Travel: The ‘roses’ of Sarajevo

Sarajevo Bosnia

It’s 26 years since the start of the Siege of Sarajevo

It’s now 26 years since the Siege of Sarajevo began.  This is the name given to the blockade of the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo in 1992.   We went to Sarajevo as part of a Balkan holiday years ago, so I thought I’d look out our photos and remember Sarajevo.

How the siege started

The break-up of Yugoslavia caused many problems and there is no way that I could describe the ins and outs of the conflict but I will try to explain some of the history.

The area of Bosnia and Herzegovina had been under Ottoman and then Austro-Hungarian rule.  In 1918 it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Which was renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. Following World War II in Yugoslavia, it became part of the second Yugoslavia in 1945 as the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina
War scars, Sarajevo

With the collapse of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared themselves independent but Bosnian Serbs wanted to create the Republika Srpska (meaning “Serb Republic”), an area outwith the Serbian border but not under Bosnian rule, which would include the newly independent capital, Sarajevo.

The Bosnian War, which lasted from April 1992 – February 1996 and ended with the creation of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

What is a Sarajevo rose?

A Sarajevo rose is the scar caused by a mortar shell’s explosion.  After the Bosnian War, these explosion marks were filled with red resin.

Sarajevo Bosnia Sarajevo roses

It is said that the patterns made by the exploding shells look like flowers.

Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo Bosnia Sarajevo roses

These spots mark where one or more people have died during the attack.

Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina

No one knows who started these memorials and some feel that the tourists looking at them hinder the healing process.   Whatever your thought on them, they are disappearing. Sarajevo re-construction and developments meaning new infrastructure and no roses.

The rose above is located at Sacred Heart Cathedral

Here are some more images from our trip to Sarajevo.

[soliloquy id=”45875″]

More about Sarajevo :-

Holiday Inn, Sarajevo 

Holiday inn Sarajevo

 

 

 

 

 

Emma

Emma

Hello!

I am Emma and with my husband Mark write Foodie Explorers, which is a food and travel website.

I am a member of the Guild of Food Writers and British Guild of Travel Writers.

We have a wide range of judging experience covering products, hotels and have judged, for example, for Great Taste Awards and Scottish Baker of the Year.

Along the way Mark gained WSET Level 2 in Wine and I have WSET Level 2 in Spirits as well as picking up an award with The Scotsman Food and Drink Awards.    

Usually I can be found sleeping beside a cat.

Recommended Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.