From a governorโs coffeehouse in 1590s Banja Luka to the poets of Mostar, Sarajevoโs old kafanas and the legend of a coffee-loving pasha, Bosniaโs relationship with coffee is much older, and stranger, than you might think. Every September 29, the world marks National Coffee Day. For Bosnia and Herzegovina, though, coffee hardly needs a holiday. … Continue reading Bosnia in a Cup: More Than Four Centuries of Kahva, Kafanas and Conversation
When Esmir Bajraktareviฤ buried the decisive penalty against Italy in Zenica, he did more than send Bosnia and Herzegovina to its second World Cup. He set in motion a homecoming, and one of the first stops is a city that has carried the Bosnian flag in America for three decades: St. Louis. On June 6, … Continue reading The Dragons Return to St. Louis: Bosnia’s American Home Welcomes Back Its Team
History often arrives in the form of dates, battles, borders, and political turning points. But the truest record of who we are usually survives in quieter places: in family albums, studio portraits, wedding snapshots, market scenes, school photographs, and the small, unposed moments that rarely make it into textbooks.
Bosnia is a land defined by rugged terrain, from the dense forests and verdant pastures of central Bosnia to the arid, rocky expanses of western Herzegovina. Crisscrossed by largely unnavigable rivers, the region's geography has historically provided both refuge and isolation. Situated between key migration routesโthe Dalmatian coastline and the lowlands stretching from Belgrade through … Continue reading Early Bosnia: A Diverse Landscape and Historical Crossroads
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mountainous country. The terrain ranges from the dense forest and lush upland pastures in north-central Bosnia to arid and gaunt landscapes in western Herzegovina. Throughout history, the land that comprises modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina attracted many peoples and tribes. Today, the people speak a Slavic language, but the remnants of a diverse past remain.
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of the Sarajevo Haggadah is its seemingly everlasting power to connect people. Not just people across the Seder table, although judging from its wine-stained pages, it did that, many times across the years. But more than that, its power to connect people from various backgrounds in the celebration of life. … Continue reading The Power of the Sarajevo Haggadah
Husein Kapetan Gradascevic, popularly known as the Dragon of Bosnia, led the country to independence and is revered as one of Bosnia's most well known historical figures.
Lukomir is a remote mountain village located close to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The residents are semi-nomadic and Lukomir is considered one of the few continuously inhabited villages in all of Europe.
The bascarsija is Sarajevo's historic and cultural center as well as a fully functioning market that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Looking at the pale grey, sun-drenched stones from a distance, one is reminded of Tolkien's mythical city Minas Tirith. This is no fantasy, however, but very much a real-life place, steeped in thousands of years of history and tradition. Pocitelj is located in the Capljina municipality in the southern portion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, directly … Continue reading Pocitelj – the ancient city carved out of sun-drenched cliffs
