Sarajevo and Belgrade like Cities Problem – Sarajevo

Sarajevo-Bosnia and Herzegovina

And I mean literally in the geographical sense although with quite opposite geographical advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with Sarajevo capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Who had never been there and visited it I recommend to check out Google earth and will automatically understand all disadvantages. Located in the middle of the mountainous region with basically not existing land for agricultural and industrial development it is hard to imagine how it could sustain artificially growing population.  It was founded and developed by Ottomans and was on route from Istanbul to the western borders. It was on important commercial and military route, centered almost in the middle of the regions of Serbia Bosnia and Montenegro.  Means of transportation and political surrounding were completely different and all Balkans was connected and oriented to the Ottoman Empire on the East, connections with the West did not exist, except movement of military troops. There was no border between Istanbul and Sarajevo and there were all line of cities on that East- West route that fall behind with disappearance of Ottoman Empire.  So how Sarajevo survive? It is simple. Today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina become a part of Austro-Hungary and was never intended to be border region, but just transition period until Serbia and rest of the Balkans would be occupied and annexed to Austro- Hungary. Again Sarajevo gained on strategic importance. Austria was developing and populating it with it’s citizens from the rest of the country / Roman Catholics/ in preparation of military actions against Serbia and Montenegro.  There was border on the river Drina but was never intended to remain there, if not Sarajevo would lose completely on it’s strategic importance and would fall behind just like other cities on route, Pazar for example. Austria even builds very expensive railroad from Sarajevo to eastern border all in preparation for eminent military and later economic actions.   In the Tito’s Yugoslavia Republics were centralized what was characterized artificially in the republican capitals at expenses of the other parts of republics. Central Banks and headquarters of big corporations also artificially organized and centralized by force /companies that had never nothing to do with Sarajevo and had production facilities in other parts of Bosnia/ were in, this case in Sarajevo. All opponents of such destructive politic were imprisoned and eliminated, regardless if they were Serbs, Muslims or Croats.  It had nothing to do with religion or declared nationality. And Sarajevo was prospering again. Unfortunately it was completely  artificially.  And habits are difficult to change. Can you imagine any production or financial manager from the West to locate its facilities on the place like this? I can’t. To aggravate already difficult situation Bosniaks placed border right behind Sarajevo and managed to make enemies of people behind a border and half of population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Still there is some solutions but they are not for this article. Next Belgrade like problem.