Sarajevo travel guide

Europe's Jerusalem

The capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina is one of the most important cultural and economic centers of the Balkans. This city, often called "Europe's Jerusalem" due to its cultural diversity, has had a very eventful history: The cultural inheritance of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires lives in this "melting pot" of the Balkans. Even though the city's ethnic makeup has significantly changed due to the ghastly civil war and the siege of the city in the early to mid-1990s, one can still sense the lingering diversity in the streets of Sarajevo. The misery of the war is palpable, even though one can easily forget the city's bloody history when strolling though one of its beautiful alleyways. Especially worth seeing is Ferhadija, the former Austrian quarter, and Bascarsija, the former Ottoman quarter surrounding Sarajevo's main street. Beyond its famous bazaar, Bascarsija has become famous for Sarajevo's biggest festival, "Bascarsija Nights": In July visitors flock to the city from around the world to encounter whatever the cultural heart desires: classical music, rock, folk, theater, films, and exhibits.