Baščaršija with Otoka. This line would cost some 150 million KM and be financed by the

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial institution founded in 1991. As a multilateral developmental investment bank, the EBRD uses investment as a tool to build market economies. Initially focus ...

Railway

Sarajevo has daily international connections which twice a day connect the city with Zagreb and Ploče. There are also connections between Sarajevo and all major cities within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once, the

East Bosnian railway Most Bosnian-gauge railway lines were built during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Several gauge railways were planned in order to link the extensive narrow-gauge railways in the Austro-Hungarian Empire with those in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unti ...

connected Sarajevo to

Cable car (Mt. Trebević)

Trebević Cable Car Sarajevo Cable Car ( bs, Sarajevska žičara) is a cable car in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, connecting the old part of the city with the mountain Trebević. History Trebević Cable Car was first built in 1959, and opened for the public ...

, Sarajevo's key landmark during the

, was rebuilt by JKP GRAS Sarajevo and

as one of the new transportation systems in 2017 and it reopened on 6 April 2018 at 11:00 AM. The cable car runs from Sarajevo at Bistrik station to the slopes of Trebević at Vidikovac station.

Airport

Sarajevo International Airport , also called Butmir, is just a few kilometers southwest of the city and was voted Best European Airport With Under 1,000,000 Passengers at the 15th Annual ACI-Europe in Munich in 2005. The first regular flights to Sarajevo using an airfield in the suburb of Butmir begin in 1930 when the domestic airliner Aeroput opened a regular route linking

to Podgorica through Sarajevo.Drustvo za Vazdusni Saobracaj A D – Aeroput (1927–1948)
at europeanairlines.n Later, Aeroput opened a route which linked Sarajevo with Split,

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

and Dubrovnik, and in 1938, the first international flights were introduced when Aeroput extended the route Dubrovnik – Sarajevo – Zagreb to Vienna,

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

and Prague. The airfield in Butmir remained in use all the way until 1969. The need for a new airport in Sarajevo, with an asphalt-concrete runway, was acknowledged in the mid-1960s when JAT, the Yugoslav national carrier at that time, began acquiring jet planes. The construction of the airport began in 1966 at its present location, not far from the old one. Sarajevo Airport opened on 2 June 1969 for domestic traffic. In 1970, Frankfurt became the first international destination served. Most of the time the airport was a 'feeder' airport where passengers embarked for flights to Zagreb and Belgrade on their way to international destinations. Over time, the traffic volume steadily grew from 70,000 to 600,000 passengers a year. Later, during the

, the airport was used for UN flights and humanitarian relief. Since the Dayton Agreement in 1995, the airport retook its role as the main air gate to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2017, 957,971 passengers travelled through the airport, which was 61,4% of the total airport traffic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Plans for extension of the passenger terminal, together with upgrading and expanding the taxiway and apron, started in the fall of 2012. The existing terminal was expanded by approximately . The upgraded airport was directly linked to the commercial retail center Sarajevo Airport Center, making it easier for tourists and travellers to spend their time before flight boarding shopping and enjoying the many amenities that are offered. Between 2015 and 2018, the airport was upgraded for more than 25 million euros.

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Sarajevo is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Coventry, United Kingdom ''(since 1957)'' * Tlemcen, Algeria ''(since 1964)'' *

, Azerbaijan ''(since 1972)'' * Magdeburg, Germany ''(since 1972)'' * Friedrichshafen, Germany ''(since 1972)'' *

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...

, Libya ''(since 1976)'' *

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

, Italy ''(since 1978)'' *

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

, Turkey ''(since 1979)'' *

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, Austria ''(since 1980)'' * Tianjin, China ''(since 1981)'' * Harrisburg, United States ''(since 1984)'' *

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy ''(since 1994)'' * Collegno, Italy ''(since 1994)'' * Ankara, Turkey ''(since 1994)'' * Budapest, Hungary ''(since 1995)'' * Serre Chevalier, France ''(since 1995)'' *

Prato Prato ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city lies in the north east of Tuscany, at the foot of Monte Retaia, elevation , the last peak in the Calvana chain. With more than 200,000 i ...

, Italy ''(since 1995)'' * Tirana, Albania ''(since 1996)'' * Istanbul, Turkey ''(since 1997)'' *

Kuwait City Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...

, Kuwait ''(since 1998)'' * Dayton, United States ''(since 1999)'' * Barcelona, Spain ''(since 2000)'' * Madrid, Spain ''(since 2007)'' *

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...

, Croatia ''(since 2012)'' * Tehran, Iran ''(since 2016)'' * Skopje, North Macedonia ''(since 2017)'' * Doha, Qatar ''(since 2018)'' * İzmir, Turkey ''(since 2022)'' * Podgorica, Montenegro ''(since 2022)''

Friendship

Sarajevo is befriended with: * Naples, Italy ''(since 1976)'' * Wolfsburg, Germany ''(since 1985)'' *

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Canada ''(since 1986)'' *

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden ''(since 1997)'' * Zagreb, Croatia ''(since 2001)'' * Ljubljana, Slovenia ''(since 2002)'' * Salt Lake City, United States ''(since 2002)'' * Cairo, Egypt ''(since 2006)'' * Dubrovnik, Croatia ''(since 2006)'' * Konya, Turkey ''(since 2007)'' * Vukovar, Croatia ''(since 2011)'' * Bad Ischl, Austria ''(since 2016)'' *

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, Japan ''(since 2017)'' * Central AO (Moscow), Russia ''(since 2017)'' *

, Serbia ''(since 2017)'' * Rueil-Malmaison, France

Communications and media

As the largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo is the main center of the country's media. Most of the communications and media infrastructure was destroyed during the war but reconstruction monitored by the Office of the High Representative has helped to modernize the industry as a whole. For example, the Internet was first made available to the city in 1995. '' Oslobođenje'' (Liberation), founded in 1943, is Sarajevo's longest-running continuously circulating newspaper and the only one to survive the war. However, this long-running and trusted newspaper has fallen behind '' Dnevni avaz'' (Daily Voice), founded in 1995, and ''Jutarnje Novine'' (Morning News) in circulation in Sarajevo. Other local periodicals include the Croatian newspaper Hrvatska riječ and the Bosnian magazine

Start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

, as well as weekly newspapers '' Slobodna Bosna'' (''Free Bosnia'') and ''BH Dani'' (''BH Days''). ''

Novi Plamen ''Novi Plamen'' ( en, New Flame) was a left-wing journal for political, social and cultural issues primarily aimed at intellectual audiences in the former Yugoslavia and the related diaspora. It was a leading publication of its kind in the region, ...

'', a monthly magazine, is the most left-wing publication. The Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) is Sarajevo's public television station and was created in 1945 under the umbrella of the

Yugoslav Radio Television Yugoslav Radio Television (''Jugoslavenska radiotelevizija''/Југославенска радиотелевизија or ''Jugoslavenska radio-televizija''/Југославенска радио-телевизија; JRT/ЈРТ) was the national ...

(JRT). It had its first television program aired in 1961, while continuous programming started in 1969. It is one of three main TV stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other stations based in the city include Hayat TV,

O Kanal O Kanal (formerly TV1) is a Bosnian commercial infotainment television channel based in Sarajevo. It started broadcasting on 26 August 2010. The program airs continuously in the Bosnian language. Content includes news, series, talk shows, enter ...

, OBN, TV Kantona Sarajevo and

TV Alfa TV Alfa is a Bosnian commercial television channel based in Sarajevo. Headquarters of TV Alfa are located in the building of the hotel "Radon Plaza" in Sarajevo. The program is mainly produced in the Bosnian language Bosnian (; / , ) is the ...

. The headquarters of Al Jazeera Balkans is also in Sarajevo, with a broadcasting studio at the top of the BBI Centar. The news channel covers Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro and the surrounding

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

states. Many small independent radio stations exist, including established stations such as Radio M, RSG Radio (Radio Old Town), Studentski eFM Radio, Radio 202 and

Radio BIR Radio BIR is a Bosnian commercial Islamic radio station, broadcasting from Sarajevo. The station focuses on Islamic religious program (e.g. Reading of the Quran), traditional Bosnian Sevdalinka songs and short national news. The program is also ...

. Radio Free Europe, as well as several American and Western European stations are available.

Education

Higher education

Higher education has a long and rich tradition in Sarajevo. The first institution that can be classified as a tertiary educational institution was a school of

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

philosophy established by Gazi Husrev-beg in 1537; numerous other religious schools have been established over time. In 1887, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a

Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

Law School began a five-year program. In the 1940s, the University of Sarajevo became the city's first secular higher education institute, effectively building upon the foundations established by the Saraybosna Hanıka in 1537. In the 1950s, post-bachelor graduate degrees became available. Severely damaged during the war, it was recently rebuilt in partnership with more than 40 other universities. There are also several universities in Sarajevo, including: * University of Sarajevo * Sarajevo School of Science and Technology * International University of Sarajevo *

American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina The American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina (''abbr''. AUBiH) was a private university located in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2021, the State Investigation and Protection Agency raided the university, the founder and owner Denis ...

Sarajevo Graduate School of Business Sarajevo Graduate School of Business (SGSB) is a private university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is mainly focused on MBA degree. The school is in partnership with Texas A&M University located in Commerce, Texas, United States ...

* International Burch University

Primary and secondary education

, there are 46 elementary schools (Grades 1–9) and 33 high schools (Grades 10–13) in Sarajevo, including three schools for children with special needs. There are also several international schools in Sarajevo, catering to the expatriate community; some of which are

Sarajevo International School QSI International School of Sarajevo is an international school in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The language of instruction is English. The curriculum is based on US National Standards with the addition of three foreign languages. The scho ...

and the French International School of Sarajevo, established in 1998.

Culture

Sarajevo has been home to many different religions for centuries, giving the city a range of diverse cultures. In the time of Ottoman occupation of Bosnia, Muslims,

Orthodox Christians Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and Sephardi Jews all shared the city while maintaining distinctive identities. They were joined during the brief occupation by Austria-Hungary by a smaller number of Germans, Hungarians,

Slovaks The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak. In Slovakia, 4.4 mi ...

, Czechs and Ashkenazi Jews. By 1909, about 50% of the city's inhabitants were Muslim, 25% were Catholic, 15% were Orthodox, and 10% were Jewish. Historically, Sarajevo has been home to several prominent Bosnian poets, scholars, philosophers and writers. To list only a very few; Nobel Prize-winner Vladimir Prelog is from the city, as are the writer Zlatko Topčić and the poet Abdulah Sidran. Nobel Prize-winner Ivo Andrić attended high school in Sarajevo for two years. Academy Award-winning director Danis Tanović lives in the city. The Sarajevo National Theatre is the oldest professional theater in Bosnia and Herzegovina, having been established in 1921. Sarajevo Bijela Tabija banner

Museums

Sarajevo is rich in museums, including the

Museum of Sarajevo A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

, the

Ars Aevi Ars Aevi is a museum of contemporary art in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established during the siege of Sarajevo as a cultural resistance movement to the Bosnian war. It holds a collection of 1,600 pieces, including approximately 13 ...

Museum of Contemporary Art, Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Museum of Literature and Theatre Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (established in 1888) home to the Sarajevo Haggadah, an

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

and the oldest

Sephardic Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...

document in the world issued in Barcelona around 1350, containing the traditional Jewish Haggadah, is on permanent display at the museum. It is the only remaining illustrated

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

Haggadah in the world. The National Museum also hosts year-round exhibitions pertaining to local, regional and international culture and history, and exhibits over 5,000 artefacts from Bosnia's history. The Alija Izetbegović Museum was opened on 19 October 2007 and is in the old town fort, more specifically in the Vratnik Kapija towers Ploča and Širokac. The museum is a commemoration of the influence and body of work of Alija Izetbegović, the first president of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo is also home to the

War Childhood Museum The War Childhood Museum ( Bosnian: ''Muzej ratnog djetinjstva'') is a historical museum in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina that opened in January 2017. The museum presents the experiences of children who lived through the war in Bosnia, told throug ...

, an independent non-for-profit museum containing personal belongings from the war and showing stories behind them. In addition, in 2018, the museum won the Council of Europe Museum Prize award for best museum. The city also hosts the Sarajevo National Theatre, established in 1921, and the Sarajevo Youth Theatre. Some other cultural institutions include the Center for Sarajevo Culture, Sarajevo City Library, National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Bosniak Institute, a privately owned library and art collection focusing on Bosniak history. Demolitions associated with the war, as well as reconstruction, destroyed several institutions and cultural or religious symbols including the Gazi Husrev-beg Library, the national library, the Sarajevo Oriental Institute, and a museum dedicated to the

. Consequently, the different levels of government established strong cultural protection laws and institutions. Bodies charged with cultural preservation in Sarajevo include the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and

Natural Heritage Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of biodiversity, including flora and fauna, ecosystems and geological structures. It forms part of our natural resources. Definition Heritage is that which is ''inherited'' from past gener ...

of Bosnia and Herzegovina (and their Sarajevo Canton counterpart), and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Commission to Preserve National Monuments. Sarajevo, Baščaršija II.jpg, Bosniak Institute, containing collections of the history of Bosnia and Bosniaks. Sarajevo 1914 museum IMG 1118.JPG, Museum "Sarajevo 1878–1918". Sarajevo, muezum Alije Izetbegoviće.jpg, Alija Izetbegović museum. Medieval tombstones around National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.JPG, Medieval tombstones around the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Exterior house - Sarajevo Tunnel Museum (2).jpg, Sarajevo Tunnel Museum.

Music

Sarajevo is and has historically been one of the most important musical enclaves in the region. The Sarajevo school of pop rock developed in the city between 1961 and 1991. This type of music began with bands like Indexi, Kodeksi, and singer-songwriter

Kemal Monteno Kemal Monteno (17 September 1948 – 21 January 2015) was a Bosnian recording artist and singer-songwriter whose career stretched from the 1960s to the 2010s. Early life Monteno's father Osvaldo was an Italian from Monfalcone. During World ...

. It continued into the 1980s, with bands such as Plavi orkestar,

Crvena jabuka Crvena jabuka () is a pop rock band formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1985. Since then they had great success and are still very popular. They were a part of the New primitives movement that started during the 80s. Biography The ...

, and Divlje jagode, by most accounts, pioneering the regional rock and roll movement. Sarajevo was also the home and birthplace of arguably the most popular and influential Yugoslav

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

of all time, Bijelo Dugme, somewhat of a Bosnian parallel to the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, in both popularity and influence. Sarajevo was also the home of a very notable post-punk urban subculture known as the New Primitives, which began during the early 1980s with the Baglama Band which was banned shortly after its first LP and was brought into the mainstream through bands such as

Zabranjeno Pušenje Zabranjeno pušenje () is a Bosnian rock band formed in Sarajevo in 1980. The group's musical style primarily consists of a distinctive garage rock sound with folk influences, often featuring innovative production and complex storytelling. Current ...

and Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors, as well as the ''Top lista nadrealista'' radio, and later television show. Other notable bands considered to be part of this subculture are Bombaj Štampa. Besides and separately from the New Primitives, Sarajevo is the hometown to one of the most significant Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, ex-Yugoslavian alternative industrial music, industrial-Noise music, noise bands, SCH (band), SCH. Perhaps more importantly, Sarajevo in the late 19th and throughout the 20th century was home to a burgeoning and large center of Sevdalinka record-making and contributed greatly to bringing this historical genre of music to the mainstream, which had for many centuries been a staple of Bosnian culture. Songwriters and musicians such as Himzo Polovina, Safet Isović, Zaim Imamović (musician), Zaim Imamović, Zehra Deović, Halid Bešlić, Hanka Paldum, Nada Mamula, Meho Puzić and many more composed and wrote some of their most important pieces in the city. Sarajevo also greatly influenced the pop scene of Yugoslavia with musicians like Zdravko Čolić, Kemal Monteno, Dino Merlin, Seid Memić Vajta, Hari Mata Hari, Mladen Vojičić Tifa, Željko Bebek and many more. Many newer Sarajevo-based bands have also found a name and established themselves in Sarajevo, such as Regina (Bosnia and Herzegovina band), Regina who also had two albums out in Yugoslavia and Letu Štuke, who actually formed their band in Yugoslavia with the famous Bosnian-American writer Aleksandar Hemon and got their real breakthrough later in the 2000s. Sarajevo is now home to an important and eclectic mix of new bands and independent musicians, which continue to thrive with the ever-increasing number of festivals, creative showcases and concerts around the country. The city is also home to the region's largest jazz festival, the Jazz Fest Sarajevo. American heavy metal band Savatage, released a song entitled "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24, Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" on their 1995 album ''Dead Winter Dead'', which was about a cello player playing a forgotten Christmas carol in war-torn Sarajevo. The song was later re-released by the same band under the name Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their 1996 debut album ''Christmas Eve and Other Stories'', which the song gave them instant success.

Festivals

Sarajevo is internationally renowned for its eclectic and diverse selection of over 50 annual festivals. The Sarajevo Film Festival was established in 1995 during the

and has become the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe. It has been hosted at the Sarajevo National Theatre, National Theater, with screenings at the Open-air theater Metalac and the Bosnian Cultural Center, all in downtown Sarajevo. The MESS (festival), MESS International Festival is an experimental theatre festival and the oldest living theatre festival in the Balkans. The annual Sarajevo Youth Film Festival showcases feature, animated and short films from around the world and is the premier student film festival in the Balkans. The Sarajevo Winter Festival, Jazz Fest Sarajevo and Sarajevo International Music Festival are well-known, as is the Baščaršija Nights festival, a month-long showcase of local culture, music, and dance. The first incarnation of the Sarajevo Film Festival was hosted in still-warring Sarajevo in 1995, and has now progressed into being the biggest and most significant festival in Southeast Europe. A talent campus is also held during the duration of the festival, with lecturers speaking on behalf of world cinematography and holding workshops for film students from across Southeast Europe. The Jazz Fest Sarajevo is the region's largest and most diverse of its kind. The festival takes place at the Bosnian Cultural Center (aka "Main Stage"), just down the street from the SFF, at the Sarajevo Youth Stage Theater (aka "Strange Fruits Stage"), at the Army Hall (Sarajevo), Dom Vojske Federacije (aka "Solo Stage"), and at the CDA (aka "Groove Stage").

Sports

Sarajevo hosted the

. Yugoslavia won one medal, a silver in men's giant slalom awarded to Jure Franko. Many of the Olympic facilities survived the war or were reconstructed, including the Zetra Olympic Hall, Sarajevo, Zetra Olympic Hall and Koševo City Stadium, Asim Ferhatović Stadium. In an attempt to bring back some of Sarajevo's Olympic glory, the original Olympic luge and bobsled tracks are being repaired, due to the efforts of both the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and local sports enthusiasts. After co-hosting the Southeast Europe Friendship games, Sarajevo was awarded the 2009 Special Olympics, Special Olympic winter games, but cancelled these plans. The ice arena for the 1984 Olympics, Zetra Stadium, was used during the war as a temporary hospital and, later, for housing NATO troops of the Implementation Force, IFOR. In 2011, Sarajevo was the host city of the 51st World Military Skiing Championship with over 350 participants from 23 different nations. This was the first international event of such standing since the 1984 Olympics. Association football, Football (soccer) is popular in Sarajevo; the city hosts ''FK Sarajevo'' and ''FK Željezničar Sarajevo, FK Željezničar'', which both compete in European and international cups and tournaments and have a very large trophy cabinet in the former Yugoslavia as well as independent Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other notable soccer clubs are ''FK Olimpik'', ''NK SAŠK Napredak, SAŠK'' and ''FK Slavija Sarajevo, Slavija''. One of only three stadiums in Bosnia and Herzegovina that has the UEFA category 3 is the Stadion Grbavica, Grbavica Stadium, the home stadium of FK Željezničar. Another popular sport is basketball; the basketball club KK Bosna Royal won the Euroleague Basketball, European Championship in 1979 as well as many Yugoslav and Bosnian national championships, making it one of the greatest basketball clubs in the former Yugoslavia. The chess club, ŠK Bosna, Bosna Sarajevo, has been a championship team since the 1980s and is the third-ranked chess club in Europe, having won four consecutive European championships in the nineties. Handball club RK Bosna Sarajevo, RK Bosna also competes in the European Champions League and is considered one of the most well organised handball clubs in Southeast Europe with a very large fan (person), fan base and excellent national, as well as international results. Sarajevo often holds international events and competitions in sports such as tennis and kickboxing. The popularity of tennis has been picking up in recent years. Since 2003, BH Telecom Indoors is an annual tennis tournament in Sarajevo. Since 2007, the Sarajevo Half Marathon has been organized every year in late September. ''Giro di Sarajevo'' is also a run in the city with over 2,200 cyclists taking part in 2015. In February 2019, Sarajevo and East Sarajevo hosted the 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOWF).

Notes

References

Bibliography

* *Donia, Robert J.
Sarajevo: A Biography
''. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, (2006). * *Halligan, Benjamin. (2010). "Idylls of Socialism: The Sarajevo Documentary School and the Problem of the Bosnian Sub-proletariat". ''Studies in Eastern European Cinema'' (Autumn 2010).
Wayback Machine
* *Maniscalco, Fabio (1997). Sarajevo. Itinerari artistici perduti (Sarajevo. Artistic Itineraries Lost). Naples: Guida * * *Prstojević, Miroslav (1992). Zaboravljeno Sarajevo (Forgotten Sarajevo). Sarajevo: Ideja * *My Life in Fire (a non-fiction story of a child in a Sarajevo war) *Semezdin Mehmedinović, Mehmedinović, Semezdin (1998). Sarajevo Blues. San Francisco: City Lights Bookstore, City Lights.

External links

*
Chronology of the battle and siege of Sarajevo

Sarajevo
on Encyclopædia Britannica
Sarajevo Panorama
{{Authority control Sarajevo, Sarajevo Capitals in Europe Populated places in the Sarajevo Canton Populated places established in the 1460s 1461 establishments in Europe 1984 Winter Olympics World Heritage Tentative List for Bosnia and Herzegovina National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina