Official Name: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Established: 1377 (Kingdom of Bosnia)
Population: 3.4 million (2022 estimate)
Country Size: 51,209 square kms
Religion: 51% Islam, 46% Christian 
Language: Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian
Currency: Convertible mark (BAM)
Capital: Sarajevo
Order of Visit: Eighty First
First Visit: 24 April 2024 
Last Visit: 26 April 2024
Duration: 3 Days
Highlights: Latin Bridge (Sarajevo), Tunnel of Hope (Sarajevo), Assassination spot of Archduke Ferdinand (Sarajevo), Ottoman Influence (Sarajevo), Cable Car view (Sarajevo), Tito’s Atomic Fallout Bunker (Konjic), Koski Mehmed Pasa Mosque & Minaret (Mostar), Stari Most Bridge (Mostar), Exploring picturesque Mostar
Cities: Sarajevo, Konjic, Mostar
Bosnia and Herzegovina Journal Entries

Location and Geography

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in Southeast Europe which borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest and the Adriatic Sea to the south.

History and Culture

Neolithic cultures such were present along the river Bosna from 6,230 BC to around 4,900 BC.  The bronze culture of the Illyrians, an ethnic group with a distinct culture and art form, started to organize itself in today’s Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania.

In the 4th century BC, the first invasion of Celts is recorded. They brought the technique of the pottery wheel, new types of fibulas and different bronze and iron belts.  Conflict between the Illyrians and Romans started in 229 BC, but the Roman Empire did not complete its annexation of the region until 9 AD. 

Following the split of the Roman Empire between 337 and 395 AD, Dalmatia and Pannonia became parts of the Western Roman Empire. The region was conquered by the Ostrogoths in 455 AD. It subsequently changed hands between the Alans and the Huns. By the 6th century, Emperor Justinian I had reconquered the area for the Byzantine Empire.

In the Middle Ages the area was contested between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Byzantine Empire.  In the early 12th century, Bosnia found itself outside the control of both and became its own Kingdom.  The Kingdom of Bosnia ceased to exist in 1463 after its conquest by the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans then incorporated Bosnia as a province of the Ottoman Empire with its historical name and territorial integrity.   Shortly after Serbia’s breakaway from the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century, Serbian and Croatian nationalism rose up in Bosnia.  The Herzegovinian rebellion, a widespread peasant uprising, in 1875, led to the Congress of Berlin and the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. 

At the Congress of Berlin, Austria–Hungary gained the administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  In 1910, Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph proclaimed the first constitution in Bosnia, which led to the formation of the Bosnian parliament. 

On 28 June 1914 the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo that was the spark that set off World War I.  Following World War, I, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the South Slav Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later renamed Yugoslavia).

Following attempts at appeasement, then the signing of the Tripartite Treaty, and a coup d’état, Yugoslavia was finally invaded by Germany on 6 April 1941.  Once the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was conquered by German forces in World War II all of Bosnia and Herzegovina was ceded to the Nazi puppet regime which embarked on a campaign of extermination of Serbs, Jews, and Romani.

More than 300,000 people died in Bosnia and Herzegovina during World War II, or more than 10% of the population. At the end of the war, the establishment of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with the constitution of 1946, officially made Bosnia and Herzegovina one of six constituent republics in the new country (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia)

After the fallen of Soviet Union a declaration of the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 15 October 1991 was followed by a referendum for independence on 29 February 1991.  The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted as a member state of the United Nations on 22 May 1992.  A series of regional wars (which included a war with Serbia) lead to ethnic cleansings which occurred between 1992 and 1995.

What drew me to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina

The history, Bosnia and Herzegovina has such a long and bloodied history fighting with and being part of areas that are now countries that surround it. This brutal history is worth trying to understand especially for the impacts to this day. 

In particular visiting Sarajevo which has the location of the assassinated of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, effectively starting World War 1 and the beginning of the end of European Empires is a must.  

From research is appears that Bosnia’s architectural heritage is worth exploring given the interplay of medieval Ottoman and Central European styles.

What I experienced

A stunning and beautiful country. Bosnia and Herzegovina had a strong Ottoman influence in building designs and the beauty of Mostar is worth visiting the country by itself.

Standing near the assassination spot of Archduke Ferdinand which started World War 1 was a moving experience. So much unintended pain and suffering started from this one act.

The suffering of Sarajevo was also very moving. The siege of Sarajevo was for nearly 4 years in 1992 to 1996, my lifetime. Seeing some of the destruction still visible, watching videos of people fleeing snipers and bombs. Exploring the Tunnel of Hope demonstrated the will of individuals who wouldn’t give up.

An incredibly beautiful country with such a tragic past. I will live with the memory and experiences of this country.

<updated 29 May 2024>