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| Location | |
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| Flag | |
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| Short | |
| Capital | Sarajevo |
| Government | developing federal democratic republic |
| Coin | marka (BAM) |
| Surface | 51.129 sq km |
| Population | 3.879.296 (2012) |
| Language | Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian |
| Religion | Muslim 52%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Protestant 3% |
| Electricity | 220V/50Hz (European plug) |
| Call code | 387 |
| Internet TLD | .ba |
| Time zone | UTC 1 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina) is a Balkans country in southern Europe that was formerly part of Yugoslavia. It borders on Croatia in the north, west and southwest, Serbia and Montenegro in the east and has a small coastal strip on the Adriatic Sea in the south.
Info
History
Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence in April 1992. After the declaration of independence, the Bosnian War broke out. Independence was declared by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina after the majority of the Bosnian population voted for independence in the referendum of 1 March 1992. However, the majority of Bosnian Serbs opposed independence. The Bosnian Serb army, led by General Ratko Mladić, surrounded the Bosnian capital Sarajevo in the spring of 1992. The political leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Radovan Karadžić, came up with a plan on May 12, 1992 to physically separate Bosnian peoples. As early as 1992, dozens of Bosnian towns and villages were attacked and then looted and the non-Serb population massacred, imprisoned or expelled. Most of the massacres took place in Foča, Sarajevo, Visegrád, Zvornik, Prijedor, Kozarac, Vlasenica, Bratunac, Sanski Most and Srebrenica, where more than eight thousand people were killed in 1995. After international intervention in 1995, the Bosnian War ended with the Dayton Treaty. Since then, the country has been divided into two entities: The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina), and the Serbian entity: the Republic of Serbia (Republika Srpska). In the latter Banja Luka is the most important city, Sarajevo is constitutionally the capital. In addition to the aforementioned two republics, there is the Brčko Federal District.
It has not become quiet in the Balkans, but Bosnia and Herzegovina did disappear from the news. Until Radovan Karadžić was arrested in July 2008. Aided by this current event, British diplomat and politician Paddy Ashdown - former High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina - sought the news. Ashdown reported in The Observer that Bosnia and Herzegovina was on the brink of collapse [5]. Ashdown reported that the Serbs would be building their own state structure. Prime Minister Milorad Dodik previously sent a delegation to Montenegro to investigate how that country seceded in 2006. The Serbs would strive for an independent Republika Srpska. According to Ashdown, the European Union withdrew too quickly from Bosnia in the 1990s.
Culture
climate
Geography
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a small, mountainous country on the Balkans.
Holidays
Population
The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina are called Bosniaks. The largest ethnic groups in the country are Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Bosniaks are predominantly Muslim, Serbs Christian Orthodox and Croats Catholic. In addition, there are Roma, Albanians, Montenegrins, Ukrainians, Germans, Jews, Czechs, Italians. Many of the groups arrived during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy.
Regions
Within the land borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country is divided into two entities: de Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a Muslim/Croat majority (approx.51% of the land area) and the Republic of Srpskarp or RS with a Serbian majority (about 49% of the country). Furthermore, there is br .ko, a district under international supervision. These are all tricks to end the Civil War in the 1990s.
Herzegovina, in the south, adjacent to Croatia and Montenegro. This area has a Mediterranean climate and is traditionally populated by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and a Serb majority in the east.
Towns
- Banja Luka. Capital of the Serbian Republic and the country's second largest city. In the tourist center you will find several museums and religious buildings.
- jajce. Characteristic tourist town that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Bosnia. You can find the museum in honor of the second Anti-Fascism Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia, the remains of a temple dedicated to Mitras, see a waterfall and climb to the fortress on top of the hill. About five kilometers outside the city you will find characteristic small wooden water mills.
- Sarajevo. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Several places remind you of the recent Balkan War, such as the Museum of Photography and the Escape Tunnel. In addition, in the city you will find oriental-style shops, various historic churches and mosques and the place where Franz Ferdinand was murdered. Several buildings are still standing that recall the 1984 Olympic Games, including the bobsleigh track, which you can reach from the center by chairlift.
- Blagaj. The most famous tourist attraction is the historic Dervish Monastery on the Buna River. Unfortunately you are not allowed to swim there. But with a guide (who does not speak English by the way) you can sail a boat into the cave that is located next to the monastery.
- Mostar. Perhaps the most famous tourist attraction in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prepare for a crowd of Venetian proportions of tourists thronging to take a selfie on Mostar's well-known "old" bridge. You can also visit a bank building that was used as a sniper tower, or enjoy the view from the minaret of the Koskin-Mehmed Pasham Mosque.
- Međugorje. According to tradition, a Marian apparition took place here in 1981. Since then, the town has been overrun by tourists and pilgrims. There are many different churches and the streets are lined with stalls where you can buy statues, crosses, prayer cards and all kinds of other religious souvenirs.
- Trebinje. Small town on the water, with Ottoman architecture. On the nearby hill you will find the Nova Gracanica Monastery, which offers a beautiful view of Trebinje and the surrounding area. About 10 kilometers away is the Tvrdos Monastery, where the monks make wine.
- Zenica.
- Goražde.
Other destinations
- visoko, Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun [1]
- Neum - As a seaside resort it is not that spectacular in itself, but it is the only part of Bosnia and Herzegovina that borders the Adriatic Sea, and a lot cheaper than the seaside resorts in surrounding Croatia.
- Srebrenica - Visit the impressive mass graves and the former army base of the UN security forces. The memories are a black page in Dutch history.
- igman -- ski area
- Jahorina -- ski resort [2]
- Bjelasnica -- ski resort [3]
- lukomir - Village near Sarajevo where time has stood still for centuries. You can visit the village with a guide.[4]
- military
- Tuzla
Arrive
By plane
Daily: Sarajevo-Amsterdam with BH airlines. For the north it is common on Zagreb then Belgrade to fly.
By train
The train is very slow and thus also gives you time to enjoy the scenery. The Sarajevo-Mostar section, where the train goes along the Neretva and the mountains, is especially worth seeing.
By bus
- Centrotrans[5] is the carrier that drives for Eurolines.
- Semi Tours[6] serves the Bosnian diaspora in the Netherlands.
By car
Bosnia and Herzegovina can be reached by car in different ways. The major roads are of good quality, or at least those from Croatia. The quality of the asphalt on the small back roads can be disappointing, at least the one at the border crossing of Skepan Polje from Montenegro.
At the border crossing, make sure you have a recent green card with you (preferably not older than a year, and it must be green), and a valid registration certificate. If you have a lease car, make sure you can hand over something that indicates that you have permission from the lease company to drive this car. If you have a rental car, check in advance whether you have permission from the lessor to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. The different Balkan countries each have their own rules with regard to taking cars across the border.
An international driving license (for sale at the ANWB) is not required at the border. Check in advance whether there are certain attributes that you must have in your car in Bosnia.
Travel around
By plane
By train
By car
There are few motorways in the country, but the regular connecting roads are generally passable. In many cases the small back roads are also paved. A toll has to be paid for the new section of highway A1, between Medjugorje and the Croatian coast. So keep some Bosnian money on hand for that last bit when you leave the country. Also keep some cash aside for parking.
Stick to the speed, even if it seems like you're the only one. The Bosnian police regularly checks for speeders, also on the smaller roads. Angry tongues even claim that Bosnian cops earn a little extra by fining speeding tourists and putting the money in their own pockets. You can recognize a Bosnian cop by the fact that he is waving a lollipop sign on the side of the road.
By bus
By boat
Language
To look at
- Bunker of Tito. Just outside Konjic you will find (well hidden) the bunker of Josip Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia until 1980. A few times a day you can get a guided tour.
To do
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Bosnia is a country with overwhelming nature and every common ecotourism is therefore set up slowly. You can go hiking, cycling, skiing (on Olympic slopes!), rafting, canoeing and canyoning, fishing, hunting or diving! However, much tourism is still very underdeveloped, which gives it a certain adventurous charm.
- Waterfalls of Kravice. Nature reserve in which a large number of waterfalls all flow into the same lake. Bring your swimwear and a towel, because you can swim in them.
To buy
Cost
Food
A dish that you will find a lot in Bosnia (and surrounding countries) is Cevapcici, a kind of kebab, whether or not on a stick. A typical breakfast is Ustipci (known in Herzegovina as Peksimeti), a puff pastry. Furthermore, you will often be treated to Bosnian coffee, in other words coffee where the ground coffee beans are boiled in hot water, and poured in its entirety (so with the coffee grounds and all) in a cup - over a sugar cube.
Going out
stay overnight
Leave that tent at home, because for a few euros more you can sleep in a guest room or a hostel. With a bit of luck you will also be welcomed with a cup of Bosnian coffee. In the Serbian Republic this can even include a glass of a locally distilled alcoholic drink. It is appreciated if you take off your shoes at the front door.
To learn
To work
Safety
Beware, there are still more than a million landmines in the country. Never get off the road or off the beaten track if you don't know the region. Be especially careful in areas that appear to be untrodden for a long time or that have suffered greatly from the war. When in doubt, always ask local people for advice (Min-e? with {Min} as in "vitamin" and the {e} as in "milk"). You have to be especially careful around Sarajevo and Mostar, the main attractions and scene of the heaviest battle.
Health
respect
Contact
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