Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
corner. The shooting set off a chain reaction of allegiances and grudges that swiftly pulled
allofEurope—and,eventually,muchoftheworld—intoaGreatWarthatwouldendtheage
of empires and inaugurate a new era of modern nations. (For the full story, see “The Shot
Heard 'Round the World” on
here
.)
GoacrossthestreettotheTurkish-style
Latin Bridge
(Latinska
Ć
uprija)—sonamedbe-
cause during Ottoman times, this was an area populated by many Catholics (who said Mass
in Latin). After World War I, the bridge was renamed “Principov Most” for the assassin
who had asserted Bosnian Serb nationalism against the Habsburgs. But after the 1992-1996
siege, Sarajevans couldn't stand calling the bridge after a Bosnian Serb, and went back to
the old name.
Looking down, you'll see that the Miljacka is hardly a rushing river (like the Neretva in
Mostar)—uphereintheBosnianhighlands,thisisstilljustatrickle.Whilenotnavigablefor
trade, the river's current was harnessed to spur the development of the old Ottoman town.
From here, you're near three sights that may be worth a detour later. Looking across the
bridge to the left, you'll see the minaret of the copper-domed
Emperor's Mosque
(Careva
Džamija)—the city's most elegant and oldest, built in 1457 to honor the Ottoman Sultan
Mehmet the Conqueror (though it's been rebuilt and expanded many times since then). Just
