Sarajevo is a city which you must pay visit to in 2013, says Lance Richardson, an Australian travel writer, describing the B&H’s capital as a “treasure of Europe”, European Jerusalem, a serious competitor to Istanbul!
It is arguable that the European treasure of 2013 is outside the eurozone entirely. Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is most famous for its violent siege in the 1990s, when 18,000 Serbian troops surrounded the city and attacked it for more than three years, killing thousands. But that was nearly two decades ago. While travellers have been uncovering other Yugoslav successor states such as Croatia, Sarajevo and the surrounding country has been quietly rebuilding.
Today, Sarajevo is an affordable city of great vibrancy and colour. Called “the Jerusalem of Europe”, its religious diversity makes it a study in contrasts: churches sit alongside temples, mosques and synagogues. Istanbul is often cited as the city where East meets West, but Sarajevo could be a legitimate challenger for the title.
The greatest pleasure here is exploring the old town of Bascarsija, drinking Bosnian coffee in a cafe alongside the Miljacka river, or munching flaky burek pastry while watching old men argue over chess in the park. Visit Ribica, the legendary gilded bar lined with opera posters and banquettes, then walk it off up a hillside for a sweeping view across the valley city. There are many reminders of the conflict, from bullet-ridden ruins to cemeteries filled with thousands of white headstones. The Tunnel Museum is a must-see, preserving an underground passage built to retrieve supplies from the outside world. But Sarajevo is not a tomb. Like Berlin, this is a city learning to live with the past without being constrained by it.
In July, the summer festival of Bascarsija Nights turns streets into a raucous party. In August, it is the Sarajevo Film Festival (sff.ba), founded to encourage creativity after the siege. It seems to have worked.