War Stories

I've now arrived to Sarajevo, which has quiet a unique charme. Although the historic center is well restored and bustling with restaurants, cafes, handicrafts and baklava stores, the second you turn into a side street you can't deny the presence of war reminders on every corner.
During a walking tour, I was explained some details of the war (which however are still a bit confusing). In principle, after Bosnia and Herzegovina had sought independence from Yugoslavia, the Bosnian Serbs tried to split from the rest of the country (i.e. the Muslim Bosniaks and the orthodox Croats), which resulted in 44 months of war. The Serbs now have their own administrative level, and together with the national, regional and cantonwise administration levels Bosnia now has a lot more politicians than necessary for a country of 4 million people. Maybe that's why after more than 20 years the economy still is vastly affected by the war aftermath: there is just no way to efficiently organize a country on so many levels and in the presence of corruption.
On the pictures I posted, there are some remainders of the war period: a Sarajevo Rose (in places where people have been killed by shell explosions, the impact point is filled with red paint), shell holes in a house wall and a memorial to the 160 children killed in the war.Read more