Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is located near the geometric center of the triangle that forms Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Dinaric Alps and in the region of Bosnia. It is notably crossed by the Miljacka river. As for its climate, it is of moderate continental type.
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History
The city is considered one of the most important cities in the Balkans and its history is particularly rich since its creation by the Ottomans in 1461. The Slavs settled in Bosnia in the 12th century. A locality called Kratera, in the region of Sarajevo and Kotorac, is cited in the "De Administrando Imperio", a work of the Byzantine historian and emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenetus. The commonly accepted year for the creation of the city is 1461, when the first Ottoman governor of Bosnia, Isa-beg Išaković, chooses the small village of Brodac to make it the starting point of a new city, he built there a mosque, a covered market (bezistan), a public bath (hammam), a bridge, an inn and the governor's palace, Saray, which gave its current name to the city. At the beginning of the 16th century, Sephardic Jews fleeing Andalusia came to settle there, bringing with them a 15th century Haggadah known as the "Haggadah of Sarajevo". Sarajevo became the city of four religions, which earned it the nickname of European Jerusalem or Jerusalem of the Balkans. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and following the Berlin Congress, Bosnia and Herzegovina were placed under the control of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. These regions remained officially integrated into the Ottoman Empire, but at the end of October 1878, the Austrians took control of Bosnia and its territory was reorganized. On June 28, 1914, the double assassination in Sarajevo of the archduke François-Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie Chotek, Duchess of Hohenberg, by Gavrilo Princip, started the First World War. The organizers of the attack are young "Yugoslav" nationalists, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. After the First World War and the defeat of Austria-Hungary, from October 1918, Sarajevo, like the rest of the Slavic territories formerly controlled by the double monarchy, became part of the ephemeral State of the Slovenes, Croats and Serbs , then from December 1, that of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, ruled by the Serbian dynasty of Karađorđević, with Belgrade as its capital. October 3, 1929, the kingdom takes the name of Yugoslavia and new administrative divisions are set up. In 1941, the Axis powers occupied the banovine which was suppressed and its territory shared between the independent State of Croatia, including the city of Sarajevo, and Serbia occupied by German troops. On April 6, 1992, 1 month after the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo was surrounded by Serb forces. The siege of the city lasts until October 1995, period during which it undergoes numerous destructions and a significant decrease of its population.
One of the typical dishes of Bosnian and Bosnian cuisine as the name suggests is bosanski lonac, literally the Bosnian pot. It’s a kind of meat stew, served with vegetables; we mix slices of meat with vegetables that we simmer in a ceramic pot The soup is commonly offered to start the meal in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whether it be Begova čorban or Pileća čorba for the most frequent. The Bureks are unmissable: they can be found in cheese (sirnica), spinach (zeljanica), potatoes (krompiruša) and meat. As for desserts, you will taste baklava. Do not hesitate to taste the wines of the region to finish your meal.
Come and visit the Ottoman quarter: Bašcaršija. This walk offers you a first immersion in the heart of Bosnian culture. This place is today essential because there is the Clock Tower, the fabric market, the Gazi Husrev-bey mosque or the Sebilj fountain. The Bjelašnica mountain, over 2000m high, appeals in summer, where you can do very beautiful hikes, while in winter you ski there. The Vrelo Bosne, which means “Sources of Bosnia”, is a charming 600 hectare park in which the Bosna, a river which gave its name to Bosnia and Herzegovina, has its source. The park is perfect if you want to walk in the heart of nature, with its bridges and green spaces, it is also suitable for children since it offers a playground.