Sarajevo was the venue for 1984 Winter Olympics and their bobsleigh and luge track is situated on the mountain of Trebevic, overlooking the capital city.
It was such a cool experience walking on this track, which was used for Olympics. It reminded me of the Athens stadium I visited earlier in August, even though the setting could not have more different. Walking on tracks used by Olympic athletes is such an unreal experience. You are instantly thinking about the historic moments created by athletes and if only for a few minutes, you feel that you are sharing those moments with them. I checked a few YouTube videos to fully appreciate the wonders of the sport and admire the beauty of this track in its heyday.
To reach the top of the mountain, one can either walk it up from the old town (2 hours), drive (15-20 mins) or take a cable car (10 mins - 20 Bosnian Mark round trip, 15 Bosnian Mark one way). It's a nice place to spend your day amidst nature and there is a very good view of the city from here. Unlike the crowded or polluted capital cities, Sarajevo has a lovely feel to it. Even then, having such a special place in the mountains this close to the city is a bit surprising.
I had been roaming in Sarajevo with a couple of German friends and they had been planning to visit this place before moving on to Central Europe. So, I hitched a ride with them and together, we explored a bit of the track.
Once the Germans left, I was wandering alone in the area till I met Koen. I had met him yesterday in Saravjevo during the walking tour of the city & we had a great time exploring the various landmarks. As is the case with most Europeans I meet (he is from Holland), I had moved our initial conversation towards football pretty quickly. I wanted to ask him about Ajax but he shocked me when he said he has no interest in football - maybe, that's one of the reasons it was easy to remember him. Even though there won't be a discussion about football with him, I was happy to have his company. With lots of time to kill, we explored the various trails and had a very good time walking beneath the trees.
As the route was pretty straightforward, we were on the lookout for any trails which would lead us deeper into the forest. But, we stopped dead in our tracks and abandoned our attempts to deviate from the prescribed path when we saw this sign - "Beware of Landmines".
These notices and yellow tapes have been put up by authorities asking people to stay away. A lot of landmines were used during the Serbian war in 1990s and many interior areas of the country have still not been able to rid themselves of this menace entirely. However, to find these signs so close to Sarajevo (albeit in the mountains) was very strange and we were not prepared for it.
After that scare, it was an easy stroll. After a while, we debated whether we should climb to the top of Trebevic or take the luge track down to the city - in the end, we chose the latter. The now-abandoned track signifies the former glory days of Sarajevo (then in Yugoslavia) in 1984 when it was host to the XIV Olympic Winter Games. It was the first winter games to be staged in a communist state, and the luge and bobsleigh event alone drew thousands of spectators.
Less than a decade later, Sarajevo became a city that was utterly devastated and ravaged by war. The siege of Sarajevo, which lasted 1,425 days from 1992 to 1996, is known to be the longest siege of a capital city in modern history. During those dark days, Sarajevo was subjected to sniper attacks and daily shelling by Serbian forces. Strolling along the track has a surreal feel to it that cannot be adequately captured by words. It is as if you are taking a trip into the city's multi-layered history and somehow, the sufferings of Bosnians gets magnified. In the silence of the forest, it is a haunting experience and my mind was churning a lot of thoughts one after the other. For a long time, I felt dazed and walked as if in a trance. This is partly why it’s one of the most memorable places I visited in Sarajevo.
Today, the track which winds through a forest of tall pine trees is covered in graffiti. It can be considered a gallery of sorts, with works of art contributed by professional artists and the average teenager wielding a bottle of spray paint. Amidst the incomprehensible artwork, you will probably find a few pieces that will draw your attention or make you chuckle. I was surprised to find one about my beloved football club BVB.
The bright colours do not hide the signs of age and damage. It’s rather sad to see an Olympic sporting venue reduced to crumbling decay. Greenery encroaches on the concrete structures and bullet holes pepper the track, another reminder of the war in the 90's. It’s highly advised to keep on the track or pathway as there could still be mines scattered around the surrounding forest.
The silence between us was broken when we saw a boy having a very tough time clicking photos of his girlfriend. She was not happy with any of the pics he took and he had to take multiple shots of every pose. We observed all this from a distance and sympathized with the guy - we have all been there! There are some things which are common around the world - be it India, Holland or Bosnia.
Once the track came to an end, the descent towards the old town begins. On the road, there are craters caused by weapons used during the war. A result of the incessant shelling by the Serbian army, these are found in different parts of Sarajevo and have been marked in red by the government. But, the one we found in the mountains was close to the position held by Serbian army during the siege of Sarajevo. Therefore, we deduced that this particular mark might be different than the ones we saw in the city, as it could have been caused by Bosnia's retaliation on the Serbs.
Close to the bottom of the track, there are some buildings (or rather, ruins) that bear prominent scars of the war. Behind it is a small mound of hill which you can scale for fantastic city views. We were stunned to find an observatory which had to be abandoned in the 1990s. It bore so many signs of being struck by both sides during the siege.
During the Austro-Hungarian rule of Bosnia in the 19th century, a military fortress was built on Trebevic mountain. As it provided views of the entire city, it served as a key asset in military observation. In the 20th century, the fortress was abandoned till 1967 when it was granted to the Astronomical society by the government.
In its initial construction phase, the fortress was transformed into an observatory and two domes were added to the main building. The smaller dome housed a telescope while a spotlight named "Vaisala" was placed in the bigger dome. In the 1970s, a reflector telescope with a bigger diameter was placed here. But in the 1992 war, the building was completely destroyed and has been abandoned ever since.
Even though it is a scene of tragic events, I was excited to explore this destroyed building. We checked everything carefully to spot all signs of action. We had to be careful while climbing the staircase as there was a big gaping hole in the wall. We took each and every step gingerly to make sure that the ground beneath us doesn't give away.
The views of the city were stunning and it is no surprise that this place used to be a military observation point.
We chose this spot to have lunch - some biscuits and an energy bar.
After a while, we continued our descent to the city. I’d highly recommend walking down to the city after your trip to the luge track.
Entering the neighbourhood from the forest brings you back to the realities of modern-day Sarajevo - a refreshing welcome after getting lost contemplating history on the decrepit track. On top of that, it’ll cost you nothing to walk !
Back in the city, it was time to get a bitter Bosnian coffee and a sweet Balkan cake to get some energy.
It had been a superb day in the mountains. If you’re a fan of nature, art, sports or history, the Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track is well worth a visit!
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