Bosnia-Herzegovina draws the tourists

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MENTION Bosnia-Herzegovina, chances are most travellers do not even have it on their list of must-visit tourist destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand or some European countries.

Some may still regard Bosnia-Herzegovina as a war-ravaged country – more so since our government had given shelter to some of its citizens during the Bosnian war which ended in 1992.

I had an opportunity to visit Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from June 14 to 16 on an assignment, and as I saw it, the historically-rich country is endowed with natural beauty, accentuated by majestic mountains and clear rivers.

According to Onn Mohamad, a Malaysian working at the Bosnian embassy office in Sarajevo and who accompanied us during our stay there, Bosnia-Herzegovina has a lot to offer in terms of tourism which is an important contributor to its economy.

His colleague, Sabina, a Bosnian, concurred, but pointed out that more publicity and promotion abroad was needed to attract more tourists.

In 2013, the world economic forum reported in its Travel and Competitiveness Report that Bosnia-Herzegovina was the world’s eighth friendliest nation towards tourists while the travel guide series, Lonely Planet, placed Sarajevo among the top 50 cities in the world.

Similar to many European countries, the major tourism draws in Bosnia-Herzegovina are its history, religions and cultures.

Adnan, another Bosnian embassy staff, said for Christians, Medjugorje, where Our Lady of Medjugorje is located near Mostar, about two hour’s drive from Sarajevo, is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites.

Christians, especially Catholics, believe Mother Mary has been appearing to six children there since 1981. The children are now all grown up.

Tourists and locals walking along a street in old Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Adnan said the religious site had drawn over one million pilgrims yearly – and more than 30 million Christians have reportedly been visiting the site since 1981.

Several hours after our arrival – on the evening of the first day – the weather was still bright but a little cold outside the hotel.

Our group was then brought to visit the Sarajevo History Museum at the Old Town of Sarajevo as the National Museum was still closed.

The Museum – though quite small and located on the ground floor – exhibits interesting documentary records on the Sarajevo Siege, photos of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s former leaders and weapons, flags and personal objects used during the siege.

After spending almost an hour there, we walked to nearby Bashcharshiya area where a number of fast food restaurants and rows of shops, selling souvenirs, ranging from clothes to copper and other traditional items, are located.

We stopped for the popular Turkish coffee and had a taste of the pita bread stuffed with salads and meat.

Our evening ended with a hearty Malaysian meal at the official residence of the Malaysian ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Anuar Kasman.

Old Bridge Mostar

Tourists on the Mostar Bridge.

This bridge is one of the famous historical monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Symbolising the town, it is regarded as the one of the 20th most beautiful bridges in the world.

Built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, it ranks as one of the best Islamic architectures in the Balkan peninsula (Southeast Europe).

Mostar was named after the bridge keepers who in medieval times guarded the old bridge over the Neretva River. Today, it is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most recognisable landmarks in the Balkans.

Before setting foot on the bridge, we were brought to a small shop to watch a video footage on how the actual old bridge looked like and how it was destroyed during the Bosnian war.

A bullet-riddled building near Mostar city.

It was quite touching to see how an important bridge, connecting the two sides of the Mostar town, was destroyed by artillery. By 2004, the bridge was rebuilt, using some of the old parts retrieved from the Neretva River.

After that, we went hunting for souvenirs at the many shops on both sides of the streets, selling items like t-shirts, hoodies, carpets, shawls, jewellery, ceramics, handcrafts, fridge magnets, bags, silver, books and food and drinks.

After almost two hours at Mostar, we returned to our hotel in Sarajevo, and later, attended a business meeting- cum-dinner at one of the hotels.

Much as we wanted, we could not visit the other places of interests such as national parks, waterfalls, towns and bridges as our stay at Sarajevo was a short one.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is also a popular destination for winter sports, canyonying, canoeing and kayaking, hiking and rafting.

As I see it, the country has a lot to offer. A visit will certainly be memorable except that English is not widely spoken there.

Buna River

Crystal-clear Buna River is sited southeast of Mostar city. Its source is a karstic spring from the mountains.

The next day, we proceeded to Buna River by coach, travelling along scenic routes and passing by lakes, mountains and villages dotted with cottage-styled homes at the foot of the mountains.

The traffic was quite heavy as it was Sunday. After about two hours’ drive, we reached Buna River, southeast of the town of Mostar.

The trip was really worthwhile. The scenery was captivating with mountains in the background and crystal-clear Buna River meandering downward.

The embassy staff said the riverwater was fit for drinking and some of us took the opportunity to sample it. We spent about an hour there, taking photographs and savouring the natural beauty.

The Buna is a short river, only 9km, and is a left bank tributary of the Neretva River. Its source is a strong karstic spring, emerging from a huge karstic cavern beneath a high vertical cliff.

The Buna is among the finest examples of an underground karst river and also one of the largest and most beautiful springs in Europe with very cold and clean water.

Along both banks, there are several strategic spots where one can have drinks and meals while watching the river flows by.

One can also walk around, looking for souvenirs from the many kiosks or go to the bridge to enjoy the scenery.

Tito Bunker

The horseshoe shaped tunnel inside Tito’s Bunker near Konjic.

Our next stop was the equally interesting and historical (unused) Tito Bunker, once the best kept secret at the Zlatar Mountain near Konjic when the country was still under Yugoslav rule

According to Onn, only very few people knew about its existence in those days and the Bunker is still not easy to access as it is located at a military area.

In front of this 6,500 sq metre Bunker, built by President Tito at the cost of USD4.6 billion, is an ordinary house, acting as a diversion.

The Bunker was one of the most expensive structures the former Yugoslavia ever built, taking 26 years (1953-79) to complete. It was designed to withstand nuclear war and shelter the communist leaders and army generals.

Its air conditioning system, power generator, toilets and other facilities are still working and the container cistern is filled with fresh water. The place is maintained by army personnel.

After an interesting tour of the 300-feet deep Bunker, including the horseshoe-shaped tunnel and the Bunker’s many sections, led by army officials, our group departed for the city of Mostar to visit its landmark bridge.