SARAJEVO - Croatia and Slovenia - page 709

Bosnian Serb army and paramilitary groups. Overnight, their city—once a proud
showpiece—became a shooting gallery, and the Sarajevan people were the targets.
They were bombarded without warning and picked off by distant snipers as they
crossed the street. For three years and eight months, Sarajevo endured the longest
siege of modern European history. The Sarajevans—Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs
alike—wereforcedtoimprovisetocreateshelter,heat,food,andentertainment.They
dug a half-mile-long tunnel to get basic supplies and did whatever they could to keep
going. For more on this dark time, see “The Siege of Sarajevo” on here .
Since 1996, peace has returned to Sarajevo, and the rebuilding of the city is well
under way. While you'll see some completely restored historical buildings and glass
skyscrapers, you'll also see the skeletons of bombed-out buildings, and lots of bul-
let holes and shrapnel scars. Sarajevo is a city in transition—and much remains to be
done.

Tours in Sarajevo

▲▲▲ Local Guides
With such a powerful and challenging-to-grasp recent history, and with the ready availabil-
ityofextremelygoodandaffordablelocalguides,it'svirtuallyobligatorytohireaguidefor
your Sarajevo time. For the price of joining an organized walking tour in many European
cities, you can hire your very own Sarajevan for the day, who will likely be willing to speak
frankly about their experiences during the siege. If at all possible, arrange to hire Amir
Telibe č irovi ć , a journalist, war veteran, and historian who explains Sarajevo's sights and
history—from ancient to recent—with brilliant clarity. Amir can add immeasurably to your
Sarajevo experience (30 KM or €15/person for a tour of any length, or 50 KM/€25 for just
one person, mobile [phone], [e-mail] ). If Amir is busy, Jadranka Šuster
is worth considering for her professional, by-the-book approach (€40/2 hours, €15/extra
hour, €120/all day, more for 4 or more people; also offers special activities such as cooking
classes, gastronomic tours, coppersmithing, and wood-burning crafts; mobile [phone],
www.sarajevo-tour.com , [e-mail] ).Otherguidesarealsoavailableforsim-
ilar rates; to arrange, contact Sirius Travel (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier).

▲▲▲

Insider Tours
This company runs various itineraries around the city, departing from their office near the
Latin Bridge (at Zelenih Beretki 30, open Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00—or until 17:00 in winter,
Sat-Sun9:30-14:00).Optionsincludetheir introductory free tour (tipsexpected,1.5hours,