Sarajevo

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I knew of Sarajevo as the place where World War I was touched off by Gavrilo's Princip's assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Princip was a Serb desiring the unification of the Balkan states. (Bosnia and Herzegovinga, where Sarajevo is located, wanted independence from Austria-Hungary, but not union with Serbia and the other Balkan states.)

The assassination was considered by Yugoslavia in the Communist era to have been a protest against the occupation of Bosnia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A commemorative plaque was installed in 1953 by Communist Yugoslavia (pictured). The plaque stood at the street corner where Princip took his shot. Previous Austrian commemorative plaques had existed since 1914. Also on the corner were bronze shoeprints to show where Princip stood. It amazed me how narrow the street was. He must have shot Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at point-blank range. The 1953 plaque was was replaced in 1987 by another plaque, subsequently destroyed in 1992 as Bosnia fought for independence after the collapse of Yugoslavia. Each of the plaques attempted to put a different spin on the assassination, characterizing Princip as a terrorist or as a hero, depending on the political view of the time.

The current historical marker, placed by Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2004, is less politically charged. The 1953 plaque read: “From this place on 28 June 1914 Gavrilo Princip with his shooting expressed the protest of the people against tyranny and the centuries-long aspirations of our people for freedom.” The latest one, I read, simply states teh fact that this is the location of the assassination.

Old town Sarajevo centered on Bascarsija Square, with the Sebilj fountain, and Baščaršija Mosque. An Ottoman atmosphere remained in the traditional market area of the city. Notable are the kiosk-like Sebilj public fountain and Bascarsija Dzamija (or Havadza Durak Mosque). Built ca. 1528, the mosque was founded by mullah Durak. The Sebilj is described as "a pseudo-Ottoman-style wooden fountain (sebil) in the centre of Bascarsija Square in Sarajevo." It is relatively recent for Sarajevo, constructed in 1913. It was modeled on a nearby fountain built by Mehmed Pasha Kukavica in 1753, now lost.

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Photos

Church of Our Lady of Olovo
Crkva Uznesenja Marijina = Church of Our Lady of Olovo. Built in 1930-1938 on the site of a 14th Century monastery. The church is a Marian pilgrimage site.
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Baščaršija Square
Baščaršija square and Baščaršija Džamija (Havadža Durak Mosque). Built ca. 1528, the mosque was founded by mullah Durak.
In the center of the square is a fountain. "The Sebilj is a pseudo-Ottoman-style wooden fountain (sebil) in the centre of Baščaršija square in Sarajevo built by Mehmed Pasha Kukavica in 1753"—Baedeker 1911.
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Latin Bridge
Latinska ćuprija - Latin Bridge. Ottoman era bridge over the river Miljacka in Sarajevo. Reconstructed in stone in 1798-1799. Named the Princip Bridge during the Yugoslavian period, 1918-1993.
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Assassination Plaque
Plaque in Sarajevo noting the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie by Gavrilo Princip. The plaque stood at the street corner where Princip took his shot.
The assassination was considered by Yugoslavia in the Communist era to have been a protest against the occupation of Bosnia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This version of the plaque was installed in 1953. Previous commemorative plaques had existed since 1914. This one was was replaced in 1987 by another plaque, subsequently destroyed in 1992. The current historical marker is less politically charged.
The plaque reads: “From this place on 28 June 1914 Gavrilo Princip with his shooting expressed the protest of the people against tyranny and the centuries-long aspirations of our people for freedom.”
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Baščaršija Square
Sebil fountain in Baščaršija square and Baščaršija Džamija (Havadža Durak Mosque). Built ca. 1528, the mosque was founded by mullah Durak.
The Sebilj is described as "a pseudo-Ottoman-style wooden fountain (sebil) in the centre of Baščaršija Square in Sarajevo." It is realatively recent for Sarajevo, constructed in 1913. It was modeled on a nearby fountain built by Mehmed Pasha Kukavica in 1753, now lost.
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Sarajevo Bazaar
Street market in Baščaršija square, Sarajevo.
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Sarajevo Bazaar
Market street in Baščaršija.
"... the Bazaar ( Čarsija), the focus of business, most lively on Wed., when the natives come from long distances to attend the market. The bazaar consists of a labyrinth of more than 50 lanes, flanked with wooden booths, behind which are warehouses of solid stone. Shoemakers, tailors, greengrocers, saddlers, coppersmiths, second-hand dealers, and in fact every trade and handicraft, have their own allotted part of the bazaar. The copper wares, the silver filigree-work, the linen interwoven with threads of gold and silver, and the carpets are particularly attractive ..."--Baedeker 1911.
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Vogošća
Vogošća, in the suburbs of Sarajevo.
"Vogošća (1540 ft.), where the Sarajevsko Polje, more than 2 M. broad, begins. A mining railway runs hence to the N.E. to ( 3 1/2 M.) Cevljanović, with important manganese deposits".--Baedeker 1911.
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Rotisserie
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