Sarajevo

Sarajevo (Cyrillic: Сарајево; pronounced [sǎra(j)eʋo]) is the federal capital and most populous city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,000 in the four municipalities that make up the city, and a metropolitan area of 405,930 in the Sarajevo canton. the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the center of the canton of Sarajevo. Adjacent to it (and grouping together neighborhoods that were also part of Sarajevo before the war) is Eastern Sarajevo, which is the de jure capital city of the Republika Srpska.

Sarajevo is located in a valley in the region of Bosnia, surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and around the Miljacka River. The city center is 511 m above sea level while some neighborhoods reach 700 m, which makes Sarajevo one of the cities highest in Europe.^{[citation needed]} The mountain peaks that surround Sarajevo reach and exceed 2000 m.

The city is known for its traditional religious diversity, with Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and Jewish worshipers living side by side for centuries. Due to this long and rich history of religious diversity and coexistence, Sarajevo is known as the "Jerusalem of Europe".

Although the first settlements in the area date back to prehistoric times, the modern city of Sarajevo was built as a stronghold for the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century XV. Sarajevo has attracted international attention on several occasions throughout its history: in 1914 the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria took place, which ended up being the definitive trigger for the outbreak of the First World War World War. Seventy years later, the city hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. In the early 1990s, Sarajevo suffered the biggest siege in the history of modern warfare during the Bosnian War. Today, the city is recovering and adapting to the post-war reality, and is the cultural and economic center of the country. Sarajevo became one of the first European cities to have an electric tram network with uninterrupted service in the city.

Etymology

Sarajevo (pronounced: "Sarayevo" or "Sarayevo", although its inhabitants pronounce its name as "Saraevo") is the phonetic Slavicization of the Turkish word saray -khedive; meaning saray 'palace' and khedive 'Ottoman office analogous to that of a viceroy, governor-general or proconsul'; thus Sarajevo etymologically means 'Palace of the Governor General'.

History

Archaeologists say the Sarajevo region has been continuously inhabited by humans since the Neolithic period. The best known example of a Neolithic settlement in the Sarajevo area is related to the Butmir culture. Its discovery was made in what is now the Ilidža Sarajevo neighborhood, when in 1893 the authorities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to build a rural school. The discovery of their ceramic remains prompted the holding of an international congress of archaeologists and anthropologists in Sarajevo in 1894.

Ottoman Empire (15th-19th centuries)

During the Early Middle Ages the site was renamed Vrh-Bosna, a Slavic citadel that was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1429. Under the leadership of Isa-Beg Isakovic, the first Ottoman ruler of the Bosnian province, the citadel was turned into a city called Bosna-Saraj, in 1461. This year is usually indicated as the founding of modern Sarajevo.

The city flourished during the 16th century and at the end of the XVII was the most important city in the Balkans, and the second largest in the Ottoman Empire after Istanbul.

Austro-Hungarian conquest

Sarajevo towards the end of the centuryXIX.

In 1878, under the terms of the Treaty of Berlin, Bosnia-Herzegovina came under the guardianship of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At this time the industrialization of the city took place, since it was decided to use the city as a "test place" to implement urban improvements before carrying them out in Vienna. Thus, the city had its first trams in 1885. It was also a city that attracted Western architects and engineers who left a modern imprint on the city, making it a unique blend of old Ottoman and Western architecture. contemporary. Thus, Sarajevo has some examples of Vienna Secession and neo-Moorish style.

Sarajevo around 1909 in a painting by Špiro Bocarić

In 1908 it was completely annexed, which produced the so-called Bosnian Crisis, after which the powers agreed again to legalize the situation.

In these years it also became an important focus of Slavic nationalism.

World War I, Union of Slavs and World War II

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sofía Chotek, were assassinated in Sarajevo by the Bosnian-Serb Gavrilo Princip, an event that triggered the start of hostilities in World War I (see Sarajevo attack). The Austro-Hungarian authorities encouraged a series of anti-Serb riots in Sarajevo and damaged numerous Serb-owned buildings.

Attacked by Sarajevo in 1914, triggered by World War I.

After the end of the First World War and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the city would form part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later called Yugoslavia. In 1941 under Hitler's expansionist policy, the city was invaded by joint Axis troops dividing up the Yugoslav territory among Germans, Italians, Croatians, Hungarians, Rumanians and Bulgarians. Sarajevo was then annexed to the new Independent State of Croatia, an Axis-allied fascist state.

During the occupation there were persecutions of Serbs organized by the Ustacha. Thus, on October 12, 1941, there was the declaration of 108 notable Muslim citizens of Sarajevo who signed the "Resolution of the Muslims of Sarajevo" in which they condemned the persecutions, they differentiated between those Muslims who had taken part in the persecutions and the Muslim population, and demanded respect for all citizens.

Yugoslav Partisans parading Sarajevo on 6 April 1945

The city was bombed by the Allies during 1943 and 1944. The resistance was carried out by the Yugoslav National Liberation Army and led by "Walter" Perić, who died the same day the city was liberated: April 6, 1945.

After the end of the Second World War and the constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, headed by Marshal Tito, Sarajevo was chosen as the capital of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The communist regime invested heavily in the city, expanding it in Novi Grad and Novo Sarajevo, while developing the city's industry and tourism, once again becoming one of the most important cities in the Balkans. After the war, the city had a population of 115,000 people, and before the breakup of Yugoslavia it was over 400,000.

It reached its apex when it organized the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Breakup of Yugoslavia

Parliament building on fire during the Sarajevo site.

With the breakup of Yugoslavia, Sarajevo became the capital of the independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, sparking hostilities between the country's three main nationalities. The Bosnian War lasted for four years and had Sarajevo one of its main scenarios where the Bosnian Serbs came to control practically the entire metropolitan area, as well as some sectors of the city of Sarajevo itself, subjecting the rest of the controlled city to siege. by Bosniacs. The war lasted until 1995, causing destruction in the city by heavy bombing.

City dwellers in 1992 collecting water

The signing of the Dayton Accords formalized the division of pre-war Sarajevo between two different cities: on the one hand, the city of Sarajevo itself (made up of the entire territory of the pre-war municipalities of Centar and Novi Grad, as well as most of those in Stari Grad and New Sarajevo) and which became the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and also of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and on the other, the new city of Eastern Sarajevo, the de jure capital of the Republika Srpska and made up of part of the territory of the pre-war municipalities of Stari Grad and New Sarajevo, as well as the metropolitan municipalities of Sokolac, Trnovo, Pale and Eastern Ilidza); thus leaving Sarajevo and Eastern Sarajevo as contiguous and adjacent cities.

The reconstruction of Sarajevo began immediately after the cessation of hostilities, and by around 2003, most of the city had already been rebuilt, although some dilapidated buildings were still visible in the city center.

Geography

Sarajevo urban landscape

Sarajevo is located near the geometric center of the triangle that makes up Bosnia-Herzegovina, within the historical region of Bosnia itself, and in the Sarajevo Valley, in the middle of the Dinaric Alps. The valley was once a vast green plain, but gave way to urban expansion and development after World War II. The city is surrounded by lush hills and five large mountains. The highest of all of them is Treskavica, with an altitude of 2,088 m; followed by Bjelašnica, with 2067 m; Jahorina, with 1913 m; Trebević, with 1627 m and Igman, with 1502 m of altitude, which is the smallest of these peaks. The last four are known as the Sarajevo Olympic Mountains. The Bosnian capital is located at approximately 500 m above sea level. The city itself has much of its extension in this mountainous terrain, so steeply sloping streets abound.

River Miljacka

The Miljacka River runs through the city from the east through the city center to the west, where it finally meets the Bosna River. The Miljacka is known as 'The River of Sarajevo', with its source in the town of Pale, several kilometers east of Sarajevo. The source of the Bosna, for its part, is located in Vrelo Bosne, near Ilidža (west of Sarajevo) and is another notable geographical feature and a popular destination for residents and tourists. Other small rivers and streams run through the city and surroundings.

Climate

Sarajevo has a continental climate, although it lies between the climate zones of Central Europe to the north and the Mediterranean to the south. Its proximity to the Adriatic Sea softens the temperatures of Sarajevo, although the mountains located to the south of the city considerably reduce the maritime influence. The average annual temperature is 9.5 °C, and January is the coldest month of the year. The hottest month is July.

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Sarajevo occurred on August 19, 1946, when thermometers in the capital soared to 40°C. The lowest temperature occurred on January 25, 1942 and was -26.4 °C. On average, Sarajevo has 68 summer days per year (with temperatures of 30°C or higher). The city typically experiences partly cloudy skies with 59% cloud cover per year. The cloudiest month is December with 75% cloudiness, while the clearest month is August with 37% cloudy skies.

Precipitation is moderate but constant throughout the year, with an average of 170 rainy days per year. This climate has caused winter sports to experience growth in the region, reaching the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic Games.

Sarajevo average climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	18.2	21.4	26.6	30.2	33.2	35.9	38.4	40.0	37.7	32.2	24.7	18.0	40.0
Average temperature (°C)	3.7	6.0	10.9	15.6	21.4	24.5	27.0	27.2	22.0	17.0	9.7	4.2	15.8
Average temperature (°C)	-0.5	1.4	5.7	10.0	14.8	17.7	19.7	19.7	15.3	11.0	5.4	0.9	10.1
Temp. medium (°C)	-3.3	-2.5	1.1	4.8	9.0	11.9	13.7	13.7	10.0	6.4	1.9	-1.8	5.4
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-26.8	-23.4	-26.4	-13.2	-9.0	-3.2	-2.7	-1.0	-4.0	-10.9	-19.3	-22.4	-26.8
Total precipitation (mm)	68	64	70	77	72	90	72	66	91	86	85	86	928
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	8	10	13	17	17	16	14	13	15	13	12	11	159
Days of snowfall (≥ 1 mm)	10	12	9	2	0.2	0	0	0	0	2	6	12	53
Hours of sun	57.1	83.8	125.6	152.3	191.7	207.1	256.3	238.2	186.6	148.8	81.2	40.7	1769.4
Relative humidity (%)	79	74	68	67	68	70	69	69	75	77	76	81	73
Source No. 1: Pogoda.ru.net
Source No. 2: NOAA (sol 1991-1990)

Demographics

Sarajevo evolution rate between 1626 and 2013

The last official census was taken in 1991 and recorded 527,049 inhabitants living in Sarajevo (ten municipalities). In Sarajevo itself, the population was 416,497. The war, however, caused the displacement of thousands of people, many of whom never returned.

People in the city

Today, the population of Sarajevo is not yet clear and is based on estimates made by the United Nations Department of Statistics and the Federal Statistical Office of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other international non-profit organizations. As of June 2009, the population of the city's four municipalities was 305,242 according to estimates. The population of the Canton of Sarajevo, for its part, was 423,645 inhabitants. With an area of 1,280 km², Sarajevo has a population density of 2,173../km². Novo Sarajevo Municipality is the most densely populated area of Sarajevo, with 7,524 inhab/km², while Stari Grad has the lowest density rate, with 2,742 inhab/km².

The war changed the ethnic-religious profile of the city. For a long time it was a multicultural city, known as the "Jerusalem of Europe". In 1991, Muslim Bosnians formed 45% of the population, followed by Orthodox Serbs at 38% and Catholic Croats at 7%. Due to the consequences of the war, numerous Bosnians have taken refuge in the city, coming from the cities that have come under Serb rule (such as Srebrenica), while the Serb population has gone to repopulate the areas that are under their control and were not Serb population at the start of the war, leaving only about 18,000 Serbs today. With the Croatian population it has happened in a similar way, which is why Sarajevo is today mostly Muslim.

Government

Sarajevo is the national capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its sub-entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Canton of Sarajevo; while the city of East Sarajevo is the de jure capital of another entity, the Republika Srpska. Each of these levels of government has its own parliament or council, as well as its own judicial courts. Also, there are many international embassies in Sarajevo.

The office of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo was badly damaged during the Bosnian War. Due to this, the personnel and the documents were transferred to offices at street level to resume their work. At the end of 2006 the reconstruction works of the Parliament began and were completed at the beginning of 2007. 80% of the cost of the reconstruction was supported by the Greek Government through the Hellenic Program for the Reconstruction of the Balkans (ESOAV) and 20 remaining % by the Bosnian government.

Municipalities

Sarajevo municipalities highlighted in darker color within the Sarajevo Canton

The city comprises four municipalities: Centar, Novi Grad, Novo Sarajevo and Stari Grad (from the latter two neighborhoods were broken off which now form municipalities of East Sarajevo. Each runs its own municipal government, which, together, form the single city government with its own constitution.The executive branch (in Bosnian: Gradska Uprava) is made up of a mayor, with two deputies and a council of ministers.The legislature is made up of the City Council (Gradsko Vijeće), which has 28 members, including the speaker, two deputies and the secretary. The councilors are elected by the municipalities in proportion to their population. The city government also has a judiciary based on post-transitional legal systems designed by the Office of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sarajevo's municipalities are further divided into "local communities" (Mjesne zajednice). They have a small role in city government and are intended to facilitate collaboration between citizens and local government. They are located in strategic neighborhoods of the city.

Economy

After years of war, Sarajevo's economy has undergone various reconstruction and rehabilitation programs. The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina opened in Sarajevo in 1997, while the Sarajevo Stock Exchange did so in 2002. The large The city's manufacturing, administration and tourism, combined with a large underground economy market, makes Sarajevo one of the strongest economic regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The city had a heavily industrial base during its communist period and only a few businesses have survived the fall of communism by adapting to new markets. Sarajevo's industry now includes tobacco products, furniture, socks, automobiles, and communication equipment. Companies headquartered in Sarajevo include, among others, B&H Airlines, BH Telecom, Bosnalijek, Energopetrol, Sarajevo Tobacco Factory, and Sarajevska Pivara (Sarajevo Brewery).

Vista del Puente Latino.

The tourism industry in Sarajevo is very important and proof of this was the inclusion of the Bosnian capital in Lonely Planet's ranking as the 43rd Best City in the World in 2006. Sports-related tourism enjoyed the new facilities and infrastructures that were designed to celebrate the 1984 Sarajevo Olympic Games, especially the Bjelašnica, Igman, Jahorina, Trebević and Treskavica ski facilities. Sarajevo's 600-year history, influenced by eastern and western empires, has also served as a tourist attraction. Sarajevo has welcomed travelers for centuries, since its situation made it a center of commerce during the existence of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. Examples of popular destinations in Sarajevo are the Vrelo Bosne Park, the Sarajevo Cathedral, and the Gazi Husrev-Beg Mosque. The city's tourism is mainly historical, religious and cultural.

In 1981, Sarajevo's GDP was 133% of the Yugoslav average.

Culture

National Theatre of Sarajevo.

Sarajevo has been home to many different religions for centuries, giving the city a rich cultural diversity. At the time of the Ottoman occupation of Bosnia, the following people lived in the city: Bosnian Muslims, Serb Orthodox, Croatian Catholics and Sephardic Jews. All of them maintained their characteristic identities. They were joined, during the brief Austro-Hungarian occupation, by smaller numbers of Germans, Hungarians, Slovaks, Czechs, and Ashkenazi Jews.

As a result of the war, the city is now Bosnian-majority, but in recent years many refugees have returned and there is a growing number of illegal immigrants from East Asia.

During the time of the Ottoman Empire, Sarajevo was home to several famous Bosnian poets, as well as scholars, philosophers, and writers.

In the 20th century, the city has seen the birth of several prominent intellectuals and artists, including Nobel laureate Vladimir Prelog; Oscar winner director Danis Tanovic; and another Nobel Prize winner, Ivo Andrić, who attended a high school in Sarajevo for two years.

Museums

The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.

The city is rich in museums, including the Sarajevo Museum, the Ars Aevi Sarajevo Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (opened in 1888 and where the Sarajevo Haggadah rests), the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Museum of Children at War and the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is also home to the national theater company, founded in 1919, as well as the Sarajevo Youth Theatre. Other notable cultural institutions are the Sarajevo Culture Center, the Sarajevo Library, the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Bosnian Institute, a private library and home to an important art collection focused on Bosnian history.

War-associated demolitions, as well as reconstruction, destroyed several religious/cultural institutions and symbols, including the Gazi Husrev Library, the National Library (Vijećnica), the Sarajevo Oriental Institute, and a museum dedicated to the Olympic Games of 1984. Consequence of this was the hardening that the government established with its protection laws. The Bodies that ensure cultural protection in Sarajevo are the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Commission for the Conservation of National Monuments.

Sports

Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. Yugoslavia won a silver medal in the men's giant slalom by Jure Franko. Many of the Olympic venues survived the war or were rebuilt, including the Olympic Hall Zetra and the Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium. After co-hosting the South East European Friendship Games, Sarajevo was awarded the Special Olympic of the 2009 winter games, but the plans were ultimately cancelled.

Soccer is very popular in the city. The city is home to FK Sarajevo and FK Željezničar, both teams with great honors in both the former Yugoslavia and present-day Bosnia, who contest the well-known Sarajevo Derby. Other football clubs are FK Olimpik and SAŠK. As for basketball, the KK Bosna Sarajevo, European champion in 1979 and numerous Yugoslav and Bosnian championships, stands out. The chess club, Bosna Sarajevo, has been a champion team since the 1980s, and is the third-ranked chess club in Europe having won four consecutive European Championships in the 1990s. HC Bosna also competes in the League of European Champions and is considered one of the best organized handball clubs in Southeast Europe. Sarajevo often holds international events and competitions in sports like tennis and kickboxing. Climbing is very popular in the city, taking place in the Dariva area, where there is also an extensive network of paths for cycling.

Predecessor: Lake Placid

Olympic City 1984

Successor: Calgary

Education

University of Sarajevo.

Higher education has enjoyed a long tradition in Sarajevo. The first institution that can be described as such was a school of Sufi philosophy founded by Gazi Husrev-beg in 1531. Other religious schools were also founded during this time. In 1887, during the Austro-Hungarian period, a sharia law school began a five-year program. In the 1940s, the University of Sarajevo became the city's first secular institution of higher learning. Postgraduate studies became available in the 1950s. The university building was badly damaged during the war and was rebuilt in a joint partnership plan with 40 other universities.

In 2005, there were 46 public schools (for ages 1-9 years) and 33 institutes (10-13 years old) in Sarajevo, as well as three schools for children with special needs, as well as a Druga Gimnazija institute which provided International Baccalaureate programs for international and national students.

There are also several international schools in Sarajevo that cater to expatriate communities, including the Sarajevo International School and the Sarajevo French International School.

Transportation

Sarajevo's situation in a valley between the mountains makes it a compact city. The narrow streets and the absence of parking areas significantly restrict car traffic, but allow better pedestrian and cycle mobility. The two most important streets in Sarajevo are Titova Street (in honor of Josip Broz Tito) and Zmaj od Bosne (in honor of General Husein Gradaščević). The Trans-European Highway, Corridor 5C, runs through Sarajevo and connects it with Budapest to the north and Ploče to the south.

Titova Street, one of Sarajevo's leading arteries.

Trams, operating since 1885 with horse-drawn units (and from 1895 with electric cars), are the oldest form of public transportation in the city. There are six tram lines complemented by five trolleybus lines, as well as several bus lines.

Sarajevo's main railway station is located in the north-central area of the capital. From that point, the tracks move west before branching off in different directions, including the industrial areas of the city. Sarajevo only has two daily international connections to Zagreb and Ploče. There are also connections between Sarajevo and all major cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo is undergoing an intense renewal of its infrastructures. Many of its highways and streets are being repaved, the tram system is being modernized, and both new bridges and roads are being built.

Sarajevo International Airport, also known as Butmir, is located a few kilometers southwest of the city. During the war, the airport was used by United Nations flights. Since the Dayton Accords in 1996, the airport has developed a booming commercial flight business. In 2006, the airport received 534,000 passengers, while in the previous ten years it had only received 25,000 passengers.

International relations

Twin cities

Sarajevo participates in town twinning and is twinned with the following:

Sisterly Cities

The cities with which Sarajevo has fraternal agreements are: