| Revision as of 19:53, 14 April 2004 editHalda (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers4,264 edits copyedits← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:51, 18 April 2004 edit undo217.199.132.66 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
| ==External resources== | ==External resources== | ||
| * | * | ||
Revision as of 15:51, 18 April 2004
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina (population: 450,000 (1991), est. 500,000 (2003)). The city gained modern historical notoriety in 1914 as the place where Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, thus sparking World War I. Seventy years later, Sarajevo was in a more favorable historical spotlight as the host city for the XIV Winter Olympics in 1984. In the 1990s, Sarajevo was the focal point of a brutal war from fought in Bosnia from 1992-1995 as a result of the dissolution of Yugoslavia.
The Image shows the Izvršno Vijeće building, which once housed the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was completely destroyed in 1992. Various buildings in Sarajevo are equally as destroyed.
Geography
Sarajevo is located close to the geometric center of triangularly shaped Bosnia and Herzegovina, a few miles east of the spring of the river Bosna. A small river named Miljacka flows through the city. The old city core is placed in a wide valley that forms a natural amphitheatre.
The city center is 511 metres above the sea level with some suburbs reaching 700 metres, which makes Sarajevo one of the most elevated cities in Europe. The mountain peaks that surround Sarajevo reach and surpass 2000 metres above sea level.
In the last few decades, satellite towns Ilidža and Vogošća have mostly merged with Sarajevo and became city suburbs.
History
The area of present day Sarajevo was continuously inhabited since the Stone age. However, little material evidence is available, mostly due to later construction. A Roman town named Aquae S... (probably Aquae Sulphurae) existed on the location of present Ilidža, a Sarajevo suburb.
During the early Middle ages, Sarajevo was group of villages clustered around a marketplace and a fortress named Vrhbosna.
The year usually mentioned as the city's founding is 1461, when the first Ottoman governor of Bosnia, Isa-beg Ishaković, transformed this village cluster into a city and a state capital by building a number of key objects, including a mosque, a closed marketplace, a public bath, a hostel and of course the Governor's castle (saray) which gave the city its present name. Sarajevo flourished in 16th century when its greatest donor and builder Gazi Husrev-beg built most of what is now the the old city.
In a raid led by prince Eugene of Savoy in 1699 against the Ottoman Empire, Sarajevo was burned down and levelled. It was later rebuilt, but the city never recovered from this destruction for centuries to follow. The capital of Bosnia was transferred to Travnik.
In 1878, Bosnia was occupied by Austria-Hungary, which brought architects and engineers who endeavored to rebuild Sarajevo as a modern European capital. They were unexpectedly aided by a fire that burned down a large part of central city area (čaršija). This has resulted in a unique blend of the remaining Ottoman city market and contemporary western architecture. Sarajevo hosts some shiny examples of Secession and Pseudo-Moorish styles that date from this period.
In the event that triggered the WW1, Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914.
Following WW2, Sarajevo grew rapidly. Modern city blocks were built west of the old city, adding to Sarajevo's architectural uniqueness. The peak of city growth occurred in early 1980s, when Sarajevo was elected to host the Winter Olympics.
In April 6th, 1992, Sarajevo was surrounded by forces of Bosnian Serbs. The warfare that lasted until the October of 1995 resulted in large scale destruction and dramatic population shifts. See Siege of Sarajevo.
Reconstruction of Sarajevo started as soon as the war ended, in 1995. By 2003 most of the city was rebuilt, with only a few remaining visible ruins in the city center. Modern business buildings and skyscrapers are constructed throughout the city.
Transportation
Sarajevo International Airport (intl. code SJJ) is located just a few kilometers southwest of the city.
A highway that connects Sarajevo with Budapest and central Europe is being modernized, but presently it is at some spots a little more than a paved countryside road. The speed limit is at most parts 60 or 80 km/h.
Sports
One of the city's best-loved sports is football (soccer). The two football clubs, FC Sarajevo and FC Željezničar, both have a long tradition of competing in European and World Cups tournaments.
The basketball club Bosna Sarajevo won the European championship in 1979. The chess club Bosna Sarajevo is at the very top of world chess since 1980s.