The population in the metro area of Sarajevo in 2024 is 347,000 people.
Outside of the historical Ottoman old town, the Austrian area and the war scarred buildings there are a few modern buildings marking a new post-war era.
Every morning before it was too hot we would walk along the Milijaka River where we found these stand-out buildings.
One is in 1984 when Sarajevo hosted the world at the Winter Olympics.
It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a Slavic language-speaking country, as well as the first Winter Olympics held in a communist country.
The 1984 Winter Games mascot was a wolf, an animal typically found in the forests of the Dinaric Alps region of Yugoslavia.
The 1984 Winter Olympics was considered a success. It made it possible to further modernize Sarajevo and develop winter sports in Yugoslavia.
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.
It has been influenced by Ottoman, then Austro-Hungarian, and then Yugoslav rule.
This gives it a unique blend of cultures with a mixture of both Eastern and Western influences.
The Old Town Sarajevo dates back to the beginning of the 15th century under the Ottoman Empire when they occupied parts of eastern Europe.
