Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the heart shaped land that lies in the heart of southeast Europe. It is here that eastern and western civilizations met, sometimes clashed, but more often enriched and reinforced each other throughout its long and fascinating history.


Bosnia and Herzegovina is a long name for a country that measures just over 50,000 km2. Bosnia covers the north and centre of the country with its name probably derived from 'bosana', an old Indo-European word meaning water, which Bosnia has no short of.

The southern region of ancient Hum, ruled by Herceg Stjepan (Duke Stjepan),was later named Herzegovina after the region was conquered by the invading Ottomans. Perhaps what is most important for the visitor to know today, though, is that Bosnia and Herzegovinais a stunningly beautiful country with a vast array of landscapes, cultures, traditions and people. And as the old cliche goes 'people make the place' – and BiH prides itself on its hospitality and treating our guests as if they were family members. And family we take to heart.

 

 

Geography

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the heart shaped land that lies in the heart of southeast Europe. It is here that eastern and western civilizations met, sometimes clashed, but more often enriched and reinforced each other throughout its long and fascinating history.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a long name for a country that measures just over 50,000 km2. Bosnia covers the north and centre of the country with its name probably derived from 'bosana', an old Indo-European word meaning water, which Bosnia has no short of.

The southern region of ancient Hum, ruled by Herceg Stjepan (Duke Stjepan),was later named Herzegovina after the region was conquered by the invading Ottomans. Perhaps what is most important for the visitor to know today, though, is that Bosnia and Herzegovinais a stunningly beautiful country with a vast array of landscapes, cultures, traditions and people. And as the old cliche goes 'people make the place' – and BiH prides itself on its hospitality and treating our guests as if they were family members. And family we take to heart.

 

Climate

Due to its unique geographic positioning, Bosnia and Herzegovina is ideal for multi-season visits. Our climate suites every type of tourist, from sun seekers on the Adriatic Coast to white powder skiers we've got the best of both worlds.

The Mediterranean and Alpine influences meet and create a mosaic of climate types within a relatively small area. The southenjoys warm, sunny and dry weather, with very mild winters. In the more continental areas the weather is similar to that of central Europe – hotsummers, cool springs and autumns, and cold winters with considerablesnowfall. The Mediterranean and continental climates meet in the middle, creating one of the most diverse eco-systems in Europe. The mountains create a climate of their own. The Alpine climate rulesthe mountain terrains of the high Dinarics above 1700 meters. The wintersthere are extremely cold, with temperatures well below zero for more thansix months of the year.


Language

There are three 'official' languages spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. For the local people there is a great importance attached to the name of the language. For practical purposes, they are one and the same.

 

The differences are similar to those between American and British English. The pre-war language of the former Yugoslavia was Serbo-Croat. This term is virtually extinct now. Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is a Slavic language. Many words are similar in Czech or Slovakian, even Polish and Ukrainian. It is in the same family as Russian but is distinctly different. In the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina many signs will be in Cyrillic, including road signs which may make it difficult to know exactly where you are. In the Federation only the latin alphabet is used.

In the cities it is very common to find English- speaking people. The heavy presence of the international community has almost made it a second language here. Most young people will have at least some knowledge of English almost anywhere you go. Because of the large refugee and immigrant population that lived in Germany during the war there are many German speakers as well. In the rural areas it will be hard to find English-speaking adults, but don’t be surprised to find children able to ‘small chat’ with you in English.

 


People

There are three main 'peoples' that inhabit this country: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. Despite different religious and/or ethnic background their language, traditions and culture are more similar than not.

For practical purposes you'll find quite a few versions of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a nutshell, there are three main 'peoples' that inhabit this country: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. There is also sentiment of just being Bosnian, with no particular affiliation except to the country from where they are from. The Bosniaks are mainly Muslims, the Croats Catholic and the Serbs Orthodox. Despite different religious and/or ethnic background their language, traditions and culture are more similar than not. Their roots are in the early Slavic tribes that settled this land between the 6-7th centuries and intertwined with the indigenous Illyrian tribes.

In short, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina are southern Slavs, with varying religious backgrounds. According to the last population census there were 4,354,911 inhabitants in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991. Due to war-related death and migration, that number is lower now. Policy makers estimate that the country's population is now around 3.8 million people and steadily growing, and that over one million Bosnians now live abroad. The ethnic composition remains similar to the pre-war percentages: Bosniaks (Muslims) 44%, Serbs (Christian Orthodox) 32%, and Croats (Catholics) 17%. The remaining 7% of the population is composed of Yugoslavs, Albanians, Roma, Jews, and several other minority groups.

 


Religion

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country at the crossroads of eastern and western civilizations. Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics, Jews live here together.

 

In this country it is hard to find a town that doesn't have both churches and mosques. This illustrates that Bosnia and Herzegovina is indeed at the crossroad of eastern and western civilizations.

The medieval Bosnian church is a good starting point for understanding contemporary Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inheriting the fierce self-reliant attitude from the indigenous Illyrian clans, the newly arrived Slavic tribes adopted their own form of Christianity.

While most of Europe and the Balkans were under the influence of either of the two major Christian belief systems, geographically isolated Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrated a Christian god with many elements of paganism, and without the structure and hierarchy of the two Christian churches. Both Catholicism and Orthodoxy vied for power in the region, but the Bosnian Church was able to maintain its unique belief system for centuries. The Catholic influence was seen more in central and northern Bosnia whilst Orthodoxy took its early roots in eastern Herzegovina and along Serbia's borders with BiH.

The arrival of the Ottomans had a more substantial religious influence on the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina than the Orthodox and Catholic attempts of the previous period. The Ottomans first arrived in the region in the fourteenth century, and over the next two hundred and fifty years Bosnia saw a significant portion of its population convert to Islam. In the sixteenth century a fourth group entered the region. Many of the Sephardic Jews that had been expelled from Spain in 1492 resettled in Sarajevo, Mostar, Travnik and other major Bosnian cities and were accepted as merchants together with their religion, culture and tradition.

In Tito's Yugoslavia, most people strayed from their religious beliefs. Religious practice was allowed but frowned upon, secularism was encouraged and the religious leaders were chosen by the communist party. Despite the heavy influence of the Ottomans, Bosnia and Herzegovina remained a very multi-religious state. This holds true today, with Muslim, Orthodox, Catholics, Jews and others living together.

 


Economy

Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in a process of economy reforms, trying to make use of its rich resources.

 

Before the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina concentrated on the production of basic goods (wood, agricultural produce, iron bars) and intermediate products (parts of cars, parts of shoes, parts of furniture). Other regions of former Yugoslavia bought these intermediate products and used them to make final consumer products. Because of the war, these buyers had to find new suppliers.

Ever since the Dayton Peace Accords were signed at the end of 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in a long, slow and painful process of economic recovery. The reform process has been slow for a number of reasons. There is no tested recipe for the economic revitalisation of a place that left the world economy as part of a centrally planned country and re-emerged as a war-torn independent country in a competitive free market economy. It is simply not known what such a country should do to adapt. And yet, not all is bad.

The currency is strong, inflation is low, the country is not heavily indebted, and much of the infrastructure has by now been reconstructed. Bosnia and Herzegovina is on track to be a new member of the Europe Union. The country is focused on cutting back its bureaucracy, privatise its public companies, and attract foreign investments. Its strategic economic growth plan relies on wood processing, agriculture, tourism, steel, mining, services, textiles and construction materials. The greatest resources of Bosnia and Herzegovina are its rich, lush forests and abundant crystal clear mountain rivers. We aim to protect our natural resources and provide alternative means to sustainable growth through eco-tourism, SME development, and agriculture (particularly small scale organic agricultural).

 


Culture

Until contemporary times Bosnia and Herzegovina usually fell outside the realm of European artistic movements. Creative forms, however, have a long and fascinating history dating back to Neolithic times.

 

The museums and galleries in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not filled with renaissance or romantic paintings but rather with the living forms that represented everyday life. Contemporary art has been a key influence in the cultural revolution that has taken place in the last half of the 20th century. Culture in the centuries leading up to this revolution can be visited today as a living museum through the architecture, traditional dress, stone carvings, pottery and jewelry, and sacral places. The culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not be found hanging from the walls of a museum but can be seen in the intricate paintings of the mosques, the beautiful woodwork of traditional furniture, or the magnificent stitch of the highlander’s attire. It is this mix of old and new creative forms that sets Bosnia and Herzegovina apart from its European neighbours.

Today's cultural scene is a steadily flourishing one. Sarajevo host some of southeast Europe's finest festivals in the Sarajevo Film Festival, Jazz Fest, the MESS alternative theatre festival and countless others. Contemporary literature, music and art embraces the creative struggle of a country reborn.

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