Day of City of Sarajevo: April 6 was a pivotal date in city’s history

Sarajevo’s founder is considered to be Isa-Beg Ishakovic, but the city was built by its earliest inhabitants. Situated at the crossroads of Roman trade routes, it became a cultural and religious intersection that remains so more than 500 years later.

Throughout history, Sarajevo endured many hardships, including the devastation caused by Eugen of Savoy, who plundered and burned the city to its foundations in the late 17th century, when it was one of the largest cities in the Balkans.

After Bosnia and Herzegovina was occupied by Austria-Hungary in 1878, Sarajevo’s oriental character blended with European influences. The Austro-Hungarians industrialized the city, introduced new advancements, and made Sarajevo the first European city with a tram system. Schools and cultural institutions were built, including the National Museum.

During World War I, Sarajevo did not suffer significant destruction. Although influenced by Belgrade, it was not a priority for the Karadjordjevic dynasty. The city stagnated between the two world wars, with its industrial sector declining and increasing social unrest among workers.

On April 6, 1941, the Yugoslav king, high command, government, and diplomatic corps fled from Belgrade toward Sarajevo. In the following days, the city became a temporary refuge for members of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s political elite before they evacuated to Niksic and eventually Athens. On April 18, the Royal Yugoslav Army capitulated, and Sarajevo fell under the control of the Ustasha-led Independent State of Croatia (NDH), effectively occupied by Nazi Germany.

The Yugoslav Army launched the operation to liberate Sarajevo on March 28, 1945, involving the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Corps, as well as several brigades and artillery units. After intense fighting, the resistance of German and NDH forces was crushed on April 6, freeing Sarajevo. By April 10, nearby towns such as Visoko, Kakanj, and Busovača were also liberated.

Between 1941 and 1945, 10,961 Sarajevans lost their lives in the anti-fascist struggle, including 412 Muslim Bosniaks, 106 Croats, 7,092 Jews, 1,427 Serbs, 16 Montenegrins, one Macedonian, five Slovenes, and 12 others.

Forty-seven years later, on the anniversary of Sarajevo’s liberation, another battle began. From the onset of the war until July 31, 1995, the city suffered immense losses: 11,541 civilians—among them 1,598 children—were killed, starved, or went missing. The destruction caused by the siege, including damage to housing, cultural heritage, infrastructure, and businesses, was immeasurable.

Additionally, April 6, 1992, was the date when the European Community recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state. However, while the country’s flag waved at the United Nations headquarters in New York, shelling of Sarajevo’s historic center began, marking the start of the longest siege of a city in modern warfare—of the Olympic city, Sarajevo.