Friendly people,
amazing mixture of cultures,
delicious food,
journey through history...
amazing mixture of cultures,
delicious food,
journey through history...
BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA
M O S T A R
-Old Bridge in Mostar-
"The historic town of Mostar, spanning a deep valley of the Neretva River, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman frontier town and during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mostar has long been known for its old Turkish houses and Old Bridge, Stari Most, after which it is named. In the 1990s conflict, however, most of the historic town and the Old Bridge, designed by the renowned architect Sinan, was destroyed. The Old Bridge was recently rebuilt and many of the edifices in the Old Town have been restored or rebuilt with the contribution of an international scientific committee established by UNESCO. The Old Bridge area, with its pre-Ottoman, eastern Ottoman, Mediterranean and western European architectural features, is an outstanding example of a multicultural urban settlement. The reconstructed Old Bridge and Old City of Mostar is a symbol of reconciliation, international co-operation and of the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities."
<by UNESCO: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar>
-Up and down to the other side of the city-
Mostar is divided into a Bosniak and Croatian part. The left side of the Neretva is the Muslim quarter and shows a strong Turkish influence.
-Koski Mehmed-pasha´s mosque built in 1617 on a rocky bank of the Neretva river-
-Karađoz-bey Mosque, the most important monumental work of Islamic sacred architecture in the 16th century-
Mostar is situated in a deep valley of Neretva River and it´s surrounded with mountains. The city marks the centre of the historical province Herzegovina.
-Old part of Mostar-
-The Gymnasium; built with some elements of oriental architecture; I think that is the only colourfull building I saw in Mostar-
-The war has left ugly scars all over the place-
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-view from closer hill-
-The Old Orthodox Church-
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In pre-war Mostar Croats, Serbs and Bosniaks were equally large communities. Mostar remaining one of the few mixed Bosnian municipalities. It is fragmented and polarised by the two biggest national groups, leading to a re-aligned Croat West bank and a Bosniac/Muslim East bank. Today there are virtually no Serbs at all living in the city.
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-Me and Miki :) faithfull friend - companion in Mostar-
-anything you want, you can get it...-
...but not just things to buy, there are friendly people, delicious food and great walk trough history that sometimes shows you things you did not know or you do not want to even imagine...-
S A R A J E V O
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Lonely Planet has named Sarajevo
as as one of the top ten cities to visit in 2010.
Agree! :)
Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Hercegovina, is located in the Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, surrounded by the Dinarics Alps and situated around the Miljacka river. It has population of about 400 000 people.
The city is famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of Islam, Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Judaism coexisting there for centuries. Due to this long and rich history of religious diversity and coexistence Sarajevo has often been called the "Jerusalem of Europe".
-Roman Catholic Cathedral of Jesus´Heart -
-one of the many mosques in Sarajevo-
-muslim cemetary-
-Svrzo´s House - tipical Ottoman Empire age house-
"Sarajevo has attracted international attention several times throughout its history: In 1914 it was the site of the assassination that sparked World War I, while seventy years later it became the host city of the 1984 Winter Olimpycs. More recently, Sarajevo underwent the longest siege in post World War II military history during the Bosnian War. Today the city is recovering and adjusting to a post-war reality, as a major center of culture and economics development in Bosnia and Herzegovina."
<by Sarajevo-guide.com>
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-The house in which the tunnel's southern entrance was hidden, The Tunnel-
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"The Bosnian War took place in between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides. The main belligerents were the forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Hercegovina and those of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika SrpskaHerzeg-Bosnia. The war came about as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia. and
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. On December 14, 1995 the Dayton Agreement brought peace to the country and led to stabilization.
<by www.sarajevo.ba>
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-Entrance to the Tunnel-
"The Tunnel allowed food and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out. The tunnel was 1.5 metres height and about 1m width, and for approximately 960 metres length. During the time it was used, it is estimated that 20 million tons of food entered the city, and 1 million people passed in and out of it."
<by www.sarajevo.ba>
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Museum of Sarajevo 1878-1918
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on 28 June 1914, set in train a series of diplomatic events that led inexorably to the outbreak of war in Europe at the end of July 1914. Ferdinand - and his wife Sophie - were killed by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip while on a formal visit to Sarajevo. Princip was one of three men sent by Dragutin Dimitrijević, the chief of the Intelligence Department in the Serbian Army and head of the Black Hand, to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Ferdinand had accepted the invitation of General Oskar Patiorek to inspect army manoeuvres in his capacity of Inspector General of the army.
Black Hand believed that killing the Archduke was the key to setting events in motion that would result in Serbia asserting its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then uniting with Bosnia. Ferdinand had already indicated that once he ascended to the throne, he intended to give Serbia a greater voice in running its own affairs.
Austria-Hungary demanded that Princip and the other assassins be turned over, but Serbia refused, citing its sovereignty and right to try them under Serbian law. Eventually Serbia gave in, but by then it was too late. As a direct result of the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Because of various treaties and defense agreements between European countries, one nation after another took sides and the end result was the first World War.
<by firstworldwar.com>
For many years after, Gavrilo Princip was celebrated as a national hero of Yugoslavia. A museum was dedicated to Princip in Sarajevo at the corner where the event happened, along with a wall plaque and his footprints embedded in the pavement. When Yugoslavia disintegrated in the 1990s, ethnic differences resulted in war between Bosnia and Serbia. Attitudes changed and Bosnia then considered Princip a terrorist and an unwitting dupe of Serbia. The museum, plaque, and footprints were removed for a few years, but shortly after hostilities between Bosnia and Serbia ended they were replaced with a museum that commemorates the historical importance of the event rather than a tribute to Princip.
<by firstworldwar.com>
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Back to the bright side od Sarajevo - do you remember Vučko? :) well...although I was born after 1984 I sure know who is this volf... you can find him on every corner of Sarajevo..
Vučko (Sarajevo,Yugoslavia 1984): "Don't be afraid! I'm not a big bad wolf. I'm Vučko, mascot of the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympic Games. I traveled all over the world to spread the Olympic message to kids everywhere. I even climbed mountains and rode camels in the desert to spread that message."
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"Life in the rythm of heartbeat"
<by National Tourism Org.>
SERBIA
B E O G R A D
Mihailo Obrenović III was prince of Serbia from 1839–1842 and again from 1860–1868. His first reign ended when he was deposed in 1842 and his second when he was assassinated in 1868. In 1841, Prince Mihailo Obrenović moved the capital of Serbia from Kragujevac to Belgrade.
In 1861 he made extensive changes in the constitutional structure of the state: the authority of the Council for Legislative Affairs was limited and the independence of its members abolished; ministers became responsible only to the Prince; freedom of the press was abolished; and the National Assembly became only an advisory organ.
Mihailo paid special attention to military organization and in 1861 established a national army with about 50,000 soldiers in its ranks. Up to date weaponry was provided, and Serbia became the strongest military power in the Balkans. Mihailo's aim was the final liberation of his country from the Turks.
He is stated as being the most enlightened ruler of modern Serbia. He advocated the idea of a Balkan Federation against the Ottoman Empire.
<by www.findagrave.com>
Prince Mihailo Street is main walking street in Belgrade and it is a common meeting point for Belgraders. It is a pedestrian zone and shopping center, protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city. It has a large number of impressive buildings and mansions built at the end of the 1870s.
The street is home to Serbian Academy of Scientes and Arts (SANU), Instituto Cervantes, Goethe-Institut, Centre Culturel Français, British Council... as well as many other leading shops and several cafes.
The residence was built on order by prince Miloš Obrenović for his wife Ljubica and their children, the future rulers Milan and Mihailo. It is preserved as the most representative city house from the first half of 19th century.
-Orthodox Cathedral and Patriarchate of the Serbian Orthodox Church-
Cathedral of Saint Sava is an Orthodox Church, the largest Orthodox Cathedral on Balkans and one of the largest in the world.
The church is dedicated to Saint Sava, founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an important figure in medieval Serbia. It is built on the Vračar plateau, on the location where his remains were burned in 1595 by the Ottoman Empire's Sinan Pasha.
Construction of the church began on May 10, 1935; 340 years after the burning of Saint Sava's remains.
The work lasted until Second World War. The occupying German army used the unfinished church as a parking lot, while in 1944 the partisans and the Red Army used it with the same purpose. Later, it was used for storage by various companies. In 1958, Patriarvh German renewed the idea of building the church. In 1984, and Branko Pešić was chosen as new architect of the church.
Construction of the building began again on August 12, 1985. The walls were erected to full height of 40 meters.
Now the church is mostly complete. The bells and windows had been installed, and the facade completed. However, work on the internal decoration of the building still remains largely unfinished.
<by Wikipedia>
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It was my firs visit of Bosnia and Hercegovina and also my first visit of Serbia.... and they are just few kilometres away!
I´ve met a lot of great people, having unforgettable time in extremly positive athmosphere, enjoyed delicios food and discovered beautiful historical cities... I will definitely return to this amazing places! :)
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It was my firs visit of Bosnia and Hercegovina and also my first visit of Serbia.... and they are just few kilometres away!
I´ve met a lot of great people, having unforgettable time in extremly positive athmosphere, enjoyed delicios food and discovered beautiful historical cities... I will definitely return to this amazing places! :)
Tanja V.
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