1425. These are the days of the siege of Sarajevo, from 5th April 1992 to 29th February 1996. The longest siege of the modern history.

Baščaršija is Sarajevo's old bazaar

During the war, everyday Sarajevo was on the newspapers and in Tv. People on a queue to fill bottles of water, people died while they were buying bread, buildings destroyed and sounds of shots. This is what I remember about that period.

Old and new

Twenty year later, I had finally the occasion to visit Sarajevo.

There is a general idea that Bosnia Herzegovina is not yet a safety area. But people are completely wrong. This area is actually a fast growing touristic destination. Just the capital city offers a wide range of museums, artistic areas, beautiful mountains and a dynamic night life (1 million visits in 2015).  Lonely Planet named Sarajevo as the 43rd best city in the world and in December 2009 listed Sarajevo as one of the top ten cities to visit in 2010.

Many things touched me during my stay in Sarajevo.

First, the cemeteries that are built almost everywhere. 13,952 people were killed during the siege. 
The modern city center has been renovated and now it appears clean, nice and new. But a little bit outside of it, you will be able to see some buildings in ruins or full of holes caused by bullets.

The number of Mosques is the second thing that fascinated me. Hearing muezzins calls for the time of prays, gives to the city a very special and charming atmosphere, 

There is something else that touched me when I was in Sarajevo. People are really opened to talk about war. War tourism is a big resource for the city, but it is also a big pain. Anyway, it seems that people don't have problem to talk about that.

Cemetery in Sarajevo

Sarajevo is a worth destination for tourism. It is not only the stage of a bloody war, it has been also the city of Winter Olympic Games in 1984 and the city of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria that led to the first World War.

Sarajevo has been one of the most interesting place I have ever visited. It is an example of how a human beings can survive to everything and rebuild places, economy and finally, life.

I really hope that one day we will be able to visit other places that today are crossing a difficult period, like Aleppo or Bagdad.

Objectively, Paris is the most beautiful city in the world, and nothing in Sarajevo can be compared to Paris, but my heart never trembles in Paris like it does here in Sarajevo, when I wait in line at the post office.
- Goran Bregović, musician and composer -