CITY IN BRIEF

Sarajevo is a capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its cultural, educational and a business center.

Sarajevo, the city of magic, reflects a perfect symbiosis of the past and the modern. Starting from Bascarsija, a core of the Old Town around the most famous fountain in Sarajevo - Sebilj, we come across many traditional places where one can see old crafts dating back to the Ottoman period or small cafes offering Bosnian coffee or have the most delicious pie or cevapi (grilled meat fingers). Throughout the old part of the town one can see many mosques, bazaars, Islamic schools, fountains.

Ottomans in Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted a great variety of religions. In addition to the famous Ghazi Husrev-Bey's Mosque (1531) and other buildings from Ghazi Husrev-Bey's endowment, they built the Old Orthodox Church (Bascarsija) or the Jewish Quarter known as the Grand Yard (Velika avlija - holding the Old and the New Jewish Temple). A perfect addition to this multicultural symbiosis was the main Catholic Cathedral, built upon the arrival of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. With their arrival, era of industrialization commences. Western fashion combined with a traditional customs. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy builds the City Hall, a splendid work of architecture resembling pseudo-Moorish style, monasteries, schools and universities. Indeed, this is what makes Sarajevo so charming - buildings from the Ottoman period literally flow into the Austro-Hungarian period. However, this sudden transition only seems natural.

Sarajevo is known as the host of the 14^th Winter Olympic Games (1984) which took place on mountains nested around Sarajevo, a place where WWI commenced with assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne - Franz Ferdinand; as European Jerusalem - with Catholic, Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish sacral buildings being located within the walking distance; a place where the longest city siege of the modern warfare lasting over 1400 days took place; a city which survived and lures you to visit its mountains, its cultural and historical sites, the famous Sarajevo Film Festival or Bascarsija Nights Festival.

In addition to the rich cultural and historical heritage of the old part of town, visit: Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Museum of Sarajevo and all its departures, the Tunnel Museum, old fortresses from the medieval and ottoman period, our Olympic mountains or eco paradise of the Lukomir or Umoljani Village, the Rakitnica Canyon or Skakavac Waterfall.

Sarajevo is the city with a soul. This is how paradise feels like!