BOSNIA
TRAVEL GUIDE
Information
Read
Sarajevo [1]
Bosnian| Serbian| Croatian [1]
51, 197km2 [1]
3,276,065 (2020) [2]
Bosnian Mark (BAM) [3]
10,661 US [3]
Annual Average Income
0.769 (#75 world) [4]
Based on ‘The Human Development Index’, which analyses the country’s life expectancy, education, and per capita income
1, 053, 000 (#119 world) [5]
Annual Average Tourism
31/50
Based on my opinion of the 50 European Countries
Facts
Read
The Popular foods of Bosnia comprise of Cevapi, Burek, and Tufahije [6].
Cevapi is the most common ‘fast food’ in the country, it comprises of either spicy beef or pork meatball in bread [6].
(Cevapi) [7]
[expand title=””]
Burek is another popular choice, it comprises of either meat or cheese stuffed in a pastry [6].
Tufahije is a sweet dish, it comprises of baked apples, walnut paste, and whipped cream [6].
(Tufahije) [8]
[/expand]
Hercegovina is a region in Bosnia which lies on the Southern Part of the country that borders the Dalmatian coast of Croatia [6].
In the 15th century, the territory became a semi-independent duchy of the kingdom of Bosnia, through the rule of Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca [6].
His successor Vlatko Hercegovic, gave Hercegovina its name [6].
[expand title=””]
The landscape of the region comprise of Arid lands, barren mountains, attractive river valleys, intriguing historical towns, and a little toehold on the Adriatic coast (Neum) [6].
The Western Part of Hercegovina, is dominated by Bosnian Croats, whereas the Eastern Part is part of the Republika Srpska, thus dominated by Bosnian Serbs [6].
The town of Mostar is the Region’s biggest tourist attraction [6].
[/expand]
Ivo Andric, Bosnia’s best known writer, was born in 1892 and died in 1975 [6].
In 1961, he was awarded the Nobel prize for literature [6].
In 1945, he published the ‘Bridge on the Drina’, which narrates 350 years of Bosnian history through the eyes of unsophisticated townsfolk of Visegrad [6].
(Ivo Andric) [9]
[expand title=””]
Since then, the UNESCO 16th century 11 arch bridge has been a tourist attraction of the town [6].
The town of Visegrad was a Muslim town prior to the 1990s civil war [6].
However during the war, a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing took place, in which at least a thousand Bosniaks died, and many thousands fled [6].
The population now is 88% Serbian [6].
[/expand]
The territory of Bosnia is predominately mountainous [6].
Its southern region is mostly arid with deep grey canyons [6].
Its central region has 30 peaks between 1700m and 2386m [6].
Its north region is forested, with canyons and alpine valleys [6].
[expand title=””]
However, you will need to be cautious when trekking as there are over 220,000 land mines that are still buried due to the civil war [6].
The country has 2 impressive waterfalls ‘Strbacki buk’ and ‘Kravica’ [6].
Strbacki buk is located northerly on the cusp of the Croatian border [6].
The waterfall is 40 metres wide, and descends 23 metres along 3 travertine sections [6].
Kravica is located southerly on the cusp of the Croatian border [6].
This waterfall is one of the most popular attractions of Bosnia, in which it stretches 25 metres wide [6].
[/expand]
Bosnia has its own traditional music called Sevdah [6].
The music comprise of heart-wrenching vocals, which conveys stories of unhappy love [6].
In traditional times, it was used as a courting technique [6].
Bosnia consist of 3 main ethnic groups which tend to be defined by their religion [6].
50% of the population comprise of Bosniaks (Muslim), in which they dominate the central and Northwest corner of Bosnia [6].
31% of the population comprise of Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox), in which they dominate the North and East part of Bosnia [6].
15% of the population comprise of Bosnian Croats (Catholic), in which they dominate the western and central part of Hercegovina (south part) [6].
[expand title=””]
Prior to the Civil war, the ethnic groups lived amongst each other, and intermarriage was common [6].
After the war, there were massive ethnic shifts in various cities [6].
For example Banja Luka had an even balance of Serbs and Bosniaks before the war [6].
However now, it’s a predominant Serbian city [6].
In today’s times, the social contact between the groups still remain somewhat limited [6].
[/expand]
The town of Visoko, was once the capital of medieval Bosnia, and is home to the world’s largest pyramid? [6].
The pyramid isn’t a conventional feature that you will imagine in Egypt, rather it’s a ‘triangular lush hill’ that looms above the town, 220 metres to be in fact [6].
[expand title=””]
On top of the hill, which is called Visocica hill, had a medieval settlement, as you can see fragments of a fortress wall [6].
[/expand]
On the 3rd of March 1992, Bosnia declared its independence from Yugoslavia [6].
However its independence triggered the Bosnian Serbs to declare war on its fellow Bosniaks [6].
The capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, was under siege by Serbian paramilitaries and the Yugoslav army (JNA) [6].
It was the longest siege in modern European history (1,425 days), with more than 10,500 killed, and 50,000 wounded [6].
(Siege of Sarajevo) [10]
[expand title=””]
The only thing that kept the city from completely surrendering was an underground tunnel that ran under the airport strip to the Peacekeeper Troops outside the city [6].
The Dayton Agreement brought an end to the siege and the Yugoslav war [6].
[/expand]
The town of Srebrenica was a Muslim based town in Bosnia [6].
In the beginning of the Civil War, it was constantly attacked for a year by Bosnian Serbs [6].
In April 1993, the UN declared the town as a ‘Safe Area’, for fleeing Bosniaks who were escaping the assaults from Bosnian Serbs in nearby villages [6].
[expand title=””]
Around 45,000 people crammed into the town of Srebrenica [6].
On the 11th of July 1995, Bosnian Serbs entered the town, in despite of 400 Dutch peacekeepers who were protecting the area [6].
General Ratko Mladic and his men, infiltrated the ‘Potocari Battery Factory’, which at the time was used as a UN Base for Refugees [6].
5000 Bosniaks had taken refuge in the factory, with thousands more gathered outside the base [6].
Ratko and his troops, separated the women from the men, in which the women were bussed out in vehicles and were raped [6].
For the men, 8000 of them were executed in various sites and were buried in mass graves [6].
At the time, this event was the worst massacre in Europe since World War 2 [6].
In Today’s time, the base is now a memorial centre (Srebrenica potocari memorial centre) [6].
The centre includes a 30 minute film, photographs, displays, Graffiti left by the Dutch peacekeepers, and video testimonies of the survivors [6].
The main sight of the complex is the extensive cemetery [6].
[/expand]
The Former president of Yugoslavia, Tito, established a Bunker (D-0 ARK) for himself and his command 4km southeast of Konjic [6].
The bunker was built in secret between 1953 and 1979 during the cold war, to protect them from a 25 megaton bomb [6].
The extensive underground command centre, is believed to have cost the equivalent of 4 billion US dollars [6].
(Josip Broz Tito) [11]
History
Read
AD – 1154
In BC times, Bosnia was part of the Illyrian Kingdom [6].
In 9AD, the kingdom was conquered by the Romans [6].
From the late 6th century, the Slavs arrived in the region [6].
By 1154, Bosnia emerged as an independent entity from the Byzantine Empire under the former Byzantine governor Ban Kulina [6].
1154-1463
Bosnia had a relatively golden age between 1154 and 1463 [6].
From 1154 to 1377, it was a de facto independent state to the kingdom of Hungary [6].
In 1377, It was elevated to an Autonomous Kingdom [6].
During this time, Bosnia was at its peak when Bosnia’s first king Stephen Tvrtko conquered the region of ‘Hum’ (future Hercegovina) and most of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia [6].
(Stephen Tvrtko) [12]
1463 – 1908
In the 15th century, The Ottoman Empire began to invade parts of Bosnia [6].
By 1440, Eastern Bosnia was annexed [6].
By 1450, Hercegovina was annexed [6].
And finally in 1463, the capital of the Bosnian Kingdom, Jajce, and the king of Bosnia, Stjepan Tomašević, was captured, and he was eventually executed by the Ottomans [6].
(Stjepan Tomašević) [13]
[expand title=””]
Islam became the religion of the nation, and after a few generations became dominant among the townspeople [6].
Many Bosnians began to convert to gain civic privileges, however large numbers remained Christian [6].
In the beginning of the Ottoman Era, huge advances of infrastructure was created, this included mosques and bridges [6].
However overtime, the Ottomans failed to advance as a nation, during the time where the West was going through an Industrial revolution [6].
By the 19th century, the empire’s economy was old-fashioned [6].
Several attempts were made to modernize the feudal system, however it was viciously resisted by the Bosnian Muslim Elite [6].
In 1873, the banking system in Istanbul collapsed, due to the Sultan’s debts of high living luxuries [6].
To pay the debts, the Sultan ordered for added taxes [6].
In 1874, the harvest in Bosnia greatly failed, thus to pay for the taxes, the people had to starve [6].
With nothing to lose, the Christian Bosnian peasants revolted, which eventually led to the ‘The Great Eastern Crisis’ (1875-1878) [6].
The crises culminated between Russia and the Ottoman Empire (Russo-Turkish War, 1887-88) [6].
On the 3rd of July 1878, the treaty of Berlin was signed which changed the Balkan territories [6].
Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro became independent territories from the Ottoman Empire [6].
While Austria-Hungary was ‘invited’ to occupy the territory of Bosnia [6].
[/expand]
1878 – 1918
After the Treaty of Berlin (1878), Bosnia was treated like a colony for the Austria-Hungary Empire, although it remained under ‘Ottoman ‘control’ [6].
During its ‘occupation’ from Austria-Hungary, the territory of Bosnia went through a development boom [6].
Roads, railways, and bridges were constructed [6].
[expand title=””]
Coal mining and forestry became prosperous industries [6].
And education was modelled to encourage the new generation to look up to Vienna [6].
However, the people of Bosnia had their own national consciousness [6].
The Bosnian Catholics identified with their neighboring republic Croatia, which was also part of Austria-Hungary [6].
The Bosnian Orthodox identified with the newly formed independent nation of Serbia [6].
While the Bosnian Muslims began to established their own national consciousness [6].
In 1908, Austria-Hungary finally annexed Bosnia, during the time when Turkey was distracted with the Young Turk Revolution aftermath [6].
This annexation demoralized the aspiration for independence of the three ethnic groups in Bosnia (Croats, Serbs, & Bosniaks) [6].
The Ottoman empire eventually loss all its territory in the Balkans during the Balkan Wars of 1912/1913 [6].
Albania became independent, while Montenegro, Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria, extended its territory to fill out the Balkans [6].
With Austro-Hungary still occupying the territory of Bosnia, civil arrest began to transpire [6].
On the 28th of June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (future heir to Austria-Hungary) was assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, while visiting Sarajevo [6].
(Francis Ferdinand) [14]
(Gavrilo Princip) [15]
One month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which began the event of WW1 [6].
The War was disastrous for the people of Bosnia, 15% of the population died [6].
[/expand]
1918 – 1941
With the collapsed of the Austro-Hungary Empire, The Kingdom of Serbia, which had the territory of modern day Serbia, Kosovo, and Macedonia, involved into the ‘Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes’ [6].
The new Kingdom had the new modern day territory of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro [6].
In 1929, the Kingdom’s name, changed to the ‘Kingdom of Yugoslavia’ [6].
(Flag of Yugoslavia) [16]
1941-1945
During WWII, Yugoslavia fell into Nazi Germany [6].
Within Yugoslavia, a fascist state formed, which was called the ‘Croatian Ustase’, they were in alliance with Germany [6].
The state occupied Croatia, Bosnia, and parts of Serbia/ Montenegro [6].
The Croats massacred the Bosnia’s Jewish Population (85%) and killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs [6].
[expand title=””]
Meanwhile, another fascist group, this time Bosniaks, began to massacre Bosnian Serbs [6].
The Serbians established two groups; the Serbian Chetniks and the Yugoslav Partisans [6].
The Chetniks retaliated to the Bosniaks by killing them [6].
While the Yugoslav Partisans, who was led by the future president of Yugoslavia Josip broz Tito, established resistance to the Germans, and the other fascist groups [6].
In 1943, Tito’s anti-fascist council met in Jajce, to formulate a constitution for an inclusive socialist Yugoslavia [6].
(Josip Broz Tito) [11]
[/expand]
1945 – 1992
After World War II in 1945, the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia [6].
Bosnia was granted a republic status within the federation, yet it wasn’t until 1971, that Muslim became defined as a Yugoslav ethnic group [6].
Bosniaks were quite suppressed in the federation, as they were not considered a distinct community [6].
[expand title=””]
For example in surveys and polls, the only ethnic options were Croat, Serb, or Other/Yugoslav [6].
Although the republic had considerable mining in its north east, and it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, its economy remained undeveloped [6].
[/expand]
1992-1995
Tensions between the ethnic groups began to transpire again after Tito’s death in 1980 [6].
The tension became at its peak when Serbia’s president Slobodan Milosevic asserted his national views on the Yugoslav federation [6].
In June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from the federation, which sparked War against Croatia [6].
In the beginning of 1992, Bosnia established its own independent ballot, which was largely boycotted by the Bosnian Serbs [6].
(Slobodan Milosevic) [17]
[expand title=””]
63.4% of the population participated in the referendum, with 99.7% of those votes favoring independence [6].
On the 3rd of March 1992, Bosnia declared its independence from Yugoslavia, in which it became internationally recognized on the 6th of April 1992 [6].
However, it was far from a free state, the independence triggered a Yugoslav war for 3 years [6].
The capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, was under siege by Serbian paramilitaries and the Yugoslav army (JNA) [6].
It was the longest siege in modern European history (1,425 days), with more than 10,500 killed, and 50,000 wounded [6].
Bosniaks in Northern and Eastern Bosnia, were being massacred and deported by Bosnian Serbs, especially in Foca and Visegrad, to create a Serbian Republic (Ethnic Cleansing campaign) [6].
In August 1992, pictures of concentration and rape camps in Northern Bosnia sparked the UN to form [6].
‘UNPROFOR’, the United Nations Protection Forces, which comprised of 7500 peacekeeper troops [6].
UNPROFOR secured Sarajevo airport to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, and established safe zones within Bosnia [6].
The airport area was the only access to the outside world, as a secret tunnel was created under the airport runway to provide aid [6].
The safe zones for Bosniaks included the towns of Srebrenica, Zupa, and Gorazade [6].
NATO (North Atlantic treaty organization) authorized air strikes to protect the safe zones, however the Bosnian Serbs captured 300 peacekeeper troops and chained them from potential targets [6].
In the beginning of 1993, another war was taking place, this time in Hercegovina between the Bosniaks and Croats [6].
The Croats attacked the towns of Stolac and Mostar, destroying their historical monuments, which included the most famous bridge Stari Most [6].
Bosniak troops retaliated by attacking the Croat villages around the town of Travnik [6].
With all 3 ethnic groups involved in the war, the ‘West’ was confused [6].
In July 1995, the peacekeeper troops who monitored the safe area of Srebrenica proved to be no match for Ratko Mladic’s army, in which his troops massacred 8000 Bosniak men [6].
This was Europe’s worst mass killing since WWII [6].
In August 1995, Croatia began its own ‘ethnic cleansing’ in the majority Serb Krajina region of Croatia [6].
150,000 Croatia Serbs fled to the Serbian held areas of Northern Bosnia [6].
Another deadly attack in Sarajevo, this time in its main market (Markale), triggered a resolution from the UN and NATO [6].
To end the siege, NATO authorized 2 weeks of airstrikes in September 1995, which eventually led to the Dayton Agreement [6].
[/expand]
14 December 1995
Bill Clinton, the US President, proposed a Peace conference in Dayton, Ohio, which was accepted by the involved nations [6].
The Dayton agreement involved Bosnia to keep its prewar external boundaries, yet it will be divided into two equal sized entities with limited autonomy [6].
The boundary was formally completed in 1999, in which Brcko was given a separate status [6].
(Dayton Agreement) [18]
[expand title=””]
For the 2.2 million refugees (1.1m abroad & 1m displaced within Bosnia), they had the right to return to their prewar home or sell it [6].
[/expand]
1992 –
After the Yugoslav war (1992-1995), Bosnia began to rebuild to its prewar infrastructure [6].
International agencies donated to rebuild infrastructure and historical monuments [6].
The ancient cities of Mostar and Sarajevo was restored through traditional building methods [6].
The country has two semi-autonomous entities: The federation of Bosnia & Hercegovina (mainly Bosniak, and Croat, and the Republika Srpska (mainly Serb) [6].
The country also has a tripartite presidency, comprising of a Bosniak, a Serb, and a Croat [6].
GUIDE
INFORMATION
Sarajevo [1]
Bosnian| Serbian| Croatian [1]
51, 197km2 [1]
3,276,065 (2020) [2]
Bosnian Mark (BAM) [3]
10,661 US [3]
Annual Average Income
0.769 (#75 world) [4]
Based on ‘The Human Development Index’, which analyses the country’s life expectancy, education, and per capita income
1, 053, 000 (#119 world) [5]
Annual Average Tourism
31/50
Based on my opinion of the 50 European Countries
FACTS
The Popular foods of Bosnia comprise of Cevapi, Burek, and Tufahije [6].
Cevapi is the most common ‘fast food’ in the country, it comprises of either spicy beef or pork meatball in bread [6].
(Cevapi) [7]
[expand title=””]
Burek is another popular choice, it comprises of either meat or cheese stuffed in a pastry [6].
Tufahije is a sweet dish, it comprises of baked apples, walnut paste, and whipped cream [6].
(Tufahije) [8]
[/expand]
Hercegovina is a region in Bosnia which lies on the Southern Part of the country that borders the Dalmatian coast of Croatia [6].
In the 15th century, the territory became a semi-independent duchy of the kingdom of Bosnia, through the rule of Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca [6].
His successor Vlatko Hercegovic, gave Hercegovina its name [6].
[expand title=””]
The landscape of the region comprise of Arid lands, barren mountains, attractive river valleys, intriguing historical towns, and a little toehold on the Adriatic coast (Neum) [6].
The Western Part of Hercegovina, is dominated by Bosnian Croats, whereas the Eastern Part is part of the Republika Srpska, thus dominated by Bosnian Serbs [6].
The town of Mostar is the Region’s biggest tourist attraction [6].
[/expand]
Ivo Andric, Bosnia’s best known writer, was born in 1892 and died in 1975 [6].
In 1961, he was awarded the Nobel prize for literature [6].
In 1945, he published the ‘Bridge on the Drina’, which narrates 350 years of Bosnian history through the eyes of unsophisticated townsfolk of Visegrad [6].
(Ivo Andric) [9]
[expand title=””]
Since then, the UNESCO 16th century 11 arch bridge has been a tourist attraction of the town [6].
The town of Visegrad was a Muslim town prior to the 1990s civil war [6].
However during the war, a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing took place, in which at least a thousand Bosniaks died, and many thousands fled [6].
The population now is 88% Serbian [6].
[/expand]
The territory of Bosnia is predominately mountainous [6].
Its southern region is mostly arid with deep grey canyons [6].
Its central region has 30 peaks between 1700m and 2386m [6].
Its north region is forested, with canyons and alpine valleys [6].
[expand title=””]
However, you will need to be cautious when trekking as there are over 220,000 land mines that are still buried due to the civil war [6].
The country has 2 impressive waterfalls ‘Strbacki buk’ and ‘Kravica’ [6].
Strbacki buk is located northerly on the cusp of the Croatian border [6].
The waterfall is 40 metres wide, and descends 23 metres along 3 travertine sections [6].
Kravica is located southerly on the cusp of the Croatian border [6].
This waterfall is one of the most popular attractions of Bosnia, in which it stretches 25 metres wide [6].
[/expand]
Bosnia has its own traditional music called Sevdah [6].
The music comprise of heart-wrenching vocals, which conveys stories of unhappy love [6].
In traditional times, it was used as a courting technique [6].
Bosnia consist of 3 main ethnic groups which tend to be defined by their religion [6].
50% of the population comprise of Bosniaks (Muslim), in which they dominate the central and Northwest corner of Bosnia [6].
31% of the population comprise of Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox), in which they dominate the North and East part of Bosnia [6].
15% of the population comprise of Bosnian Croats (Catholic), in which they dominate the western and central part of Hercegovina (south part) [6].
[expand title=””]
Prior to the Civil war, the ethnic groups lived amongst each other, and intermarriage was common [6].
After the war, there were massive ethnic shifts in various cities [6].
For example Banja Luka had an even balance of Serbs and Bosniaks before the war [6].
However now, it’s a predominant Serbian city [6].
In today’s times, the social contact between the groups still remain somewhat limited [6].
[/expand]
The town of Visoko, was once the capital of medieval Bosnia, and is home to the world’s largest pyramid? [6].
The pyramid isn’t a conventional feature that you will imagine in Egypt, rather it’s a ‘triangular lush hill’ that looms above the town, 220 metres to be in fact [6].
[expand title=””]
On top of the hill, which is called Visocica hill, had a medieval settlement, as you can see fragments of a fortress wall [6].
[/expand]
On the 3rd of March 1992, Bosnia declared its independence from Yugoslavia [6].
However its independence triggered the Bosnian Serbs to declare war on its fellow Bosniaks [6].
The capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, was under siege by Serbian paramilitaries and the Yugoslav army (JNA) [6].
It was the longest siege in modern European history (1,425 days), with more than 10,500 killed, and 50,000 wounded [6].
(Siege of Sarajevo) [10]
[expand title=””]
The only thing that kept the city from completely surrendering was an underground tunnel that ran under the airport strip to the Peacekeeper Troops outside the city [6].
The Dayton Agreement brought an end to the siege and the Yugoslav war [6].
[/expand]
The town of Srebrenica was a Muslim based town in Bosnia [6].
In the beginning of the Civil War, it was constantly attacked for a year by Bosnian Serbs [6].
In April 1993, the UN declared the town as a ‘Safe Area’, for fleeing Bosniaks who were escaping the assaults from Bosnian Serbs in nearby villages [6].
[expand title=””]
Around 45,000 people crammed into the town of Srebrenica [6].
On the 11th of July 1995, Bosnian Serbs entered the town, in despite of 400 Dutch peacekeepers who were protecting the area [6].
General Ratko Mladic and his men, infiltrated the ‘Potocari Battery Factory’, which at the time was used as a UN Base for Refugees [6].
5000 Bosniaks had taken refuge in the factory, with thousands more gathered outside the base [6].
Ratko and his troops, separated the women from the men, in which the women were bussed out in vehicles and were raped [6].
For the men, 8000 of them were executed in various sites and were buried in mass graves [6].
At the time, this event was the worst massacre in Europe since World War 2 [6].
In Today’s time, the base is now a memorial centre (Srebrenica potocari memorial centre) [6].
The centre includes a 30 minute film, photographs, displays, Graffiti left by the Dutch peacekeepers, and video testimonies of the survivors [6].
The main sight of the complex is the extensive cemetery [6].
[/expand]
The Former president of Yugoslavia, Tito, established a Bunker (D-0 ARK) for himself and his command 4km southeast of Konjic [6].
The bunker was built in secret between 1953 and 1979 during the cold war, to protect them from a 25 megaton bomb [6].
The extensive underground command centre, is believed to have cost the equivalent of 4 billion US dollars [6].
(Josip Broz Tito) [11]
HISTORY
AD – 1154
In BC times, Bosnia was part of the Illyrian Kingdom [6].
In 9AD, the kingdom was conquered by the Romans [6].
From the late 6th century, the Slavs arrived in the region [6].
By 1154, Bosnia emerged as an independent entity from the Byzantine Empire under the former Byzantine governor Ban Kulina [6].
1154-1463
Bosnia had a relatively golden age between 1154 and 1463 [6].
From 1154 to 1377, it was a de facto independent state to the kingdom of Hungary [6].
In 1377, It was elevated to an Autonomous Kingdom [6].
During this time, Bosnia was at its peak when Bosnia’s first king Stephen Tvrtko conquered the region of ‘Hum’ (future Hercegovina) and most of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia [6].
(Stephen Tvrtko) [12]
1463 – 1908
In the 15th century, The Ottoman Empire began to invade parts of Bosnia [6].
By 1440, Eastern Bosnia was annexed [6].
By 1450, Hercegovina was annexed [6].
And finally in 1463, the capital of the Bosnian Kingdom, Jajce, and the king of Bosnia, Stjepan Tomašević, was captured, and he was eventually executed by the Ottomans [6].
(Stjepan Tomašević) [13]
[expand title=””]
Islam became the religion of the nation, and after a few generations became dominant among the townspeople [6].
Many Bosnians began to convert to gain civic privileges, however large numbers remained Christian [6].
In the beginning of the Ottoman Era, huge advances of infrastructure was created, this included mosques and bridges [6].
However overtime, the Ottomans failed to advance as a nation, during the time where the West was going through an Industrial revolution [6].
By the 19th century, the empire’s economy was old-fashioned [6].
Several attempts were made to modernize the feudal system, however it was viciously resisted by the Bosnian Muslim Elite [6].
In 1873, the banking system in Istanbul collapsed, due to the Sultan’s debts of high living luxuries [6].
To pay the debts, the Sultan ordered for added taxes [6].
In 1874, the harvest in Bosnia greatly failed, thus to pay for the taxes, the people had to starve [6].
With nothing to lose, the Christian Bosnian peasants revolted, which eventually led to the ‘The Great Eastern Crisis’ (1875-1878) [6].
The crises culminated between Russia and the Ottoman Empire (Russo-Turkish War, 1887-88) [6].
On the 3rd of July 1878, the treaty of Berlin was signed which changed the Balkan territories [6].
Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro became independent territories from the Ottoman Empire [6].
While Austria-Hungary was ‘invited’ to occupy the territory of Bosnia [6].
[/expand]
1878 – 1918
After the Treaty of Berlin (1878), Bosnia was treated like a colony for the Austria-Hungary Empire, although it remained under ‘Ottoman ‘control’ [6].
During its ‘occupation’ from Austria-Hungary, the territory of Bosnia went through a development boom [6].
Roads, railways, and bridges were constructed [6].
[expand title=””]
Coal mining and forestry became prosperous industries [6].
And education was modelled to encourage the new generation to look up to Vienna [6].
However, the people of Bosnia had their own national consciousness [6].
The Bosnian Catholics identified with their neighboring republic Croatia, which was also part of Austria-Hungary [6].
The Bosnian Orthodox identified with the newly formed independent nation of Serbia [6].
While the Bosnian Muslims began to established their own national consciousness [6].
In 1908, Austria-Hungary finally annexed Bosnia, during the time when Turkey was distracted with the Young Turk Revolution aftermath [6].
This annexation demoralized the aspiration for independence of the three ethnic groups in Bosnia (Croats, Serbs, & Bosniaks) [6].
The Ottoman empire eventually loss all its territory in the Balkans during the Balkan Wars of 1912/1913 [6].
Albania became independent, while Montenegro, Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria, extended its territory to fill out the Balkans [6].
With Austro-Hungary still occupying the territory of Bosnia, civil arrest began to transpire [6].
On the 28th of June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (future heir to Austria-Hungary) was assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, while visiting Sarajevo [6].
(Francis Ferdinand) [14]
(Gavrilo Princip) [15]
One month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which began the event of WW1 [6].
The War was disastrous for the people of Bosnia, 15% of the population died [6].
[/expand]
1918 – 1941
With the collapsed of the Austro-Hungary Empire, The Kingdom of Serbia, which had the territory of modern day Serbia, Kosovo, and Macedonia, involved into the ‘Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes’ [6].
The new Kingdom had the new modern day territory of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro [6].
In 1929, the Kingdom’s name, changed to the ‘Kingdom of Yugoslavia’ [6].
(Flag of Yugoslavia) [16]
1941-1945
During WWII, Yugoslavia fell into Nazi Germany [6].
Within Yugoslavia, a fascist state formed, which was called the ‘Croatian Ustase’, they were in alliance with Germany [6].
The state occupied Croatia, Bosnia, and parts of Serbia/ Montenegro [6].
The Croats massacred the Bosnia’s Jewish Population (85%) and killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs [6].
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Meanwhile, another fascist group, this time Bosniaks, began to massacre Bosnian Serbs [6].
The Serbians established two groups; the Serbian Chetniks and the Yugoslav Partisans [6].
The Chetniks retaliated to the Bosniaks by killing them [6].
While the Yugoslav Partisans, who was led by the future president of Yugoslavia Josip broz Tito, established resistance to the Germans, and the other fascist groups [6].
In 1943, Tito’s anti-fascist council met in Jajce, to formulate a constitution for an inclusive socialist Yugoslavia [6].
(Josip Broz Tito) [11]
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1945 – 1992
After World War II in 1945, the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia became the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia [6].
Bosnia was granted a republic status within the federation, yet it wasn’t until 1971, that Muslim became defined as a Yugoslav ethnic group [6].
Bosniaks were quite suppressed in the federation, as they were not considered a distinct community [6].
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For example in surveys and polls, the only ethnic options were Croat, Serb, or Other/Yugoslav [6].
Although the republic had considerable mining in its north east, and it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, its economy remained undeveloped [6].
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1992-1995
Tensions between the ethnic groups began to transpire again after Tito’s death in 1980 [6].
The tension became at its peak when Serbia’s president Slobodan Milosevic asserted his national views on the Yugoslav federation [6].
In June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from the federation, which sparked War against Croatia [6].
In the beginning of 1992, Bosnia established its own independent ballot, which was largely boycotted by the Bosnian Serbs [6].
(Slobodan Milosevic) [17]
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63.4% of the population participated in the referendum, with 99.7% of those votes favoring independence [6].
On the 3rd of March 1992, Bosnia declared its independence from Yugoslavia, in which it became internationally recognized on the 6th of April 1992 [6].
However, it was far from a free state, the independence triggered a Yugoslav war for 3 years [6].
The capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, was under siege by Serbian paramilitaries and the Yugoslav army (JNA) [6].
It was the longest siege in modern European history (1,425 days), with more than 10,500 killed, and 50,000 wounded [6].
Bosniaks in Northern and Eastern Bosnia, were being massacred and deported by Bosnian Serbs, especially in Foca and Visegrad, to create a Serbian Republic (Ethnic Cleansing campaign) [6].
In August 1992, pictures of concentration and rape camps in Northern Bosnia sparked the UN to form [6].
‘UNPROFOR’, the United Nations Protection Forces, which comprised of 7500 peacekeeper troops [6].
UNPROFOR secured Sarajevo airport to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, and established safe zones within Bosnia [6].
The airport area was the only access to the outside world, as a secret tunnel was created under the airport runway to provide aid [6].
The safe zones for Bosniaks included the towns of Srebrenica, Zupa, and Gorazade [6].
NATO (North Atlantic treaty organization) authorized air strikes to protect the safe zones, however the Bosnian Serbs captured 300 peacekeeper troops and chained them from potential targets [6].
In the beginning of 1993, another war was taking place, this time in Hercegovina between the Bosniaks and Croats [6].
The Croats attacked the towns of Stolac and Mostar, destroying their historical monuments, which included the most famous bridge Stari Most [6].
Bosniak troops retaliated by attacking the Croat villages around the town of Travnik [6].
With all 3 ethnic groups involved in the war, the ‘West’ was confused [6].
In July 1995, the peacekeeper troops who monitored the safe area of Srebrenica proved to be no match for Ratko Mladic’s army, in which his troops massacred 8000 Bosniak men [6].
This was Europe’s worst mass killing since WWII [6].
In August 1995, Croatia began its own ‘ethnic cleansing’ in the majority Serb Krajina region of Croatia [6].
150,000 Croatia Serbs fled to the Serbian held areas of Northern Bosnia [6].
Another deadly attack in Sarajevo, this time in its main market (Markale), triggered a resolution from the UN and NATO [6].
To end the siege, NATO authorized 2 weeks of airstrikes in September 1995, which eventually led to the Dayton Agreement [6].
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14 December 1995
Bill Clinton, the US President, proposed a Peace conference in Dayton, Ohio, which was accepted by the involved nations [6].
The Dayton agreement involved Bosnia to keep its prewar external boundaries, yet it will be divided into two equal sized entities with limited autonomy [6].
The boundary was formally completed in 1999, in which Brcko was given a separate status [6].
(Dayton Agreement) [18]
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For the 2.2 million refugees (1.1m abroad & 1m displaced within Bosnia), they had the right to return to their prewar home or sell it [6].
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1992 –
After the Yugoslav war (1992-1995), Bosnia began to rebuild to its prewar infrastructure [6].
International agencies donated to rebuild infrastructure and historical monuments [6].
The ancient cities of Mostar and Sarajevo was restored through traditional building methods [6].
The country has two semi-autonomous entities: The federation of Bosnia & Hercegovina (mainly Bosniak, and Croat, and the Republika Srpska (mainly Serb) [6].
The country also has a tripartite presidency, comprising of a Bosniak, a Serb, and a Croat [6].
Travel to Bosnia
When you think of Bosnia, two events may come to your mind: the assassination of Franz Ferdinand which sparked WWI, & the Siege of Sarajevo which was the longest siege in Modern Warfare. Today, Bosnia has begun to emerge from the horrors that stifled the nation for many years during the Yugoslav Wars. It is now looking towards the future, and the future looks bright for the heart shaped nation. The best feature of Bosnia is its nature, it’s a trekker’s paradise with beautiful valleys, mountains, and rivers. Furthermore, its picturesque towns like Mostar and Jajce, compliments the landscape very well. While the capital provides travelers a perfect perception of Ottoman Architecture, a rare treasure in Balkan Europe. If you have the intensions of travelling to Bosnia, then the airport of Dubrovnik in Croatia is your best choice, as cheap flights come from that destination. You can then catch a bus to Mostar to begin your journey of Bosnia. Overall, Bosnia is a beautiful country that has a lot to offer for the traveler, and for that, it’s a recommended piece in your Balkan jigsaw.