Sarajevo

Sister cities

• Kyiv

History

One of the earliest findings of settlement in the Sarajevo area is that of the Neolithic Butmir culture. The discoveries at Butmir were made on the grounds of the modern-day Sarajevo suburb Ilidža in 1893 by Austro-Hungarian authorities during the construction of an agricultural school. The area's richness in flint was attractive to Neolithic humans, and the settlement flourished. The settlement developed unique ceramics and pottery designs, which characterize the Butmir people as a unique culture, as described at the International Congress of Archaeologists and Anthropologists meeting in Sarajevo in 1894. The next prominent culture in Sarajevo was the Illyrians. The ancient people, who considered most of the Western Balkans as their homeland, had several key settlements in the region, mostly around the river Miljacka and the Sarajevo valley. The Illyrians in the Sarajevo region belonged to the Daesitiates, the last Illyrian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina to resist Roman occupation. Their defeat by the Roman emperor Tiberius in 9 AD marks the start of Roman rule in the region. The Romans never built up the region of modern-day Bosnia, but the Roman colony of Aquae Sulphurae was near the top of present-day Ilidža, and was the most important settlement of the time. After the Romans, the Goths settled the area, followed by the Slavs in the 7th century. During the Middle Ages, Sarajevo was part of the Bosnian province of Vrhbosna near the traditional center of the Kingdom of Bosnia. Though a city named Vrhbosna existed, the exact settlement in Sarajevo at this time is debated. Various documents note a place called Tornik in the region, most likely in the area of the Marijin Dvor neighborhood. By all indications, Tornik was a very small marketplace surrounded by a…

Geography

Sarajevo is near the geometric center of the triangular-shaped Bosnia and Herzegovina and within the historical region of Bosnia. It is situated above sea level and lies in the Sarajevo valley, in the middle of the Dinaric Alps. The valley was once an expansive, fertile, and green space, but considerable urban expansion and development took place following World War II. Forested hills and five major mountains surround the city. The highest of the surrounding peaks is Treskavica at , followed by Bjelašnica mountain at , Jahorina at , Trebević at , and Igman the shortest at . The last four are also known as the Olympic Mountains of Sarajevo. When the city hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, venues were constructed at these mountains for many winter sports events. The city is developed within hilly terrain; some steeply inclined streets and residences perch on the hillsides. The Miljacka river is one of the city's chief geographic features. It flows through the city from east through the center of Sarajevo to the west part of the city, where it eventually meets up with the Bosna river. Miljacka River is also known as "The Sarajevo River". Its source (Vrelo Miljacke) is south of the town of Pale at the foothills of Mount Jahorina, several kilometers to the east of Sarajevo center. The Bosna's source, Vrelo Bosne near Ilidža (west Sarajevo), is another notable natural landmark and a popular destination for Sarajevans and other tourists. Several smaller rivers and streams, such as Koševski Potok, also run through the city and its vicinity.

Most-observed species

• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,529
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  1,611
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  822
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  818
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  482
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  387
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  286
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow

  Passer montanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  285

Most recent

• M 3.7 — 2025-10-02
  9 km SSW of Turbe, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• M 3.7 — 2025-06-01
  10 km ENE of Crnići, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• M 4.1 — 2024-09-22
  8 km ESE of Maslovare, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• M 4.4 — 2024-04-03
  20 km SW of Plužine, Montenegro
• M 4.3 — 2024-02-19
  11 km NNE of Hotonj, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• M 2.8 — 2024-01-21
  2 km SSE of Solina, Bosnia and Herzegovina