Bosnia and Herzegovina Fast Facts

Bosnia and Herzegovina Fast Facts

Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in southern Europe near the sea and is one of the so-called Balkan states. The country borders Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro. See andyeducation.com for education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Capital City Sarajevo
Size 51,197 km²
Resident 3,800,000
Official Language Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian
Currency Marka
Time Zone UTC+1/+2
Telephone Area Code +387

Fast facts to know

  • Country name “Bosnia” is due to the river Bosna, “Herzegovina” is derived from Herceg (duke).
  • In 1984 the Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo.
  • Roads are in reasonable condition, but there are hardly any motorways and many country roads only allow 50-60 km/h.
  • After the war in the 1990s, the country is now considered safe. There is hardly any tourist crime.
  • The Foreign Office still warns of landmines on unpaved roads and speaks out against driving at night due to poor road conditions.
  • Citizens of the EU, the USA and Canada can enter without a visa.
  • Bosnian hospitality is well known and famous.
  • In western Herzegovina and northern Bosnia, a significant number of people speak German.

Exciting cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Sarajevo
  • Mostar
  • Visegrad
  • Banya Luka
  • Trebinje
  • Dubrovnik

History of Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Region settled by Slavs around 600.
  • 1463 Conquest of Bosnia by the Ottomans.
  • As a result, increased conversions of the Christian population to Islam.
  • 1878 Congress of Berlin places the Ottoman provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hungarian administration after the Russian victory over the Ottomans.
  • The assassination attempt on the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo in 1914 is regarded as a major trigger of the First World War.
  • After World War I part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia).
  • 1941 Occupation by troops from the German Reich and Italy.
  • After the Second World War, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was founded (partial republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia with the provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina).
  • End of Communism in Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
  • March 2, 1992 Declaration of resignation from the state association of Yugoslavia.
  • 1992-95 Bosnian War.
  • 1995 Dayton Agreement (establishment of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Climate & travel weather in Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Climate is clearly divided into two:
    • Coastal regions and close to the Adriatic Sea: Mediterranean. Winter mild and humid. Summer dry and very warm.
    • Interior: temperate continental. Large temperature differences between summer and winter.
  • Recommended travel time:
    • Beach holiday: summer months July & August.
    • City tours: spring and autumn months.
    • Hiking or cycling tours in the mountains: June – August.
    • Winter sports: December – March.

Ideas for trips in Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Mehmed Paša Sokolovic Bridge in Višegrad (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
  • Bridge and Old Town of Mostar.
  • National Museum of Sarajevo.
  • King Fahd Mosque (largest mosque in the Balkans).
  • Castle of Banja Luka.
  • Mineral springs in Visegrad.
  • Neum on the sunny Adriatic Sea.
  • Tvrdoš Monastery near the beautiful cities of Trebinje and Dubrovnik.

Eating & drinking in Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Heavily influenced by Turkish cuisine.
  • Wine and beer local drinks
  • Slivovica (distilled from grapes and plums) is considered the national drink.
  • Traditional dishes mostly prepared with meat, generous portions.
  • The kitchen is rich, varied, tasty and largely natural.
    Coffee as the basis of social life.
  • Savory foods common.
  • Grill often used utensil.
  • Pork, beef and mutton are often processed.
  • Typical dishes:
    • Cevapcici (small grilled minced meat rolls).
    • Lokum (Turkish honey).
    • Ajvar (paprika eggplant mousse).
    • Burek (Turkish casserole or strudel with a spicy filling of minced meat, spinach, feta cheese or similar)
    • Sarma (cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat or sausage meat, cooked in bacon and meat broth).
    • Bosanski Lonac (Bosnian meat and vegetable stew).
    • Pita (baked on round baking trays, traditionally filled with meat or feta cheese).
    • Somun (homemade white bread).
    • Baklava (pastry made from puff pastry or filo pastry filled with chopped walnuts, almonds or pistachios).
    • Halva (base made from sesame seeds, sugar, honey and vegetable oil combined with peanuts, walnuts, cocoa, almonds or pistachios).

Particularly scenic

  • Kravice National Park with its famous waterfalls.
  • Nature reserve Hutovo Blato (largest nature reserve of marsh birds in Europe).
  • Perucica Forest (one of the two last primeval forests in Europe).
  • Sutjeska National Park (with the country’s highest mountain, the 2,386 m high Maglic and the approximately 75 m high Skakavac waterfall).
  • Stunning upper canyon of Neretva river.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Fast Facts