Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia was settled Slavic people from what is now Poland in the 6th century. It was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and many of the people here converted to Islam. There are mainly three religious groups here, Catholics from Croatia, Orthodox from Serbia and the converted Slavic Muslims called Bosniaks. While religious differences played a part in the 1990s war, other factors contributed to the war as well. Much has been rebuilt It is a great place to buy souvenirs because everything is less expensive here.
How to get to Bosnia
Bosnia is accessible by road from the surrounding countries. A train runs from Zagreb to both Mostar and Sarajevo. It is also accessible by bus.
Trip Information
This trip is part of an Overseas Adventure trip called “Crossroads of the Adriatic”. We drove to Bosnia from Dubrovnik, Croatia. We toured by bus throughout the region, visiting Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia as well as.
Mostar
Mostar was established by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century. Its bridge over the Neretva River was built in the 16th century, but destroyed in the war in 1993. It has been rebuilt Today, there are people who jump off the bridge for a donation from the tourists. They will also teach you how to jump for a price.
The river divides the Muslim and Croat sections of the city. Mostar is on the crossroads and easy to reach from other countries. It is now a tourist stop with many shops. We stopped here for lunch and sightseeing on the way to Sarajevo.
Sarajevo
Sarajevo was once a city that celebrated being diverse with all faiths represented and thriving together. It hosted the winter Olympics in 1984, and locals say that was the last happy time in Sarajevo. The Yugoslav wars of the 1990s severely damaged the city, but it has been rebuilt.
View from the Latin Bridge from where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed which sparked the First World War. Sarajevo was part of Austria-Hungry at that time.
This trip information:
Overseas Adventure Travel: Look for travel to these countries.
References
Overseas Adventure Travel Handbook
Wikipedia
Related Sites:
History, Britanica
