Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country of different cultures, where east meets the west
The always lively city of Sarajevo and a slightly calmer Mostar are the two places you most definitely need to visit. The travel from one to the other is all the more interesting as they are separated by the valley of the Neretva River.
Bosnia is located on the Balkan peninsula and used to be one of six socialistic republic that made up the Socialistic Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. It’s really easy to access as the distance to the capital – Sarajevo – isn’t really far. The best way is to take the road or rail, which does also have a historic value. The landscape is very varied as you will encounter plains, karst world, and the hills of Bosnia, which is a country that even has sea access in the touristic town of Neum.
Sarajevo before and after war
The capital of Bosnia is on both banks of the Miljacka River and the city still retained markers and buildings from various phases of its history (from ancient Roman times through medieval period). Today the city if very lively and hosts many festivals with Baščarske noći (Nights of Baščaršija) being the most famous. On such festivals you can learn about their traditional cuisine and music. The city has, throughout its history, suffered several times, which is still visible today. Especially the violent memories of the cruelties of war. The wartime Sarajevo is part of the city that is today more or less still the same as it was during the war. Many tourists that visit Sarajevo see it and try to understand what people had to feel at the moment. The horrors of the Balkan wars are in many cases still unknown, but you can hardly imagine the ones that already are. The underground tunnel was the only connection of both banks of the city.
The time of death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980 and especially after his death, brought many political tensions among the nations of Yugoslavia. When Slobodan Milošević rose to his political function, it got clear it will only get worse. During the war that Bosnia has suffered, the country lost in every way. There were many demolished homes, destroyed buildings and damaged infrastructure, and worst of all, many lives have ceased among population of any age, as not even children were spared.
To čevapi
Bosnia is known for excellent čevapi, which are prepared in their traditional fast food stands - čevapđinice. Bosnian cuisine is a mixture of eastern and western influence. That’s why their food resembles both Greek and Turkish. They use many vegetables – potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, onion, pumpkin, cucumber, cabbage, carrots, beans, spinach, paprika and usually there’s a lot of milk or cream added. For meat they usually use lamb and beef, but you can find pork as well. And apart from čevapi you will also find the burek, dolma, pilaf, sarma, goulash, and many pastries. They also produce great wines as they have many vineyard territories, but hard liquor like slivovka and fruit schnapps are really popular. It’s also interesting that while still in Yugoslavia they produced such quantity of Vinjak they supplied the whole country with it.
The valley of Neretva
The valley of Neretva is mostly in Bosnia but just before the river reaches the shores of the Adriatic Sea it enters Croatia. It’s 230km long, with 208km running through Bosnia, with just 22km in Croatia. The valley is known for the emerald colour of Neretva river and some known cities rose along the river, best known are Mostar and Neum. The canyon cliffs on both sides are in places even 1200m long and the river features all characteristics of mountain rivers as it is relatively fast with quite a large downward stream. It’s because of these features there are several hydro plants on the river and it’s very attractive for water sports that invite tourists. Rafting and kayaking are better known sports. To the south of the river’s stream there are also orchards of tangerines, which tourists also love to visit.
Mostar
Mostar is the largest city in Hercegovina and the majority population is Croatian. The name itself testifies about the bridge in the town. It was demolished in 1993, but the one you can see today was restored according to the original plans. The bridge was first built in 16th century and is one of the best examples of Islam architecture. As it features a strange shape, the bridge soon got famous around the world and is now part of the UNESCO world heritage list. It’s 20 m tall and today invites brave young souls to test their skill and courage by jumping off it. If you want to see the jump you will have to pay for it. The bridge, however, is not the only attraction of the city. There is also a partisan cemetery and several archaeological sites near the city, with many churches and other cultural objects to see. Still it’s the bridge that attracts most people to visit the city as it is one of greatest architectural feats in the world.
Despite the difficult history, the people today seem to be happy. They are modest people that love to socialize, which is mostly seen in the Baščaršija part of Sarajevo, where you can taste best local food.
