Sarajevo: The Fall of Yugoslavia and Siege History Tour

Sarajevo, located in the very centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has witnessed many important historical events. It first entered the pages of great history with the attack on the Austrian heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in 1914. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife was the immediate cause of the outbreak of the First World War. More than half a century later, Sarajevo was again in the headlines around the world. The first time was in 1984 when the city, then ruled by the communist government of Yugoslavia, became the host of the 14th Winter Olympics. The event, which became known as the first Winter Olympics held in a socialist country, attracted 1,273 athletes from 49 different countries. The second time was eight years later, in 1992 during the longest and bloodiest siege in European history after the Second World War – the siege of Sarajevo. A city with a standard of living similar to that of western European countries became a war zone for 44 months. Besieged and constantly bombarded by Bosnian Serb troops who had taken up strategic positions in the hills around it, Sarajevo was almost completely cut off from the world. Its inhabitants were deprived of almost everything starting with electricity, food and water. The only escape route from the besieged city became a tunnel that its defenders dug underneath Sarajevo. It was named the Tunnel of Hope.

Our 4-hour tour recounting these events starts in the very centre of Sarajevo. Together with a local guide, you will go to the so-called Yellow Fortress, the remains of the fortifications on Vratnik Hill above Sarajevo. You will visit the Kovači Cemetery, where many of the city’s defenders were buried, and the Markale Market, the site of multiple massacres that took place during the siege of Sarajevo. You will also see the destroyed hospitals from the war and other monuments and memorials that remember the siege of the city. Your guide will lead you down the street that was once known as Sniper Alley, you will also enter the Tunnel of Hope Museum and watch original films shot during the war.

Participants of the Sarajevo tour will also travel back in time to the famous 1984 Winter Olympics. Among other things, they will visit the famous bobsleigh track on Mount Trebević from where the city was later shelled during the siege.

The Fall of Yugoslavia, the Siege of Sarajevo tour will give you an insight into the history of the city that more than once impacted the fate of the whole world and will provide a lesson on the tragic events that happened here during the war of 1992-95.