Nathan's Insights

Thursday 25 April 2024.
Highlights: Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope, Walking the 1984 Olympic Bobsled track, Viewing Sarajevo from Cable Car, Viewing the eternal flame.

We commenced an included morning tour to learn about the Sarajevo Tunnel aka the Tunnel of Hope. The tunnel was constructed between March and June 1993 during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992 to 1996) in the midst of the Bosnian War. This tunnel under the UN controlled airport bypassed the Serbian siege allowing for food, water, weapons, other supplies, and people to escape making it critical during that war.

Before arriving we were given commentary on various important buildings, important points on the war, and even where sniper activity occurred. We could also see bullet and shell holes still existing from the siege that kill almost 12,000 people.

The Tunnel of Hope went for roughly 900 metres. It was made without machinery and had to be hidden at all times. Workers were not allowed to tell anyone, including their wives what they were doing. The entrances were hidden in houses on both sides. The UN controlled airport was the only part of Sarajevo not surrounded by the Serbian Army. The Serbian’s dd however attempted to close off the area outside UN control but were never successful.

It was a desperate measure building the tunnel but it worked and played a major role in Bosnia not being defeated.

Next up we went up Trebević mountain to the now abandoned 1984 Olympic Bobsled Track. Hiking a short distance, we got to enjoy fresh clean air.

Both going up and down this mountain allowed us to see Sarajevo below and the positions that the Serbian Army shelled the city from.

After the conclusion of this tour Darby and myself rested up for an hour at the hotel before heading out to explore the city further. We eventually found the Sarajevo Brewery which has operated since 1881 which is surprising given the Ottomans were in charge at that time.

The main event for the rest of the day was going back up Trebević mountain but this time on a scenic cable car.

The cable car takes round 7 minutes one way to get to the top. Up the mountain we enjoy stunning views from multiple points including a cafe. Darby even found a friendly cat to pat 🙂

Coming back down on the cable car helped me appreciate the beauty of the city below.

We then walked back into the city via City Hall. This building for the main library which was targeted by the Serbians in 1992 which lead to a lot of records and Bosnian documents forever destroyed.

We walked through the ancient city and visited the eternal flame. There are versions of this in most countries remembering fallen soldiers but here it is also to remember the fallen civilians from 1992 to 1996.

After a long day we both decided an ice cream reward was deserved. Very lovely treat before dinner.