LE:NOTRE Extraordinary Landscape Forum 2014

from 25th - 28th May 2014 in Sarajevo

hosted by the Faculty of Forestry University of Sarajevo

Landscapes of Sarajevo Region

Introductory document
(preliminary version)

by

Avdagi Admir, Beirovi Denan, Hajrudinovi Alma, Huki Emira, Krpo Mirna, Mari
Bruno, Mutabdija Senka, Omanovi Mersad, Pintari-Avdagi Bojana, Salihovi Adela

Contents
1.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTRY AND THE CITY-REGION .......... 3

2.

LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND ECOLOGY OF THE CITY REGION ...................... 5

3.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITYS (OPEN SPACE) STRUCTURE .. 9

4. TRADITIONAL CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF THE CITY AND THE CITY

REGION ................................................................................................................................... 18
5. URBAN AND REGIONAL POPULATION, SOCIAL ISSUES AND DEMOGRAPHIC
TRENDS .................................................................................................................................. 23
6.

PORTRAITS OF THE MAIN REGIONAL AND CITY PARKS/OPEN SPACES ........ 25

7. CURRENT RESEARCH ON CHARACTERISTIC USES AND SIGNIFICANT

ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC SPACES ........................................................................................ 37
8.

TOURISM DEVELOPMENTS IN SARAJEVO REGION ............................................. 40

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 45

1.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNTRY AND THE CITY-REGION

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is a country in South Eastern Europe, part of what the
European Union refers to as the West Balkans. It has an area of around 51.129 sq km and
some 3.791.622 inhabitants (Bosnian Statistics Agency, http://www.bhas.ba/). Bosnia covers
the centre and north of the country, with its name probably having derived from 'bosana', an
old Indo-European word meaning water, which Bosnia has no shortage. The southern region
of ancient Hum, ruled by Herceg Stjepan (Duke Stjepan), was later named Herzegovina after
the region was conquered by the invading Ottomans. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country
characterised by great diversity, embodying a vast array of landscapes, cultures, traditions and
peoples.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Fig. 1) is bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south,
Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast. The land border of the country amounts
to 762 km, borders defined by rivers have a length of 751 km, and the country also has 23.5
km of coastline on to the Adriatic Sea surrounding the city of Neum. Five percent of the
country is is made up of level terrain, 24% is hills, 42% mountains and 29% with karst
(National Environmental Action Plan /NEAP/ 2003).

Figure 1. Physical map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A wide diversity of ecosystems, ranging from thermophilous Mediterranean habitats to alpine

mountain areas and high interaction between bio- and geodiversity creates a recognisable and
vivid image of the landscapes of this country (Redi et al., 2008).
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended with the signing of the Dayton Agreement
in 1995, as a result of which the present country is constituted of two entities: the Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina (10 cantons) and the Republic of Srpska, as well as District of
Brko (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Political map of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The entity (dividing) line between the two territories goes through the capital and the
and the countrys largest city, Sarajevo, which belongs to the Sarajevo Canton (1.276,9 sq
km). Its total population is estimated as 438.443 people (Bosnian Statistics Agency, 2013).
Sarajevo is located in the Sarajevo Valley, surrounded by mountains and situated around the
Miljacka river. The city is famous for its traditional religious diversity, with adherents of
Islam, Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Judaism peacefully coexisting there for centuries which is
the reason that Sarajevo is sometimes called Jerusalem of Europe.

2.

LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND ECOLOGY OF THE CITY REGION

Relief
The region belongs to the inner Dinaric area, which is characterized by a hilly and
mountainous relief broken up with deep canyons. The relief is very varied, with the highest
mountains (Treskavica, Bjelanica) being more than 2000 m above sea level, while the lowest
areas lies at approximately 400 m above sea level.
The city is situated in a valley of the river Miljacka, which is formed from the
confluence of two smaller rivers the Paljanska Miljacka and the Mokranjska Miljacka. In it
upper reaches, the Miljacka river forms a impressive canyon and on the west of the valley lies
the Sarajevsko polje where the most of the city is situated today. In the western part of the
city, on the location of Rajlovac Miljacka flows into river Bosna, as do all the other rivers of
the city region. On the southern border of the valley of the Sarajevsko polje lies Mt Igman and
to the north and north-east lies Mt Trebevi. Sarajevsko polje has the average altitude of 510
m above sea level while Mt Trebevi has the highest altitude (1629 m), This is followed to the
north and northwest by Bukovik (1532 m) and Ozren (1525 m). The valley is formed from the
intersection of several rivers coming from the southern and the south-eastern (eljeznica) and
from the north-western (Joanica, Vogoa and Ljubina) sides of the valley.
Some authors have suggest that the city region could be separated into three relief
units (e.g. Crnogorac & Jaki):
1) Sarajevsko polje up to 700 m above sea level
2) Hilly relief to 1000 m
3) Mountainous relief (Trebevi, Ozren, Bukovik, atorica, Brezica).
Mt Trebevi belongs geomorphologicaly to Mt Jahorina. To the north, this mountain is
bounded bythe Miljacka river, to the south by the Kasindolski stream (potok), to the east by
Veliki Stupanj and Mali Stupanj and to the west by Sarajevsko polje. From highest point
(1629 m) there is a tremendous view of the Zvijezda, Ozren, Romanija, Jahorina, Treskavica,
Bjelanica, Prenj, Bitovnja, Vranica, Zec and Vlai mountains. In simple terms, the structure
of Mt Trebevi comprises five cliffs distributed side by side in a northwest-southeasterly
direction, and it is this that gives this mountain its extraordinary beauty. These cliffs are made
from Triassic limestone which lie on top of verfenic shales and sediments which can be
found mainly in mountain depressions and valleys. At the junction between these two bedrock
materials there are the sources of many springs coming from the slopes of the mountains.
These limestones are rich in fossils of Gastropodes, Lamellibranchiata, Cephalopoda,
Brachipoda, Diplopora, Corals and Sponges.
Bedrocks
Sedimentary rocks are the most abundant type of geological material in this region. This
region is characterised by highly diverse types of bedrock from the Mesozoic, Cenozoic and
Paleozoic eras. Paleozoic (Permian) sediments, such as sandstones, shales, and
conglomerates, are found in the to the north, northeast, and east of the city region on Mt.
Jahorina and Trebevi. In the west of the region (western parts of Sarajevsko polje)
5

quaternary gravels and sands are found. These are the result of alluvial-diluvial processes.
This alluvial-diluvial terrace links the upper areas of the south-eastern parts of valley
(Kasindol) to the northern parts (Koevo, Kobilja Glava, Joanica), which are made of clays,
carbonate clays sands and conglomerate sands. From Alipain Most (bridge) up to Koevo
and Koevski potok (stream), the bedrock material belongs to geological series called
Koevska serija. The hilly parts on north-western side of the city region are made up of
fli material from Jurrasic and Cretaceous periods. The hilly north-eastern parts of this
region comprise of Triassic formations: massive limestone associated with chevrons rich in
fossils, sandy limestones, clays, dolomites, claystones. These bedrocks are also characteristic
for the eastern part of the city and southern slopes of Mt Trebevi. Shale sandstones, usually
referred to as verfenic sediments (Triassic sediments), form a belt stretching from the northeast, east and south-east, while higher levels of the mountains are mainly limestones and
dolomites, associated with their specific karst morphology. The lower slopes and the bottom
of these mountains are composed of similar materials verfenic sediments - but with a red
and purple colour. These materials are extremely erodible and they are usually carried by
mountain springs and rivers like Miljacka, eljeznica, Lukaviki Stream (potok). Because of
red colour of the verfenic sediments, these rivers, during rainy periods, are also coloured red.
Soils
Together, the high altitudes and steep slopes of this mountainous relief, the nature of the
bedrock material and the high precipitation levels predispose specific soil formation processes
and specific pedological situation of this region. In addition, soils are usually shallow and
highly erodible. Due to the heterogenic geomorphologic structure, there is also a very diverse
pedological situation. Sarajevsko polje and valleys of other rivers in this region are
characterised mainly by alluvial and alluvial-diluvial soils. Verfenic sediments and verfenic
shale are characterised by acid soils, such as Sirozems and Dystric Cambisols. Limestone
and dolomites are characterised by a series of soils formed on this type of bedrock such as
Leptosol, Colluviums and Cambisols. Acid sands and sandstones are characterised by
Sirozems, Distric Cambisols and Podzol in higher altitudes and high precipitations. Rendzina
and Eutric cambisol are found on calcerious sands, calcerious clays in the fli serie.
Rendzinas and Calcic Cambisols are often found on calcareous moraines on Mt. Igman and
Bjelanica.
The highest parts of the Mt Trebevi are attributed to a series of soil types on limestone,
on the mountain slopes and depressions Districs and Cambisolss are found on Verfenic shales
and sediments. Some parts of the mountain that area exposed to east are characterised by
Districs Cambisols, Podzols overlaying sands and sandstones.
Climate
Sarajevo valley has mostly a temperate climate, while hilly and mountain areas are
characterised by temperate mountain and by alpine climates. The influence of the Adriatic Sea
is moderated by high mountains to the south of the city region. The average yearly
temperature is 10 C, with January (0.5 C avg.) being the coldest month of the year and

July (19.7 C avg.) the warmest. The highest recorded temperature was 40.7 C on 19 August
1946, and on 23 August 2008, while the lowest recorded temperature was 26.2 C on 25
January 1942. On average, Sarajevo has 6 days where the temperature exceeds 32 C and 4
days where the temperature drops below 15 C per year. The city typically experiences
mildly cloudy skies, with an average yearly cloud cover of 45%.

Vegetation and anthropogenic influence

In relation to land use, the city region is dominantly used as forest, followed by arable
land, meadows and cultivated land (Table 1.). Forest can roughly be separated into three
major forest vegetation groups which are:
1. Degraded oak forests, hornbeam, ash and hazel (Carpino betuli-Quercetum roboris)
which can be found in the valley of Sarajevsko polje and on low hilly relief.
2. Beach forests (Forests of Mountain beach), which are also mainly degraded forest.
3. Mixed beech and fir (with spruce) forests (Abieti-Fagetum).
Table 1. Land use in the City region
Nb.

Category

Area in ha

Settlements and industry

6.989,00

Sport and recreation

Meadows

9.794,00

Cultivated land

9.589,00

Arable land/agricultural production

14.498,00

Deciduous forests

46.229,00

Coniferous forest

13.997,00

Mixed forests

9.707,00

Pastures

5.645,00

10

Swamps and degraded land (vritine)

1.679,00

11

Change over forests and shurb vegetation

6.999,00

12

Deforested areas and karst

180,00

13

Areas sparse in vegetation

1.800,00

14

Rivers and streams

266,00

15

Lakes and marshes

13,00

16

Artificial accumulations

2,00

304,00

TOTAL:

127.691,00

Mt Trebevi on the northern slopes is characterised by coniferous forests, (mainly

spruce) and deciduous forests on southern slopes. Also, there are many silver pine forests
which are a result of anthropogenic influences. There was also an initiative to establish a
botanic garden on Mt Trebevi by a group of scientists from National Museum of Bosnia and
Herzegeovina (Gligi, 1953). For this reason, on many locations on Mt Trebevi there is
much allochthonous vegetation like cultures of Picea omorika, Larix decidua, Pinus
heldreichi, and many different shrubs and flora brought from all over the country. Southern
parts of this mountain have been always inhabited and the land was cultivated for the
agricultural and livestock production. Northern parts were mainly used as forest, although
many of the northern mountain slopes have become built up over the past 20 years.

3.
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITYS (OPEN SPACE)
STRUCTURE
Although settlement in the region stretches back to prehistoric times, the modern city
was founded by Isa-Beg Isakovi as an Ottoman stronghold in the 15th century. Sarajevo has
attracted international attention several times throughout its history. In 1914 it was the site of
the assassination that sparked World War I, while seventy years later, in 1984, it became the
host city of the XIV Winter Olympics. More recently, Sarajevo underwent the longest siege in
modern military history during the Bosnian War. Today the city is recovering and
adjusting to a post-war reality, as a major center of culture and economic development in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005, Sarajevo Canton was declared as the "Region of the year in
Europe".
The Ottoman period
Under Ottoman rule, the city of Sarajevo gradually started to develop. The traditional
oriental concept,of the city influenced the layout of the urban area, which consisted of the
Baarija (business center) in the valley and the residential areas, the so-called Mahala,
settled on the surrounding slopes. The Mahala represent the residential pattern of once
Ottoman oriental architecture. The Mahala developed as a large number of small residential
units (40-50) only with private courts and gardens. The Houses in the Mahala were developed
and placed so that each of them had a clear view, abundant light and plants. Open green and
public spaces were not present at that time. Over time, green spaces were created, but during
the War (1992 1996) all these spaces were transformed into cemeteries and now represent
protected areas as Cultural Landscapes (Harbinja 2012).
Austro-Hungarian period
The Austro-Hungarian period of Sarajevo's history was characterised by
industrialisation, development, westernisation, and social change. It could be argued that the
three most prominent alterations made by the Habsburgs to Sarajevo were to the citys
political structure, architecture style, and education system. Architects and engineers wanting
to help rebuild Sarajevo as a modern European capital rushed to the city. A fire that burned
down a large part of the central city area (Baarija) in 19th century left more room for
redevelopment.
The very first thing that the Austro-Hungarians had done upon arrival in Sarajevo was the
preparation of a cadastral map by land types, with the aim of defining tax levels. The job was
done within four years (1878 - 1882).
Result indicated that Sarajevo covered an area of 1136.6 hectares. Seven land use categories
relating to landscape and open space were defined (besides housing): cemetery, decorative
gardens, forests, meadows, orchards, pastures and vegetable gardens.

Figure 3. Map of Sarajevo in 1882 by land category (note: white areas represent built-up land).

Characteristics of 1882 land use categories:

Cemetery: regulated according to religious principles, with the presence of

monumental plant species.
Ornamental garden: public property with restricted rights of use, distinct monumental
features.
Forests: natural, high, could be used by Ottoman Land Code.
Meadow: generaly unused land with the absence of woody species.
Orchards and vegetable gardens: trailing house element with a clear purpose for
intensive agriculture.
Pasture: intensively used land, of different origins (rotation of agricultural land,
deforestation, meadows rich in forage crops, etc.).

Sarajevo was industrialised by Austria-Hungary and they used the city as a testing area for
new inventions, such as tramways (established in 1885), before installing them in Vienna. At
the time, Sarajevo was growing westward through the valley. The area of the city remained
more or less constant until after the Second World War. It is interesting that todays Sarajevo
has developed along the axis of the tramline which ends twelve kilometres westward at Ilida.
That is where the Austro-Hungarians planted a 2.8km long avenue of plane trees, running
10

from the ancient roman sanatorium to the spring of the River Bosna. This area is rich in
groundwater which is an important source of water for the city.
XIV Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, took
place from 819 February 1984 in Sarajevo. Other candidate cities were Sapporo (Japan) and
Gothenburg (Sweden). The main argument why Sarajevo was chosen as the host was that the
competition area was no further than 24 kilometers from the site where the Olympic medals
were awarded at Skenderija (Milinovi Vladimir, oral communication).

Figure 4. Sarajevo XIV Winter Olympics map.

The Siege
Siege of Sarajevo (April 1992 - February 1996) lasted 1.425 days. It is the longest
siege of a capital city in modern history. 11.541 people were killed, including 643 children.
During the siege there were no essential supplies necessary for life - neither food, nor water or
electricity. People used public green space to produce food and heat. Underground water
could be used for drinking, but only with the help of hand pumps. After the siege there many
problems remain: landmines, abandoned land, devastation, illegal constructions etc.

11

Figure 5. Sarajevo siege map.

Nowadays
In administrative terms, the city of Sarajevo consists of 9 municipalities. It is densely
populated, with a current trend for extensive building construction. The development of the
city is the separate responsibility of the mayors of each individual municipality, and these do
not act together as one body.
There are many disturbing factors involved in urban ecosystem degradation: legislation,
degradation of the environment by building construction, loss of underground water,
abandonment of land etc. Thanks to the forests around Sarajevo, the city agglomeration has
maintained its character as a sustainable environment.

12

Figure 6. Canton Sarajevo administrative border

There are three vegetated land types coexisting in Sarajevo: agricultural land, public
green space and forests. Agricultural land is mainly located on the border between urban and
rural areas and it is gradually being lost due to intensive construction pressure. In general,
agricultural land loss accounts for some 3000 ha of land annualy in Bosnia and Herzegovina
as a whole (Resulovi and ustovi, 2002). Sarajevos public green space is located mainly
along the east-west axis of the built-up urban area. It is managed by the individual
municipality in which it is located.
Characteristics of 2014 land use categories:

Agricultural land: numerous plots, highly fragmented, different ownership structure,

method and intensity of use.
Public green space: remains of building plots, highly fragmented, legally unprotected.
State-owned forests: scarce, degraded, managed by public enterprise for forest
management. Cemeteries treated as non-productive forest area.
Privately-owned forests: numerous plots, highly fragmented, small, subject to
abandonment due to adverse regulatory legislation. Cemeteries treated as nonproductive forest area.
13

Figure 7. Map of Sarajevo in 2014 by land category (note: white areas represent built-up land).

Peri-urban sprawl
Sarajevo can be characterized as having frantic-growth with very high land
conversion rates and population densities. Schneider and Woodcock (2008) said that this
category is generally characteristic of developing countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina. As
the city of Sarajevo developed along the River Miljacka, the lack of space meant that the town
started to spread along the periphery and up the surrounding slopes. The Mahala expanded
further up the hills thereby causing further urbanization in the form of the so-called new upper
hill settlements. As the Government is taking responsibility for new architectural approaches
within the Mahala, a greater concern is for the new upper hill urbanization. These settlements
are located and developed without any architectural regulations whatsoever, and most
importantly threatened by the risk of landslides. The expansion of these settlements increased
rapidly after the War (1992 -1995) and since then has continued to spread further up to the
hills. Beside the challenges posed by the environmental conditions, the settlements are faced
with the lack of the necessary infrastructure and facilities, especially educational and health
facilities. As a result, inhabitants are forced to make use of the nearest facilities, located
within the Mahala or in the old town Baarija. Although these settlements have some
similarity with the Mahala, in terms of their position, they are not related to these types of
cultural landscapes (Harbinja, 2012). The main similarity is that there is a total absence of
public space, but the houses in the upper hill urban area are not located so that each of them
has basic parameters of Mahala: a clear view, abundant light and vegetation.

14

Figure 8. Sarajevo comparison of vegetated areas 1882-2014 (note: white areas represent built-up land)

Ornamental trees
It could be said that Sarajevos parks, gardens, avenues of trees and other green areas
have accumulated very diverse and interesting woody species over a time. In recognition of
the importance of knowledge about this, Prof. Vito Stefanovi and Prof. Nikola Janji listed
947 species, cultivars and varieties of ornamental trees in Sarajevo. Their results show a
continuous growth in the number of species over the period 1955 to 1998. However, there are
valid concerns about the introduction of non-native species due to their expansion into
habitats of native species. While this certainly raises the biodiversity it also violates the
criteria of "naturalness and typicality (Omanovi et al., 2012). Today, there are no formal
criteria or plan for the use of the plant material, so since 1998 there has been a constant
introduction of unknown ornamental plant species. As a consequence, Sarajevo is now full
of immature trees susceptible to wind and/or snow damage, especially Platanus acerifolia,
Fraxinus, Tilia and Thuja species. Also it is easy to find Armadillidium vulgare which is
indicator of physiological weaknesses.

Figure 9. Quantification of Sarajevos ornamental trees species, cultivars and varieties.

15

Protected areas
The establishment of protected aresa came with 21th century. There are two objects of
special protection value near Sarajevo. The first is the natural monument centred on the
Spring of Bosna river' with a total area of 644 ha, and located in the Municipality of Ilida.
The second is the natural monument ''Waterfall Skakavac' with total area of 1430,7 ha, which
is located in the municipality Stari Grad. It is interesting to note that even 861 privately
owned forests, in whole or in part, are located within the protected area with total area of
463,9 ha (Omanovi et al., 2010).

Figure 10. Protected areas of Sarajevo and other categories of land.

Evaluation of urban green spaces

A pan-European research project (Baycan et al., 2004) encompassing 23 European
cities has considered the quantity and method of urban green space management (Table 2).
According to this, Sarajevo, together with Ljubljana and Krakow, was classified in the fourth,
the lowest, qualification group, which is characterised by (i) less than 5% of green areas and
(ii) a downward trend in the total area of urban green space (Fig. 11). The conclusion is that
these cities have a small amount of green space, and that if the negative trend continues there
will result an undesirable situation from the perspective of spatial planning. Considerable
political influence also tends to be exerted within the spatial planning process, something
which frequently results in specialist expertise not being properly taken into account.

16

Table 2. Multicriteria evaluation of urban green spaces of Sarajevo.

Figure 11. Ranking of European cities by green performance (Baycan et al. 2004).

17

4.
TRADITIONAL CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF THE CITY AND THE CITY
REGION
"... the Earth has many cities named Saraj. But the bosnian stone eher Sarajevo of all of them is advanced,
prettier and livelier. " Evlija elebija, 1659.

Sarajevo was built in the valley of the river Miljacka, surrounded by hills that result in
the city being isolated and enclosed from the world. "arija" (Fig. 12), the old business
centre of the city was built in the flat terrain at the bottom of the valley, and the city districts
called "Mahale" are located on the lower slopes of the hills that surround the valley. The
construction of "arija" took place in parallel with the construction of the residential zones
"Mahale". While the "arija" was developing at the flat terrain, the "Mahale" were
developing on local hills. These hills, as described by Kulenovi, make the valley of the
Miljacka into an outstanding natural amphitheatre, which is open to the west.

Figure 12. arija in Sarajevo, 1882.

One could say that the city centre is actually double-fenced from the world by both the
hills that surround the city and by the "Mahale". The urban plan, the terrain and the position
of the "Mahale" in relation to the centre, all function at the same time as "armour" that
protects the city from external impact. The fact that city became completely introverted, very
soon after its establishment can be seen as a metaphor for the world, as a place where its
different faces are gathered together at one point.

18

The interplay of open and closed, external and internal, which oppose and reflect each
other, can be perfectly seen in the organization of the city.
Bosnian writer Karahasan explains it best when he defines "arija" as technically
closed but semantically open. "arija" is the universality and "Mahala" is particularity and
concreteness. "arija" is enclosed from all and therefore potentially contains all in itself,
while the "Mahala" is open to all. A complicated game of mutual opposition and reflection of
the exterior and interior spaces provided the basis for the existence and functioning of
Sarajevo as a whole, and which is evident in the in relationshi between the Mahala and
arija, and could be seen in every aspect of urban existence and life. That was the case even
inside the houses, as within their walls the houses were divided into open and closed parts and
male and female areas.
Gardens and courtyards represented a very important green space element in the old
Sarajevo. Thanks to this, as geo-topography, microclimate, as well as other natural conditions
of the Sarajevo valley, with lots of vegetation and water, meant that old Sarajevo developed
into a true garden city: "Wood and water, garden and mountain, houses in gardens," as stated
by Grabrijan.
Many travel writers who stayed in Sarajevo in the 16th and 17th century confirmed
that Sarajevo was "garden city".
Pavle from Rovinj stayed in Sarajevo in 1640 on the occasion of which he wrote:
"Varo extends partly by flat part of valley, partly on the hill. Parts of the hills cannot be seen
because of the trees".
Quiclet, a French traveller who visited Sarajevo in 1658, wrote: "the city is full of
gardens, and there are only few houses without a special garden, and all gardens are full of
orchards, especially apples."
Evlija elebija, the famous Turkish traveller of 17th century, who stayed in Sarajevo,
wrote in his famous travelogue "Sajjahatnami": "here are 26.000 of gardens similar to gardens
from heaven and through each garden plenty of water is flowing. These gardens are beautiful
as a paradise on Earth. They are decorated with a variety of pools and arbours."
Moving between the streets, courtyards, houses and gardens depended on the
differentiation of space. An important role in the spatial definition of roads was played by
gates, which allowd for physical and visual closure of the spaces. The side walls flanking the
gates are therefore quite deep, and usually consist of the walls of auxiliary rooms.
Alternatively, the gate was placed beneath the outbuilding, which provided the entrance to the
courtyard. Often the gates are placed at both ends of the space by which the courtyard is
separated from the street. Such a space between two gates was commonly used as a
commercial yard. The gates represent a very significant functional and decorative element of
residential buildings.
Gardens form an integral part of the culture of residence, and represent a form of
artistic expression. The gardens were, in part, created under the influence of the religion of
Islam and were considered as the earthly reflection of paradise. The similarity between
gardens throughout the Islamic world bears witness to the universality of Islamic art, while
the cult of gardens in turn strongly influenced all the decorative arts. Wherever possible water
was introduced into the design of the garden.

19

Residential houses were adapted to the environment through the use of natural, local
materials for construction, and were integrated into the terrain. Nature thus became part of the
architectural composition.
The whole complex of Svrzina house was constructed during the 18th century. Beside
the ground of the house in the women's courtyard, which was completed in 1832 the house
comprises a complex consisting of three buildings and two courtyards divided into "selamluk"
- male part (Fig. 13), the public part of the house, and haremluk - female, or the family part of
the house (Fig. 14). The entrance from the street leads through a large gate into the men's
courtyard. The gate, which is located over the entrance, once led in large garden - or "bostan",
which belonged to the house, but the old owners kept it as a part of the new house.

Figure 13. Entrance in Svrzina house, male courtyard selamluk

Islamic architecture has developed very meaningful, very specific and easily
identifiable characteristics. These are expressed particulalry clearly in residential architecture
where they are characterised by specific forms and architectural elements. All the arguments
by Isanovi relating to traditional Islamic belief have outer and inner meanings and are filled
with rich symbolism, and make the specificity of artistic and architectural expression of Islam.
In Islamic architecture, more than in the architecture of other cultures, water forms an integral
part of almost every traditional architectural and urban space.

20

Figure 14. Female courtyard haremluk.

The pattern of life in Islamic society revolved around the family house, as a residential
complex. While this was separated from the outside world, from the street and uninvited
curiosity of passersby, the house and its organisation, by contrast, were open, often even
vanish towards nature, towards the sky and water.
With the arrival of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, which received a mandate to
occupy and govern Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 the country underwent a very dramatic
transition. It was removed from the Ottoman Empire and became part of the European
civilization.

Figure 15. Garden connecting the male and female courtyard.

With the new civilisation came a new understanding of lifestyle and new ways of
building and forms of housing, which were completely different from the inherited tradition.
21

In valley area of Sarajevo, gardens and courtyards gradually began to disappear. The new
situation was also reflected in the planning and construction of public parks and spa facilities.
However, this took place without any detailed observation and understanding of the value of
the existing landscape, and resulted in the introduction of objects which were exotic but with
given a decorative veneer in the Moorish style.
During the Austro-Hungarian Period, Mt Trebevi acquired the characteristics of a
forest park through the building of some access roads (Appel's road), fortifications and
restaurants. In this period the uncontrolled introduction of exotic plant species took place such
that today it looks like an improvised arboretum.

22

5.
URBAN AND REGIONAL
DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

POPULATION,

SOCIAL

ISSUES

AND

In 1995 Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two administrative entities: the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) and Republika Srpska (RS), and the separate
district of Brko
B&H Entity's structure: FB&H is administratively divided on 10 cantons, which are in
turn divided into municipalities. There are 79 municipalities in FB&H. Republika Srpska is
administratively divided into 62 municipalities. The city of Brko forms a separate
administrative district.
The area of Bosnia and Herzegovina covers a total of 51,209.2 km, Of this, 51,197
km is land and 12,2 km sea
Climate: The majority of the country has a continental climate with an area of
mediterranean climate in the south.
Population: The number of inhabitants grew from 1879 up to year 1991 (Table 3) and
the population was made up of Bosniacs, Croats, Serbs and peoples of others nations.

Table 3. Population of B&H according to censuses from 1979-1991.

The Preliminary results of the census conducted in 2013 revealed the that 2.371.603
people live in Federation of B&H, 1.326.991 in Republic of Srpska and 93.028 in Brko
District, which makes a total population of 3.791.622. The Sarajevo region (which fits mostly
into the administrative unit of the Canton of Sarajevo) is the second the most highly populated
area with 438.443 inhabitants. This region comprises 9 municipalities, the most populous of
which are Novi Grad, Ilida, Novo Sarajevo and Center (Table 4).
The average net salary in B&H is 838 KM (period XII-2013). The rate of
unemployment is, according to the ILO definition, (ARS) 27.5% (PERIOD: 2013) and the
rate of employment is 31.6%.

23

Table 4. Number of people living in Sarajevo city region according to preliminary census results.
Municipality
CENTAR SARAJEVO
HADII
ILIDA
ILIJA
NOVI GRAD SARAJEVO
NOVO SARAJEVO
STARI GRAD SARAJEVO
TRNOVO FB&H
VOGOA
* http://fzs.ba/PopisNaseljenaM.pdf

Number of people
59.238
24.979
71.892
20.504
124.471
68.802
38.911
1.830
27.816

24

6.

PORTRAITS OF THE MAIN REGIONAL AND CITY PARKS/OPEN SPACES

Veliki Park (meaning big park) and Mali Park (meaning small park) were
constructed on the sites of abandoned Muslim graveyards in the year 1885 (Fig. 16, 17). The
area of these two parks totals almost 4 ha and they are located in the centre of town, across
from the Presidents residence. In the park is located relatively recent monument dedicate to
all the Sarajevo children who died during the war (1992-1995).

Figure 16. Location of Veliki Park and Mali Park.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sarajevo/

Figure 17. Veliki Park and Muslim graves.

http://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/veliki-park-cvijecem-ispisano

25

At Mejdan Park was constructed on the location of a horse market dating from
Ottoman period (Fig. 18). It was established in 1905 and was first known as Franz Joseph
Park. The music pavilion was built in 1913 and destroyed on 6th April 1941, during the World
War II. The pavilion was rebuilt in 2005 (Fig. 19). This park represents the first park in the
European style in this region.

Figure 18. Location of At Mejdan park.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sarajevo/

Figure 19. Music pavilion in At-Mejdan park.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/22151885

26

Ambassador Avenue and Bentbaa

Ambassadors Avenue is a project that was launched in 2002, when the promenade
along the river Miljacka was built with a wall of 700 meters in length, along which was
planted an avenue of lime trees (Tilia spp.) (Fig. 20). Ambassadors Avenue is project which
pursues the specific goal of offering citizens a clean and unpolluted natural environment along
the river Miljacka, as a comfortable space for relaxation and recreation. This is a project in
which the ambassadors accredited in B&H, as well as senior officials of international
organizations, were given the chance to plant their own tree in the Ambassador Avenue.
The avenue was located on Bentbaa, one of the oldest parts of town, built during the
Ottoman period. Bentbaa is also known for the old bridge called Kozija uprija (Fig. 21).
During the Austrian-Hungarian Period (in 1884) a public baths were built on Bentbaa which
were to become very well known to the people of Sarajevo.

Figure 20. Ambassadors Alley.

http://www.spottedbylocals.com/sarajevo/aleja-ambasadora/

Figure 21. Kozija uprija bridge.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2599008

27

Wilson Promenade
The Wilson Promenade (Fig. 22) is named after the twenty-eighth U.S. President
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28th, 1856 February 3rd, 1924).
The promenade was constructed during the Austrian-Hungarian Period. It was first
called Kalaj promenade after the diplomat Benjamin Kalaj. From 1941 to 1945 its name
was changes to "Mussolini Promenade", and after the II World War it was given its current
name, the Wilson promenade.
The Main species planted along the Wilson promenade is the lime, of which there are
some 280 specimens. For many people of Sarajevo the Wilson Promenade has sentimental
significance. Many love stories started in this avenue of lime trees. Beneath the crowns of the
linden trees many generations have experienced their first love, first kiss but also
disappointments.

Figure 22. Wilson promenade by Miljacka river.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/504403226986729888/

Spomen-Park Vraca
The Spomen-Park Vraca (Vraca Memorial Park) is a park dedicated to the World War
II victims of Sarajevo (Fig. 23, 24). It covers 78.000 square meters and honours the names of
the over 11.000 men, women, and children killed during World War II.
The idea was to rehabilitate an old Austro-Hungarian fortress as a joint project between
Vladimir Dobrovi as designer, Alija Kuukali as sculptor, and Aleksandar Maltari as
landscape architect. Construction began in April 1980 and was finished in November of the
same year. It was opened and dedicated on November 25, 1981, the "Day of Statehood of
Bosnia and Herzegovina". In 1996, the park was systematically destroyed by withdrawing
Serbian forces after the signing of the Dayton Agreement. In 2005, the park was declared a
national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

28

Figure 23. Location of Vraca Memorial Park.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sarajevo/

Figure 24. Vraca Memorial Park.

http://www.klix.ba/forum/spasimo-i-obnovimo-spomen-park-vraca-u-sarajevu-t54609s50.html

Park-uma Mojmilo
Park-uma Mojmilo is the one of the newest parks in Sarajevo (Fig. 25, 26). It has an
area of almost 40 ha. The main idea was to animate the local community, schools and NGOs
to build a park. Features of the park include: an arboretum, areas for walking and specific
horticultural elements, an eco-house (where you can drink free coffee and enjoy the view),

29

two children's playgrounds, jogging trails, an amphitheatre as an outdoor classroom, rock

gardens, paths and trails. was More than 1.000 seedlings of more than a one hundred species
of carefully selected, indigenous plants and other specific species have been planted in the
park.

Figure 25. Eco-house in the Park-uma Mojmilo.

http://www.alterural.ba/domaci-proizvodi/eko-kuca-mojmilo/#ad-image-0

Figure 26. Appearance of the Park at an early stage of construction

http://www.sac.net/index.php/events/itemlist/tag/mojmilo.html

Park Prijateljstva
Park Prijateljstva (meaning Park of Friendship) is a new modern park with equipment
the first of its kind in our city (Fig. 27). It was founded through a donation of Azerbaijan and
represents friendship between Azerbaijan and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

30

Figure 27. Running path in Park prijateljstva

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/

One of of the symbols of this park takes the form of a statue of two women, one
Azerbaijani and one Bosnian. The statue is monument to victims of the war in Bosnia (19921995) and tragedy in Azerbaijan, Hodala, in February in 1992. Around 70 trees were
planted in the park and the new green areas also incorporate decorative flowers and ca. 200
ornamental shrub seedlings.
For sports lovers there is a running path of almost a mile long and a climbing wall,
while for the safety of visitors there is a protective fence along the banks of the river
Dobrinja.

Ali-pain Park
Ali-Pain Park was founded after World War II by landscape architect Smiljan Klai
(1912 -1989) and it is one of the most beautiful parks in Sarajevo. The park surrounds the AliPasha's Mosque, which was constructed in Sarajevo in the years 1560 to 1561 (Fig. 28).

Figure 28. Ali-pain Park.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alipasina_dzamija.jpg

31

Park Svjetlosti and Betanija Park

Also significant from the point of view of their size are Park Svijetlosti (meaning
Park of Light) (Fig. 29, 30) and Betanija Park (Fig. 31). They were both destroyed during
the war (1992-1995) but have been rebuilt since. Betanija Park is very near Zoo Park
Pionirska dolina and it contains playgrounds, jogging, cycling and trim trails with an overall
length of 1200 m. The area of Betanija Park is around 7 ha.
The area of Park Svjetlosti is around 2,8 ha. The specific characteristic of this park is
the fact that the citizens of Sarajevo cut down all trees during the war in order to survive
during the siege of the city. They use the green areas to plant vegetables. After the war the
park was rebuilt and all the trees were re-planted.

Figure 29. Park Svijetlosti during the war.

http://www.klix.ba/

Figure 30. Park Svijetlosti today.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/

32

Figure 31. Betanija Park.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/37742270

Protected areas
Vrelo Bosne
Vrelo Bosne (the spring of the Bosna River) is the source of the River Bosna and is
located in the central region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the southwest of Sarajevo (Fig.
32, 33). It is one of the country's top natural landmarks and is one of the most famous areas of
natural beauty in the region. The park is usually entered on foot or, for a reasonable price, by
horse-carriage via the main avenue leading into it. The avenue itself contains traditional
buildings from the Austro-Hungarian-era offering a glimpse into the luxuries of the past.

Figure 32. Park around Vrelo Bosne.

http://gulftravelbosnia.com/sarajevo/vrelo-bosne/

The paths and roads inside the park are ideal for walks and give the visitors the
opportunity to take a closer look at the bubbling streams and waterfalls. Outdoor cafs are

33

available offering drinks and snacks but opening times vary from season to season. Typical
fauna includes ducks and swans.
During the Bosnian War the park was not maintained and trees were chopped down
and used for heating by the local citizens. In 2000 the park was restored to its former
appearance by local youths led by an international ecological organization.

Figure 33. The lime avenue in Vrelo Bosne.

http://www.seebiz.net/

Skakavac
Skakavac is a waterfall with a height of about 98 m, which is located 12 km from
Sarajevo (Fig. 34, 35). The Skakavac waterfall is one of the highest and most attractive
waterfalls in B&H and it forms a real tourist attraction, with its location within a landscape of
exceptional beauty.

Figure 34. Waterfall Skakavac.

http://www.visitsarajevo.biz

34

The surroundings are one of the most heterogenous areas in that region, being
dominated by spruce and fir and beech and fir forests with spruce on the more pronounced
slopes. On shallow carbon grounds in the vicinity of the waterfall, there are thermophilous
forests with an understorey of eastern hornbeam and autumn locust as well as eastern
hornbeam and manna ash. The rocks surrounding the waterfall have very interesting
vegetation dominated by endemic and relic types. The waterfall at Skakavac, meaning
grasshopper in Bosnian, is for more than one reason, one of the most attractive tourist sites in
the vicinity of Sarajevo.

Figure 35. Path leading to waterfall Skakavac.

http://www.nahla.ba/tekstovi12.aspx?tid=167

Bijambare
The Bijambare area, which is famous for its caves, is located on the far north-eastern
slopes of Sarajevo District and the Ilija, a small town near Sarajevo. It is accessible via the
main Sarajevo-Tuzla road, from which an asphalt road branches off leading towards a
mountain home and the well-known Bijambare caves, large parts of which are open to visitors
(Fig. 36, 37). An optimum height above sea level (950 m on average), dense conifer woods,
meadows, two water courses with lakes and chasms, five caves, rocky massif and high quality
air provide ideal conditions for alpinism, speleology, skiing, mushroom picking, harvesting
medicinal herbs, or simply for nature excursions and visits.
The central part of Bijambare is a karst enclave with all its commonly observed
characteristics: caves, lost rivers, intriguing funnel-shaped depressions and rocky massifs.
There are five caves located at three levels, in a relatively small area. One of these caves, the
Bijambare cave is especially popular, and it has been a popular tourist spot and a
speleological site for a long time. The cave is 420 m long (basic direction without individual
branches), with four chambers with rich ornaments in all the known forms: lateral blocks,
stalactites, casts, stalagmites and curtains. The fourth chamber is the biggest (around 60 m in
diameter and 1530 m in height). It is also called the "music chamber" because of its acoustic
effects.

35

Figure 36. Bijambare cave.

http://www.discoverdinarides.com/en/bih/bijamb

Figure 37. Path through the forest near Bijamber cave.

http://www.travelobosnia.com/sightseeing/bijambare-caves/#.UydNEmJ1TCs

Finally, it is impossible to avoid mentioning the surrounding Olympic mountains

without which the portrait of this city would be incomplete. There are four Olympic
Mountains around Sarajevo, at just one hours driving time from city or less. They are very
popular with visitors, and tourists as well as with local people.

36

7.
CURRENT RESEARCH ON CHARACTERISTIC USES AND SIGNIFICANT
ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC SPACES
In transitional societies such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, a combination of urbanisation
together with modern way of living is very often the reason for citizens to become completely
or partially isolated from nature. Urban green spaces should, therefore, provide specific
buffer zones for urban people in order for them to maintain both a relationship with nature
and a healthy way of living. Therefore, such an intention demands the fulfilment of citizens'
preferences during planning and maintenance of urban green spaces.

Figure 38. Specific symbiosis of greenery and urban elements of Sarajevo

Source: http://goo.gl/GPUAgl

The specific location and the configuration of the terrain in the valley in which
Sarajevo has developed over the centuries (Fig. 38), means that there is a natural Green ring
formed out of mountains, meadows, forests, streams, mountain villages etc. literally within
half-an-hour walking distance from the city. This has resulted in a specific and very close
relationship between Sarajevos citizens and their natural surroundings. According to the
1965 urban development plan for the city (Aneli, 1981) it was planned to increase area of
public green space in Sarajavo from 5.38 m2 to 20.8 m2 per person. However, in practice the
opposite happened and the area of public green space actually decreased. In 1980, Sarajevo
had only 4 m2 of urban green space per citizen, and the war, with the siege of Sarajevo (19921995), led to the almost complete destruction of public green space of the city - grasslands
were used for agriculture production while park trees were felled for heating.
Today, Sarajevo is facing numerous problems related to its urban green space. The
reasons are manifold, while the drivers of the unfavourable situation relating to urban green
space range from intensified migration from rural to urban areas to various irregularities
related to the civil engineering and also include the weak institutional and legislative
framework. One thing is certain the negative impacts of this situation have both a direct and

37

an indirect influence on the entire population of the city (Fig. 39). The increasing density and
growth of Sarajevo, which is taking place without consideration of the land-use capacity of
the city and citizens' needs for healthy environment and recreation, have contributed to a
drastic loss of trees and forest cover within and around city.

Figure 39. Various consequences of uncontrolled urbanization of Sarajevo.

Sources: http://goo.gl/ZvjUxC & http://goo.gl/yMRVUe

Overcoming these problems requires recognition of the importance of public green

spaces and urban forests for urban development. Urban forests represent two contrasting yet
complementary concepts for analysing interactions between people and environment that refer
to both place and space. While place refers to home, familiarity and safety, space stands for
the unknown, the wild, the adventurous (Konijnendijk, 2008). Bearing in mind the above
mentioned socio-historical context of both Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina (post-war
country with an economy in transition that has influenced Sarajevo as its capital), during the
last couple of years particular attention have been given to understanding and analysing the
perception of and relationship between people in Sarajevos and nature and forests
(Avdibegovi, 2006; Fazli, 2010), urban forests (Braji, 2011) and public green spaces
(Hadiderviagi, 2010).
When it comes to the perception of the forest ecosystems of the Sarajevo, results
revealed that the most frequent association connected with the word forests are nature,
fresh air, trees, relaxation, leisure time and beauty (Fazli, 2010). Similar results were
obtained interviewing visitors to Vrelo Bosne, one of the most important urban forests of
Sarajevo Canton. They associated Vrelo Bosne with nature and immense natural beauties, the
source of the Bosna River, with relaxation and recreation (Braji, 2011). Reasons why
citizens of Sarajevo visit forests include relaxation, fresh air, sporting activities and health
reasons (Fazli, 2010), while the reasons which citizens give for visiting Vrelo Bosne include
making an outing, sport and recreation, relaxation in nature, spending time with friends and
relatives and because of a need for a change of surroundings (Braji, 2011).
As one can see, the reasons why citizens decide to visit urban or peri-urban forests are
very similar: they reflect the need for contact with a natural environment due to its positive
influences on human health., It should, therefore, not come as a surprise that most of the
respondents in the case of both research projects thought that the ecological functions of
38

forest ecosystems/urban forests (Fazli, 2010; Braji, 2011) represented the most important
functions of forests. These are followed by sociological functions, while economic functions
are rated as the least important function of forest ecosystems in Sarajevo.
Nevertheless, the majority of the respondents thought that the condition of the forest
ecosystems of Sarajevo were unsatisfactory (Fazli, 2010). According to the citizens, the main
reason is poor forest management practice on the part of the authorities responsible for the
territory of Sarajevo. On the other hand, most of the respondents thought that the overall
condition of Vrelo Bosne was satisfactory (Braji, 2011). However, they recommended the
authorities responsible for the management of Vrelo Bosne urban forest to pay special
attention to diversifying the facilities on offer, to the organisation of appropriate events, to
making infrastructure improvements and increasing the quality of communication and
cooperation with the citizens as final users (Braji, 2011). Similar results were obtained from
research on public green areas within City of Sarajevo. Respondents were dissatisfied with the
amount of public green space in City, its quality, the infrastructure as well as organisation of
events (Hadiderviagi, 2010). Closeness and availability were the most important reasons
why respondents decide to spend spare time in public green areas (Hadiderviagi, 2010). On
the other hand, important characteristics of public green areas such as their condition, layout
and role as a refuge from traffic and urban hustle were rated as not very well developed
(Hadiderviagi, 2010).
Surprisingly, results of research relating to expectations regarding the Vrelo Bosne
urban forest and research on public green spaces within City of Sarajevo showed that most
visitors visit these places once or twice in a week (Braji, 2011; Hadiderviagi, 2010).
Reasons for spending time in Vrelo Bosne were mainly to have an outing, for sport and
recreation, to relax in natural surroundings, or to spend time with friends and relatives (Braji,
2011). On the other hand, visitors to public green spaces go there for relaxation, to socialise,
to spend spare time with children or simply because it is the closest green space to the place
where they live (Hadiderviagi, 2010). Interestingly, respondents did not mention recreation
and sport activities as main motive for visiting public green spaces. Such a trend was already
noticed and often debated in local newspapers, which have sought to explain how the
mentality of the citizens of Bosnia Hercegovina is the main reasons why fitness facilities
installed at public green spaces are not used as expected. Therefore, the local association for
architecture, sport, recreation and ecology planned to organise education workshops to
emphasise the positive health benefits of recreation in open spaces.
Bearing in mind the results of research studies into the perception/attitudes of citizens
towards forests, urban forests and public green spaces, the general conclusion is that citizens
express a significant need for a natural environment as well as an awareness of the positive
influences of natural environment. However, respondents are generally dissatisfied with the
overall condition of forests, urban forests and public green spaces. Such a situation calls for
the implementation of various participatory techniques for involving citizens in the planning
and managing forests/urban forests and public green spaces as they are the end users whose
needs ought to be fulfilled. On the other hand, citizens express a rather passive relationship
with public green spaces. Therefore, there is a need to organise appropriate educational
campaigns in order to improve their attitude and overall connectedness with public green
spaces of City of Sarajevo.
39

8.

TOURISM DEVELOPMENTS IN SARAJEVO REGION

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a melting pot of many different cultures, a bridge between
East and West. It offers the traveller an experience like nowhere else with influences from
Roman times to the reign of the Bosnian Kings; from the Ottoman Period to the AustroHungarian Empire and from the Yugoslav era with Marshal Tito as its leader. Bosnia and
Herzegovina is also a paradise for nature lovers. With its soaring mountains, untouched
forests and wild rivers, it invites visitors to come for rafting, canoeing or hiking. The Olympic
ski pistes offer the opportunity of enjoying the snow at affordable prices. Perhaps the greatest
asset is the wonderful hospitality of Bosnian people, along with the traditional Bosnian coffee
and cakes, the irresistible evapi (grilled minced-meat fingers), wines of long tradition, our
lively urban promenades and small cosy places (Foreign Investment Promotion Agency
2013).
Bosnia and Herzegovina has experienced a rapid development of tourism in recent
years. Its loction in the southeast of Europe at the crossroads between Europe, the Middle East
and North Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina has all the necessary pre-conditions to further
develop its tourism including geographical features, natural beauty, suitable climate and a rich
cultural and historical heritage. Many tourism business facilities were established in the
period up to the war in 1992, which were supported by a strong transportation infrastructure,
and in 1984, Bosnia and Herzegovina successfully hosted the 14th Winter Olympic Games.
Like all sectors in the country, tourism was heavily affected by the war from 1992 to
1995. After the war, tourism has begun to seen as a strategic development area for the
economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many facilities survived the war, along with countrys
untouched nature and historical treasures, and as a result important development potential is
seen in a number of different areas, including winter tourism, eco-tourism, spa tourism,
cultural and religious tourism and coastal tourism. Research into the tourism business
undertaken by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has shown that an annual growth rate of
10,5 % can be expected over the period to 2020, During this time, Bosnia and Herzegovina
will be the country with the third highest growth rate in tourism.(Development Bank of
Turkey 2010).

Table 5. Estimated foreign tourist arrivals in 2011.

Tourist Category

Estimated Arrivals

Foreign Tourists in commercial accommodation

600.000,00

Day Trips

490.000,00

Diaspora

498.000,00

Total
1.588.000,00
Source: David T. King and Omer ar , Estimating Foreign Tourism Arrivals in B&H, USAID Cluster
Competitiveness Activity

The total added value produced by the tourism sector grew by 1.8% annually in 2011
against a year earlier. The tourism sectors share in total employment amounted to 4.1% in

40

2011. Arrivals and overnight stays from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia have also been showing
an encouraging growth in (Fig. 40).
2,6%

2,9%

3,3%
Montenegro
5,0%

21,8%

USA
France
6,2%

Austria
Germany

7,7%

Poland
Turkey

18,5%

Italy

8,8%

Slovenia
Serbia

9,0%

Croatia

14,1%

Figure 40. Arrivals by Country, 2011 (Source: Bosnian Statistics Agency)

Table 6. Tourists arrivals and nights by type of accommodation facility
TOTAL
Hotels
Motels
Boarding - houses and
hostels
Housekeeping facilities
(private rooms)
Working resting - places and
other
Domestic tourists
Hotels
Motels
Boarding - houses and
hostels
Housekeeping facilities
(private rooms)
Working resting - places and
other
Foreign tourists
Hotels
Motels
Boarding - houses and
hostels
Housekeeping facilities
(private rooms)
Working resting - places and
other

2009
610.817
499.695
54.795

Arrivals
2010
2011
610.817 686.148
499.695 559.397
54.795
58.734

2012
747.827
610.115
59.495

2009
1.268.173
1.034.420
98.942

Nights
2010
2011
1.416.691 1.504.205
1.103.637 1.167.735
96.413
94.535

30.921

30.921

24.191

22.410

51.547

50.627

53.397

41.644

4.879

4.879

3.776

5.061

9.332

5.348

5.296

7.527

20.527

20.527

40.050

50.746

73.932

160.666

183.242

213.578

289.306
220.547
32.783

289.306
220.547
32.783

294.203
206.471
40.607

309.242
219.760
39.252

597.045
448.911
56.539

643.937
430.352
55.097

668.200
426.179
57.786

714.440
456.655
60.827

21.456

21.456

14.905

14.794

33.126

22.126

24.855

22.570

2.762

2.762

2.893

3.473

3.105

2.611

3.430

4.246

11.758

11.758

29.327

31.963

55.364

133.751

155.950

170.142

321.511
279.148
22.012

321.511
279.148
22.012

391.945
352.926
18.127

438.585
390.355
20.243

671.128
585.509
42.403

772.754
673.285
41.316

836.005
741.556
36.749

931.081
825.967
39.323

9.465

9.465

9.286

7.616

18.421

28.501

28.542

19.074

2.117

2.117

883

1.588

6.227

2.737

1.866

3.281

8.769

8.769

10.723

18.783

18.568

26.915

27.292

43.436

2012
1.645.521
1.282.622
100.150

Source: Bosnian Statistics Agency.

41

An analysis of accommodation facilities shows that more than 75% of all

accommodation facilities in B&H is categorized as hotels and motels, although there is
considerable number of other facilities in the grey economy that in practice change the real
structure of the available facilities. Almost 90% of all registered arrivals and 83% of all
overnight stays are spent in hotels and motels. There is constant trend of new facilities
opening in all key destinations throughout Bosnia and Hercegovina, regardless of the lack of
access to finance from the banks and public investments. Based on official statistics, the total
yearly accommodation capacity of the country is some 9.5 million tourist beds (26,100 beds x
365 days). Thus, with official sum of 1.5 million overnight stays in 2011, the official level of
occupancy of tourist accommodation in Bosnia Hercegovina is only 16 % over the year as a
whole. This is an unrealistically low level at which even the basic operational costs would be
hard to cover. During the high tourist season, late spring through summer, the level of
occupancy would be higher. For example, with 190,549 registered nights in 2011, July was
most visited month in 2011 (as it has been in the last ten years) meaning an average of 6,100
overnight stays per day, or a 23% official occupancy rate which is still an unrealistically low
number (Table 6.).
As noted above, the direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in 2011 was
BAM 530 million (2.1% of GDP). This primarily reflects the economic activity generated by
sectors such as hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services
(excluding computer services). But it also includes, for example, the activities of the
restaurant and leisure industries directly supported by tourists. WTTC expected travel and
tourisms direct contribution to GDP in 2012 to rise by 1.8% to BAM 543 million, and
projects long-term growth of 5.9% annually, to BAM 964 million by 2022 (or 2.2% of GDP)
(FIRMA 2013).
According to the Tourism Development Strategy for Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the Federation needs to be recognized as a distinctive tourist destination that
will differentiate itself within the market by offering tradition, variety and richness of
diversity, through the experience of mountains, forests, rivers and the sea, untouched nature
and all within easy reach.
The Sarajevo region has long been the cultural and political capital of Bosnia and
Herzegovina (Fig. 41). It is a region that offers everything, from the excitement of the oriental
capital city Sarajevo to one of the last virgin forests in Europe, which is to be found in
Sutjeska National Park to the east. The cultural, natural, and historic heritage is certainly
amongst the most fascinating in all of the Balkans for it is here that the great eastern and
western powers met and left their influences in this largely unknown corner jf the world. This
region is tucked into one of the most mountainous parts of the country, leading on the one
hand to its isolation, yet creating a certain warm and welcoming feeling in the small
communities in and around the capital Sarajevo.
Sarajevo is a city in which even strangers can feel at home. Neither geographically
expansive nor characterised by large buildings, the city retains a particular, arresting charm
with its abundance of busy caf's and abiding tradition of hospitality.
This city epitomizes a partial centuries-old struggle against outside influences
combined with the absorption of these influences into one of the most diverse cultures in
Europe. Indeed, few places on earth feature an Orthodox and a Catholic church, a mosque and
42

a synagogue within easy walking distance of each other (Fig. 42). If there were any city in
Europe that effortlessly straddles east and west, it is Sarajevo. Here the Byzantine and
Ottoman empires of the east and the Roman, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian empires of the
west left an indelible mark through culture, traditions and religions. A walk through Sarajevo
is a walk through its past. From the oriental Ottoman quarters lined with sweet shops, cafs
and handicraft workshops, to the administrative and cultural centre of Austro-Hungarian
times, Sarajevo encompasses the very best of both worlds.

Figure 41. Sarajevo, the Capital of B&H.

Source: http://www.nkp.ba/sarajevo-medu-10-evropskih-gradova-koje-odmah-treba-posjetiti

Figure 42. Religious objects in Sarajevo.

Source: http://www.nkp.ba/sarajevo-je-civilizacijski-uzor-za-evropu

43

Sarajevo today is a place close to the heart, a city that makes you feel at home.....a community
that welcomes guests as if you were one of their own.
Table 7. Tourists' arrivals and nights in Canton Sarajevo for the period 2009. to 2012.
Arrivals

Overnight stays

2009

2010

2011

2012

2009

2010

2011

2012

170.469

205.392

225.644

268.673

324.677

384.977

427.208

512.434

Source: Federal Office for Statistics 2013

From the Table 7 one can conclude that the present growing trend both in arrivals and
overnight stays in Sarajevo Canton is a positive indicator for the growth of tourism. During
the 2012 Canton Sarajevo recorded 268.673 tourist arrivals. In the same year, the number of
overnight stays was 512.434, suggesting significant potential for growth. Although the
Sarajevo is capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the basis of the above numbers it can
also be described as the countrys capital of tourism.
It is also worthwhile to mention the protected areas in Sarajevo Canton as a further
attraction for great number of tourists (Fig. 43.). These include: Vrelo Bosne Nature
Monument, the Skakavac Nature Monument and the Bijambare Protected Landscape, all of
which are managed by the Cantonal Public Institution for Protected Nature Areas.

Figure 43. Protected areas in Canton Sarajevo: Waterfall Skakavac, Vrelo Bosne and Bijambare cave.
Sources: http://www.ecofutura.ba/slike/galerija/1309814727.jpg
http://www.ekoakcija.com/content/bijambare
http://www.6yka.com/novost/42678/oko-16.500-posjetilaca-na-vrelu-bosne-od-kako-se-naplacuje-ulaz

44

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