Between 29 February and 1 March 1992, citizens of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina were called to a referendum to vote on independence. The referendum question was: “Are you in favor of a sovereign and independent Bosnia-Herzegovina, a state of equal citizens and nations of Muslims, Serbs, Croats and others who live in it?” The results were overwhelmingly in favour of independence, and ever since then, every first day of March marks the yearly celebration of their independence. In remembrance of this important day in history, here are ten facts you may not know about Bosnia and Herzegovina!
1 – As a result of the 1992-1995 Bosnian civil war there are still some 30.000 active landmines left in the country, and 2.2% of Bosnia’s total landmass has yet to be completely cleared of them. The aim was to have the country completely de-mined by 2019, but this has not happened. The problem of unexploded mines is still present in 129 of the country’s 143 municipalities, and the deadline for clearing the country of mines entirely has now been extended to 2024.
2 – In 2014, Bosnia and Herzegovina was named as the country that hated its government the most. With a government approval rate of only 8%, it managed to outrank Bulgaria and even Greece.
3 – Sarajevo’s tram network is one of the oldest in Europe, having originally served as the test line for Vienna’s trams. It was opened on New Year’s Eve, 1885, making it the first city in Europe to have a full-time (from dawn to dusk) operational electric tram line. The trams were originally drawn by horses, and played an important role in the growth of the city in the 20th century.
4 – It is home to a self-proclaimed micronation: Hajdučka Republika Mijata Tomića. Since 2002, as a symbolic protest against the lack of local administration, it has its own flag, currency, consul, Constitution and a sole ruler. Here, the formation of political parties, as well as any dealing with politics, is forbidden, since it is not good for human health. It is also interesting to notice that it has a grand amount of 73 ministers. Besides classic ones, there are also ministries for smiles, unsolved cases, for the protection of men from violent women, non-married men, artificial blondes, bankrupted truck and bus drivers, vagueness, provocation, and easy women.
5 – Bosnia’s anthem is one of the few anthems in the world that lacks lyrics. Despite many efforts to officially adopt lyrics to go along with the melody, to this day the Bosnian parliament has yet to vote in favour of any of them. This is a result of the ethnic divisions of the country, which make it hard to find a set of lyrics that represent all three major ethnicities equally.
6 – Bosnia is home to one of just two remaining primeval forests in Europe, Perućica. It is located on the border with Montenegro, in the Sutjeska National Park, and can only be entered when accompanied by park rangers.
7 – The 1984 Winter Olympic games were held in Sarajevo, which at the time was part of Yugoslavia. It was the first time a socialist city held the winter Olympics. The games were considered Sarajevo’s crowning achievement and a symbol of the great things that lay in store for Yugoslavia and its citizens. A great deal of work was done to Sarajevo’s infrastructure to prepare it for the games, but sadly the siege laid waste to most of them.
8 – The town of Mostar, in the south of Bosnia, is home to a 1.68-meter tall statue of Bruce Lee. The statue is meant to represent the fight against ethnic divisions in the town, as it had seen heavy fighting between Bosnians, Croats and Serbs during the Bosnian civil war. Lee was chosen as a symbol for this fight because, despite the many ethnic differences, “one thing we all have in common is Bruce Lee.”.
9 – Sarajevo’s Sahat Kula, or old clock tower, is thought to be the only public clock in the world which keeps lunar time.
10 – Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the few countries in the world with no official language. De iure its Constitution does not state any official language to be used, but the Constitutional Court has de facto recognised the use of Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian.
One Comment