Sarajevo: Capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina

History

June 28, 1914: The Shot That Started a World War

On a sunny Sunday morning in June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand — heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne — was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist with ties to the Black Hand secret society. The assassination on Latin Bridge set off the chain of ultimatums, mobilisations, and declarations of war that became the First World War. The Latin Bridge still stands; the corner where Princip fired the shots is marked, and the Museum of Sarajevo houses the Archduke's blood-stained uniform. Historians still debate whether the assassination was inevitable catalyst or crucial trigger for a war waiting to happen.

Ottoman Foundation and Religious Pluralism

Sarajevo was founded as an Ottoman city in the mid-15th century by the Ottoman governor Gazi Husrev-beg, who built the Baščaršija — a large covered bazaar that remains the city's historical heart. Unusually for any city, Sarajevo became a place where Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities lived within a few streets of each other for centuries. You can still stand at a corner in the old town and see a mosque, a Catholic cathedral, an Orthodox church, and a synagogue all within sight. This earned it the nickname "Jerusalem of Europe."

The Siege of Sarajevo: 1,425 Days

From April 5, 1992 to February 29, 1996, Sarajevo endured the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Bosnian Serb Army forces surrounded the city and subjected it to relentless sniper fire and artillery bombardment from the surrounding hills. Over 13,952 people were killed, including nearly 5,500 civilians. The city survived partly through a remarkable tunnel dug beneath the airport — the "Tunnel of Hope" — which brought in food, weapons, and medical supplies. The Tunnel Museum preserves part of this lifeline. The Dayton Agreement of 1995 ended the war; Sarajevo became capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Landmarks & Culture

Baščaršija and the 1984 Winter Olympics

The Baščaršija quarter retains its Ottoman bazaar layout — narrow lanes of craft workshops selling copper goods, leather, and coffee — centred on the Sebilj, a wooden fountain that is Sarajevo's most photographed landmark. In 1984, Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympic Games, projecting a modern, multicultural image of Yugoslavia to the world. The Olympic bobsled track on Mount Trebević is now a graffiti-covered ruin; the Olympic stadium hosted wartime burials during the siege.

Fast Facts

• Sarajevo had Europe's first tram service in 1885 — preceding Vienna (1897) and Budapest (1887) on some routes
• The Tunnel of Hope — dug 800 metres under the UN-controlled airport — was the city's only supply route during the siege
• Sarajevo's rose — red resin poured into shell craters on the streets — marks where mortar shells killed three or more people; they are preserved as war memorials
• The city has a cable car to Mount Trebević, reopened in 2018 after being destroyed in the war
• Bosnian coffee (bosanska kafa) is served in a džezva (long-handled pot) with a sugar cube and is considered a cultural ritual, not just a beverage