Bosnia and Herzegovina has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, since the Neolithic period.
The Paleolithic in Bosnia is marked by the oldest Paleolithic monument in southeastern Europe, the engravings in Badanj Cave near Stolac in Herzegovina. A magnificent one is Horse attacked by arrows, preserved in fragments and dated around 14000 – 12000 BC.
The Illyrian tribe of the Daesitiates inhabited the area in the Iron Age, before being conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC.
The Slavic tribes arrived in the 6th and 7th centuries, forming the basis of the Bosnian state in the 10th century.
The Kingdom of Bosnia was established in the 14th century, with its capital in the city of Visoko.
The Ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia in 1463, ruling for over 400 years and leaving a lasting influence on the culture and architecture of the region.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1878 to 1918.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo in 1914 was the spark that ignited World War I.
During World War II, Bosnia and Herzegovina was occupied by Nazi Germany and became part of the Independent State of Croatia.
After the war, Bosnia and Herzegovina became one of six republics in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from the end of World War II until 1992, when it declared independence.
In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence, leading to the Bosnian War.
The Bosnian War, which lasted from 1992 to 1995, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 100,000 people and the displacement of millions.
The Dayton Accords were signed in 1995, ending the war and establishing Bosnia and Herzegovina as a federal state with two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to multiple religions, including Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
The historic city of Mostar is famous for its bridge, the Stari Most, which was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century and destroyed during the Bosnian War before being rebuilt.
Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984, becoming the first city in a socialist country to host the games.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its natural beauty, including rivers, mountains, and forests.
The Drina River, which forms part of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled rivers in Europe.
The Una River, located in the northwest of the country, is known for its clear water and numerous waterfalls.
The Sutjeska National Park, located in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, is home to one of the last remaining primeval forests in Europe.
The Vjetrenica Cave, located in the Popovo field in eastern Herzegovina, is one of the most important cave systems in the world.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a diverse terrain, ranging from fertile valleys to rugged mountains.
The highest peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Maglić, which stands at 2,386 meters (7,828 feet) tall.
The Old Bridge of Mostar, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the most famous landmarks in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The town of Pocitelj, located on the banks of the river Neretva, is an ancient fortress town with a history dating back to the Middle Ages.
The city of Jajce, located in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, was the birthplace of the Yugoslav Partisan movement during World War II.
The city of Trebinje, located in the south of the country, is known for its stunning architecture, including the 14th-century Klobuk Monastery.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich culinary tradition, with dishes like cevapi (grilled minced meat), burek (a pastry filled with meat or cheese), and dolma (stuffed vegetables) being popular throughout the country.
The Sarajevo Film Festival, held annually in August, is the largest film festival in Southeast Europe.
The country has a vibrant music scene, with traditional folk music and modern pop and rock music both being popular.
The country’s national football team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and played several times in final qualifying matches.
The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo is one of the most important Islamic structures in the Balkans, built in the 16th century by the Ottoman Empire.
The country has produced several notable scientists and inventors, including Nikola Tesla’s father, Milutin Tesla, who was born in the village of Smiljan, which is now part of Croatia but was part of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time of his birth.
The first electrified tram in Europe was introduced in Sarajevo in 1885, and it is still in operation today.
The town of Blagaj, located near Mostar, is home to the stunning Blagaj Tekke, a 16th-century Islamic monastery built on a cliff overlooking the Buna River.
The town of Visegrad, located in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, is home to the famous Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, which was built in the 16th century by the Ottoman Empire and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The country’s flag features a blue background with a yellow triangle and seven white stars, which represent the stars of the constellation of the Big Dipper.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to several hot springs and thermal spas, including the Ilidza Thermal Spa near Sarajevo and the Banja Luka Thermal Spa in the northwest of the country.
The town of Jajce is home to the Pliva Waterfall, which is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country and is located in the center of the town.
The country has a rich tradition of arts and crafts, including pottery, embroidery, and carpet weaving.
The town of Livno, located in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, is known for its traditional cheese-making industry.
The city of Banja Luka, located in the northwest of the country, is home to several historic buildings, including the Kastel Fortress and the Ferhadija Mosque.
The country’s currency is the convertible mark (BAM), which was introduced in 1998 to replace the Yugoslav dinar.
The country has several ski resorts, including Jahorina, Bjelasnica, and Vlasic, which hosted the Nordic events of the 1984 Winter Olympics.
The town of Fojnica, located in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, is known for its historic Franciscan monastery, which was founded in the 14th century.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its rich cultural and historical heritage, with influences from various civilizations, including the Romans, the Ottomans, and the Austro-Hungarians.
The city of Sarajevo is often referred to as the “Jerusalem of Europe” due to its diverse religious communities living together in peace and harmony.
The Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish prayer book from medieval Spain, is housed in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is considered one of the country’s greatest treasures.
The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, located in Sarajevo, is one of the most beautiful and significant Ottoman mosques in the Balkans.
The city of Mostar is known for its traditional cuisine, including dishes like cevapi, a type of grilled meat, and burek, a pastry filled with meat or cheese.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is also famous for its coffee culture, with traditional Bosnian coffee being a strong and sweet brew served in small copper pots.
The country has made significant scientific achievements, including the development of the first electric tram in Southeast Europe in 1885 in Sarajevo.
The University of Sarajevo, founded in 1949, is the oldest and largest university in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The country has a rich literary tradition, with notable writers including Ivo Andric, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961.
The Sarajevo Film Festival, founded in 1995, has become one of the largest and most important film festivals in Southeast Europe.
The Banja Luka International Animated Film Festival, held annually in Banja Luka, is one of the oldest animation festivals in Europe.
The Bosnian language is a South Slavic language that is closely related to Serbian and Croatian, and has also been influenced by Turkish, Arabic, and Russian.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a diverse music scene, with traditional folk music, sevdalinka, and turbo-folk being popular genres.
The country has a rich tradition of craftsmanship, including pottery, weaving, and woodcarving.
The Latin Bridge in Sarajevo is the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which is widely considered to be the catalyst for the start of World War I.
The Sarajevo Tunnel, also known as the Tunnel of Hope, was a tunnel built during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s to provide food, water, and supplies to the city.
The town of Jajce, located in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, is known for its stunning waterfalls and the medieval fortress of Jajce Citadel.
The village of Lukomir, located in the Bjelasnica mountain range, is one of the last remaining traditional Bosnian mountain villages.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich tradition of folk dancing, with the Kolo, a traditional dance, similar to many balkan cultures, being a popular style.
The country has several UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Old Bridge of Mostar, the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, and the Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards.
The Bascarsija, a historic bazaar in the heart of Sarajevo, is one of the oldest and most vibrant marketplaces in the Balkans.
The city of Tuzla is known for its salt lakes, which are believed to have healing properties.
The Blidinje Nature Park, located in the Dinaric Alps, is home to numerous species of flora and fauna, including the endangered lynx.
The country has a has rich culinary tradition influenced by Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian cuisine. Some of the most popular dishes include cevapi (grilled minced meat), burek (a type of pastry filled with meat or cheese), and dolma (stuffed vegetables). Bosnian coffee, which is made in a traditional style using a copper cezve, is a staple of the local culture.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to several notable scientists and inventors. One of them is Mileva Maric, a physicist and mathematician who was the first wife of Albert Einstein. Maric was born in Titel, which is now part of Serbia, but grew up and was educated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She played an important role in Einstein’s work and co-authored several papers with him.
The city of Sarajevo was the first city in Europe and the second city in the world, after New York, to have a fully electrified tram system. The Sarajevo tramway network began operation in 1885 and is still in use today.
The famous Bridge on the Drina, a novel by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andric, is set in the town of Visegrad in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The book, which won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961, tells the story of the people who lived in the town and the bridge over the Drina River that connected them.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich tradition of music and dance, with a variety of styles influenced by Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Slavic cultures. One of the most popular traditional instruments is the sevdah, a type of stringed instrument similar to a guitar. Sevdalinka is a genre of music that originated in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is characterized by its melancholic and emotional lyrics.
The town of Jajce is known for its 21-meter-high waterfall.
The country has several UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Old Bridge of Mostar and others.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a rich tradition of folk art, including wood carving, embroidery, and pottery.
The village of Lukomir is one of the last remaining traditional Bosnian villages.
The city of Tuzla is home to Panonsko Lake, which is known for its therapeutic mud.
The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun is a controversial archaeological site located near the town of Visoko in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The site is said to consist of several pyramids and other structures, including the Pyramid of the Sun, which is claimed to be the largest and oldest of the pyramids.The discovery of the site in 2005 by Bosnian-American businessman Semir Osmanagic sparked a great deal of controversy and debate among archaeologists and scientists. Osmanagic claims that the structures are man-made and date back thousands of years, about 12,000, and that they were built by an ancient civilization that predates the Egyptians and other well-known civilizations.However, the claims made by Osmanagic have been largely dismissed by the mainstream scientific community, and the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun is widely considered to be a pseudoscientific theory. Despite this, the site remains a popular tourist attraction and continues to be the subject of ongoing research and debate.
The country is known for its hospitality and tradition of welcoming guests.
The Sarajevo tramway network began operation in 1885 and is still in use today.
