BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Sarajevo's Austro-Hungarian Influence and WWI

After the Ottoman Empire’s decline Sarajevo was annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878. 

Under the Austrians new buildings were constructed with western architecture.

Quite literally, there is a distinct line of different architecture where “east meets west” between the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian areas.

They now have a marker in the pavement to make sure the tourists notice.

 

The Austro Hungarian influence is clearly different from the town's original Ottoman style. The new buildings have ornate embellishments.

 Their buildings are also bigger and taller.

 

On June 28th, 1914, as part of an Austro-Hungarian Empire tour the heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Inspector General of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces, and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, were visiting Sarajevo to oversee military maneuvers.

Not all the Serbs were happy being under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They perceived it as a threat to Serbian independence. They wanted to unite all Serbs under a Serbian government. Their solution was to assassinate the Royal Couple during their visit. Their choice of weapon was a bomb. It exploded near the couple's car as they drove by the Latin Bridge. 

The Archduke and Duchess narrowly escaped the explosion. After the confusion and a re-route by the driver, who was not familiar with the city, they took a detour by the Latin Bridge again, with the intent to visit the bombing victims at the hospital. Ironically, the car stopped in front of the assassin. This gave the surprised assassin a second chance. He took it, fired two shots and killed both the Archduke and his wife.

Those two shots in Sarajevo ignited the fires of war when Austria-Hungary then declared war on Serbia. 

That declaration of war set off a series of cascading war declarations from allies. Russia sided with Serbia, Germany sided with Austria, Britain sided with Serbia and Russia, and so on, which led to World War I.

And the rest, as they say, is history.