This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
People in the Balkan love football, and Bosnia is no exception. They play, watch and support big clubs from the English Premier League and then fight about it. There have been several occasions when I was not allowed to leave my house in Mostar because the city’s rival teams were playing against each other resulting in riots after the game. Local people say that it has less to do with the match than the temperamental Balkans who need to burst.
This tip was submitted by BELEN, a foreign student studying in Sarajevo.
The best way to get to Sarajevo is by plane. There are daily flights from a few European airports for example Franz Josef Strauss Airport in Munich or Vienna International Airport in Austria. If you are departing from another European city, you will have to book a flight which stops at one of these cities. It’s also possible via Budapest, in Hungary.
Banja Luka is the capital of Republika Srpska, one of the two entities of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As you can see from the name, the population of Republika Srpska consists of mainly Bosnian Serbs versus Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats from the Federation. Banja Luka has around 200,000 people, making it the second biggest city, after Sarajevo. Over the past year, I have visited a lot of places in the Federation, but I have never properly been in the Republika Srpska. Thus I was curious to go there and see whether it would be any different from the Federation. I know that I should visit the entire entity to come to a clear conclusion, but I don’t have the opportunity to do that–and nobody ever will see something in its entirety–so I thought the capital was a good place to start.
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
45 minutes north of Mostar is an area perfect for hiking, called Diva Grabovia. It is a perfect example of Karst landscape, defined by layers of bedrocks. If you are not familiar with this geographical term, it’s just incredibly beautiful nature with high mountains and the magical turquoise Neretva River flowing in between. People made an effort to turn this area into a recreational place where you can have the most wonderful hikes.
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
For a school assignment, I interviewed an ex-Dutch batter who served in Srebrenica during its fall. The interview was interesting, so I decided to translate and post it here. I encourage you all to read it; however, it’s best if you do a bit of research beforehand so you can understand it better.
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
In my last article, you can read about the cross on the Hum, the hill dominating Mostar. Although being a topic for argument, it’s one of my favorite places. Not because it is a cross (I think it’s ugly) but because the space takes me away to nature while being in a big city, and offers stunning views of the hills and mountains that surround Mostar.
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
You cannot miss it when you are in or around Mostar: the huge cross (33 m tall) on the Hum Hill which dominates the city. You can see the cross from most spots in Mostar because it is illuminated even at night. It seems to stand there quietly and peacefully, but nothing could be less real.
This cross has been a topic of discussion ever since it was first erected in 2000. The cross is, of course, a religious symbol for the Catholic Croats in Mostar; it’s a part of their religion. According to Bishop of Mostar who spoke at the opening ceremonies and dedication for the cross, “its presence there is “to spread the fruit of peace to all sides of the world.”
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
Herzegovina is a region of incredible natural beauty with shaggy mountains, beautiful lakes, and blue rivers. One of its gems is the Kravice waterfalls near the town of Ljubuški, close to the border with Croatia. It is here that the river Trebižat pours itself 28 meters down to a pool of brightest blue water where you can fish and swim in the summertime. The waterfalls are situated in a half circle of 120 meters wide and through green trees offering an immensely beautiful sight.
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
The Initiative of the United World Colleges (UWC) and International Baccalaureate (IB) in Bosnia and Herzegovina aims to support the peace process in the country and the region by implementing a recognized model of post-conflict education.
This article was submitted by ISA BELLE, a Dutch student studying in Mostar, Herzegovina.
Are there still people who do not know there was a war in Bosnia from 1992 until 1995? Are there still people who haven’t heard of terrible things that happened during that war? No, there is no need to tell those stories again since they have been retold countless times. However, who knows what that war was like? Who knows how war looks like? In Mostar, signs of war are still seen everywhere, especially along the former front lines with the remains of more destroyed houses than standing ones. Unless you have been living in a wonderland or are unaware of the invention of television, you can guess that a war happened here.
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
