Images of Sarajevo: Bloodshed and Beauty, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

My wife and I recently traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend a screening of one of my films at the Jahorina Film Festival in Sarajevo. Now, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this mysterious country and “infamous” city but after our week there, I can tell you that this is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to and Sarajevo is a city that will steal your heart. We stayed in the heart of Sarajevo (Old Town) and spent the better parts of two afternoons walking the streets of the country’s capital city as well as its largest.

Due to its long and rich history of religious and cultural variety, Sarajevo is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe”. It was, until late in the 20th century, the only major European city to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighborhood. The city, which dates back to the 15th century, has also attracted international (and infamous) attention.

It was in Sarajevo where the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie, occurred on 28 June 1914, setting off World War I. Sarajevo was the site of the 1984 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics to be held in a Communist state (remember Torvill and Dean?). And it was in Sarajevo where the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare took place. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).