Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(this is where Torvill and Dean thrilled the world with their ice dancing) and for the closing
ceremony. Today the complex houses a museum about those games. Poignantly, the stadi-
um that once commanded the world's attention is now surrounded by a vast field of head-
stones—mostly of Sarajevans killed during the war. The ice arena's basement was used as a
makeshift morgue, and its wooden seats were used to build coffins for the deceased.
• Our walk is finished. From here, you can circle back to any of the sights you haven't yet
seen. If you have stamina and interest left, you can continue directly on to the next walk,
which covers the main sights of the Siege of Sarajevo. It begins just a 10-minute walk away:
Simply continue following Maršala Tita street, jogging left with the road and passing anoth-
er park (with a conspicuously modern sculpture that was another artist's “white elephant”
gift to Sarajevo). Soon after, you'll reach the major intersection where Maršala Tita street
passes a big church and becomes the city's main thoroughfare (Zmaja od Bosne)—and
where the next walk begins.
(See “Sarajevo” map,
here
.)
This walk, which leads you through the broad boulevards and skyscraper jungle of modern
Sarajevo, is designed to help you appreciate some of the key sites of the Siege of Sarajevo,
andtoprovideaninterestingwaytogettotheworthwhileHistoricalMuseum(whichfurther
illustrates the way people lived during the siege) and the National Museum (though this
is likely closed, due to lack of funding). The walk begins in the shadow of the Bosnian
Parliament building, which you can reach by walking 10 minutes from the end of the self-
guided walk (above) or by riding a tram to the Marjin Dvor tram stop. This neighborhood
is officially called Marijin Dvor (roughly “Maria's Castle,” after a nearby palace that was
built for an aristocrat's wife)—a strangely romantic name for a modern “downtown” turned
war zone. These days it's better known as “Sniper Alley,” the nickname given it by foreign
journalists who covered the besieged city.
• Begin your visit to this part of Sarajevo with a...
“Sniper Alley” Spin-Tour:
Stand near the engraved medieval tomb at the corner of the
big intersection in front of the Bosnian Parliament (the tall, glassy building). Look up to the
hillside across the river. High on that hill, the patch of land with the grave markers is the
city's main
Jewish cemetery;
during the siege, Karadži
ć
's snipers found this an ideal pos-
ition from which to rain bullets down on the innocent civilians below. People would cross
this street only at night, by cover of darkness, or occasionally by running behind a mov-
ing UN armored vehicle that provided cover. Just two decades ago, if you stood here long
enough to read this paragraph, you'd be dead.
