Sarajevo, April 9 2023
Returning to Italy this Spring I found a cheap flight to Munich and instead of heading straight to Sirolo, why not take the opportunity to cover some new ground. It was a short detour, first to Vienna, then Sarajevo and finally to Belgrade. I prefer to travel by train, but that wasn’t possible as although there are trains here, few cross the borders. Fortunately the flights were direct, short and inexpensive.
Main hall of the Military Museum of Vienna
From Munich I headed to Vienna by train, which is a great launchpad for flights into the Balkans. Near the main station is the Military Museum, the former national armory is a beautiful museum that covers the full history of the Austrian empire. Arriving next in Sarajevo I stayed in the old town, the cab ride was easy and inexpensive. In fact I found prices to be very reasonable overall. The old town is mainly a walking district with stone streets that twist past coffee shops, restaurants and little tourist stores. This historical center is not very big and follows along the Miljacka river. You don’t need anything but comfortable shoes to get around and I felt at ease walking everywhere.
Baščaršija Mosque
Traveling into the former Yugoslavia you quickly notice the mix of cultures. Although the population share a Southern Slavic ethnicity, things fragment quickly from there. Divisions are old and complex. There are Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Albanians, and further south Montenegrin and Macedonian. Layered on top of that is the religious mosaic, Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Some parts of this tapestry are more plural but many are concentrated on one group or another and those pockets are interspersed. Then there is the influence of the Turks who ruled most of the territory from the 1400’s until they were driven out only less than a hundred years ago. A long rule that left roots not just in religion, but in architecture and cuisine.
The Sebilj or public fountains installed by the Turks. Hundreds once covered the city as a water source for it’s residence, now only this one remains.
Gravur, one of the great little cafes on the square
At the turn of the last century as Turkish influence was shriveling, modern Bosnia, Slovenia and Croatia became ruled by the Austrian Hungarian empire. During this time the Serbs had partially carved out and restored their nationality, but the other groups fell under Austria’s might. In those conditions you would have expected revolutionaries, and anarchists to be prevalent and they were. In some cases they were well organized, and much like today, nations played sponsors behind the scenes. Unlike today, assassinations were all too common, and one in particular triggered a cataclysm.
The shallow Miljacka River
Just a short walk from my hotel, is where on June 14th, 1914, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated. The spot is like any other street corner except for the plaque and markings in the pavement outlining where the assassin stood facing their motorcade.
The story of this crime is tragic on several levels. First there is the poor Archduke who made the trip against good advice, in part because it was a rare opportunity for him to make a glamorous appearance with his wife Sophie. In Vienna his uncle the Emperor Franz Joseph (angered that he chose a wife outside the dynasty) would not allow her a proper title or to be present at his side in official events where she was forced to follow well behind him. However here in Sarajevo and on military duty, those rules didn’t apply and the trip was timed with their wedding anniversary. A splendid occasion where he could proudly display her at his side and where they could be treated as royals together.
The site of the assassination looking from across the street toward where Princip stood
From where Princip stood
Just moments before the assassination. Note the front wheels beginning the mistaken turn.
Same shot today
Next we have the assassin Gavrilo Princip. A quiet lad who led a painful youth in poverty, struggling to find meaning and direction. That is until he unlocked his fervent devotion to the Serbian cause. He was just a boy and he knew well that he was suffering from tuberculosis. Fate would place him as a pawn in the center of this Balkan chess board.
Of course the greatest tragedy of this day was that it marks the very first event in a long chain of bad news that would ultimately last decades. An excuse for the initial war that would rage for four years, kill eighteen million people and after a short pause bring us the final act with WWII. Now you can’t blame poor Princip for all that. Europe was wound very tight and moving on a deliberate path to a major conflict. It was likely only a matter of time before something snapped.
The Archduke’s preserved clothing in Vienna
That day saw an odd and bizarre series of events. Princip was a member of Young Bosnia, a Serbian gang intended on assassination. In the morning, with the motorcade leaving the train station, this gang took positions along the main road and first attempted to bomb the Archduke’s car which swerved deflecting the grenade to the car behind, seriously injuring it’s escort. Staying on route and continuing a few blocks further to the city hall, the angry Archduke dressed down the Mayor, but oddly decided to go right ahead with his plans. The only adjustment being a trip past the hospital to check on his wounded escort. On the way, in a moment of confusion, the royal’s car turned off the main drag and the officer in charge seeing the driver made an error shouted to stop and backup. Now these vintage cars required some coaxing to get into reverse, and while temporarily stalled just inside the street corner, who should be standing by but Mr. Princip. Some say he was buying a sandwich at the corner deli, but that’s doubtful. Without hesitation he fired two shots at the car not more than five feet away from him. One bullet pierced the sidewall and struck Sophie in the abdomen. The other struck the side of the Archduke’s neck just severing his carotic artery. Both bullets were fatal within a few minutes. Princip was quickly captured. After a grand trial he was jailed for life, as he was too young to be executed, and died in prison a few years later. He never showed remorse for his work, only explaining at his trial that he had no intention to kill Sophie.
The car is preserved as is the bullet’s hole that went on to kill Duchess
Today the car, the Archduke and the Duchess’s clothes, the murder weapon and other belonging are on display at the Military Museum of Vienna. There is an entire room devoted to the incident.
Now I’ll admit that I find the Serbs a different breed of folks. They are tall, good looking, headstrong and I understand can be a bit confrontational. So that when they erected a monument to Mr. Princip in a park in the center of Belgrade as recently as 2015, it doesn’t strike me as too much of a shock. Many Serbs see him, and always have, as a sort Patrick Henry to the cause. None the less, I for one find it ugly and bizzare to dedicate a statue to him or any assassin. It’s like building a statue to Lee Harvey Oswald, and at least he didn’t spark a world war.
Princip’s monument in Belgrade. The pigeon was no doubt Bosnian.
The other major historical chapter for Sarajevo is how it survived a nearly four year siege in 1992 by Bosnian Serbs during the Bosnian War. Closely surrounded by snipers in the nearby hills people endured one of the longest sieges in modern history. Cutoff from supplies they managed to survive digging tunnels under the enemy lines. For periods as long as six months they were without water and electricity. Today the bullet holes are still evident on many buildings, and you can just imagine the daily peril of people racing across streets dogging gunfire. In the old center there is a small museum tucked away on a side street that documents the war’s atrocities. In a short visit there you’re drawn close to sickening accounts, photos and memorabilia. Painful more so now with the parallels taking place in Ukraine.
Damage remaining from 1992
From Sarajevo I took a very short flight to Belgrade where I stayed in the cobblestoned old town. The area is lined with cool bars and restaurants. Belgrade is interesting but not extraordinary in any sense. The grafitti there is worse than anywhere I’ve seen and smoking is allowed everywhere (as it is in Sarajevo), so visiting is best done in Summer months when you can sit outside. The fortress in the city center is a large, centuries old landmark that is well worth a visit. It has an interesting war museum with great relics of old tanks and weapons. A short stay and I flew on to Sirolo with a Vienna connection.
The ancient fortress in Belgrade
Belgrade’s hip section
From what I learned on this little jaunt, it’s hard to believe that the countries who now comprise the former Yugoslavia will remain at peace. There are so many generations of trouble, pain and bad blood that it seems like it would take a long time for it to all fade away. The ethnic tapestry, the divisive cultures and religious tensions haven’t had much time to heal. I just hope various drives toward EU membership will give people more prosperity and a better life in common.