BAZ·nee·uh - /bɑˈzniʌ/
HER·tsuh·goh·vee·nuh - /hert.sə.ɡoʊˈviː.nə/
Named for the river Βοσώνα (Greek) - likely derived from Illyrian, Bass-an-as, which could be from PIE root bʰegʷ = running water. Herzegovina = herzog's [land], with herzog from German herceg = duke, (which made it's way to the Balkans via 15c Bosnian magnate, Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, titled the Herceg of Hum & the Coas) + the Greek suffix ia = land of 🔍.
A form of the name, Bosona, was 1st mentioned in a Byzantine Emperor's handbook c. 10c (It now refers the larger, Bosnia region in the north of the country, while Herzegovina is the smaller, southern region but, historically, the border between the two was never clearly defined.) The region was renamed the Sanjak of Herzegovina by the Ottomans in the 15c and included within their Bosnia Eyalet, until the formation of the short-lived Herzegovina Eyalet in the 1830s. The two re-merged in the 1850s becoming commonly referred to as both Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Turkish, Greek & Ottoman influences abound in the Bosnia's bustling bazaars and proud coffee culture. The country offers dramatic landscapes, affordable outdoor adventures &
uncrowded, historic, cozy old town charms.
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
Bosnian
-
Bosnian Mark
Water safety
Generally Safe to Drink - including from many public fountains.
+ Croatian & Serbian. Most Locals in larger cities can speak some English.
Currency:
BAM
Local Transport
There is a bus network in large cities but smaller towns will require a car.
Look for the label: aščinica when choosing where to dine - it's the local term for "traditional" Bosnian restaurants and they are the best way to try national dishes featuring an open coal grill.
Hot Tip:
Like all the nations formally part of Yugoslavia, Bosnia & Herzegovina has a complicated enthno & political history rife with strife. It has three main ethnic groups: Bosniaks, (largest group,) Serbs & Croats.
Inhabited since at least Paleolithic times, the earliest recorded 🔎kingdom in Illyria were the Enchele, in the 8c BC. Illyrians were slowly annexed by the Roman Empire between 230 BC - 9 AD with Latin-speakers from the entire Empire settling among the Illyrians, (Roman soldiers were encouraged to retire in the region.)
a bit of background...
........................ While B & H is a 99.9% land-locked, mostly mountainous country that's nearly 50% forest, by international law they retain right of passage through Croatia (@ Nuem) to the Adriatic Sea.
FUN FACT:
Celts, and then Early Slavs, raided the Western Balkans in the 6 + 7c AD and established the Banate of Bosnia as part of the greater Croatian Duchy. This evolved into the Kingdom of Bosnia by the 14c (still a sort of shared/joint state🔍 with the Serbians) which was then annexed by the Ottoman Empire the 15c who also organized the territory into regions including the Bosnia Eyalet and an area they called at different times Sanjak of Herzegovina or Herzegovina Eyalet.
Annexed again by Austro-Hungarians, WWI was triggered when a member of the Young Bosnia org. (fighting for Bosnia separation from Austria,) assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, 1914. During the interwar period it became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (with the 🔎South Slav Kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes) which became the Socialist Federal🔍 Republic of Yugoslavia after World War II. A brutal Bosnian War led to the unions breakup in 1992 with the country proclaiming independence as the 🔎Republic of Bosnia & Herzegovina, later shortened to Bosnia & Herzegovina in 1995.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Ćevapi - traditional Bosnian sausage w/ minced meat ∞ Somun/ Pitica - hollow & puffy flatbread
Begova Corba (or Bey’s soup) - a creamy chicken & okra stew ∞ Khash - breakfast soup of beef legs & tripe
Bosanski Lonac† (Bosnian Pot) & Grah- slow-cooked meat/ bean stews ∞ Klepe - mince-meat dumpling
Bosanska Kahva†† - the national (coffee) brew ∞ Salep Tea - made from tubers of particular orchid species
Tufahija - traditional dessert of poached apples stuffed w/ walnuts topped w/ whipped cream.
➿➰➿
† A traditional medieval miner's dish †† Similar to Turkish coffee in prep & presentation, but don't call it 'Turkish' - Bosnians are proud of their distinct version.
I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit
Bosnia
(but it's on the list!) - So I don't have any personal
(If you get there first send me your best finds !)
recommendations yet, but you can start with the most popular spots
below, and I'll update with my favorites, hopefully soon!
Most Known For:
♦️ Sarajevo - with 16c Old Clock Tower, Tunnel of Hope, the 'line in the sand' between
Asia & Europe, and Bascarsija Square with Sebilj Wooden Fountain & Old Bazaar
🔸 Mostar - with Stari Most (Old Bridge) connecting Bosniak & Croat neighborhoods over
the Neretva, originally constructed 1557-1566 by the Ottomans (destroyed in the Bosnian
War but reconstructed 2004)
♦️ Perucica Rainforest - the lungs of Europe, one of the continents few surviving rainforests
🔸 Tito Memorials & cafés including Tito’s Nuclear Bunker
♦️ Pliva Lakes - home to the unique wooden Pliva watermills
🔸 Ostrožac Fortress - Gothic castle in the Una Valley
.
🌀 Sarajevo Film Festival (August) - one of only 18 Internationally recognized 'film cities,' the city also hosts
the MESS International Theatre Festival
🌀 Music Festivals like Mostar Summer Fest & Sevdah's Sevdalinka Festival of traditional music
🌀 Cimburijada/ Festival of Scrambled Eggs - (first day of Spring) locals gather at dawn in Zenica, to cook &
enjoy a huge quantity of scrambled eggs w/ music & picnics along the banks of the Bosna River
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
Make the Time!
Worth the Effort/ $
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