Bosnia. A start.
Feb 3, 2021 16:22:25 GMT
Post by onlyMark on Feb 3, 2021 16:22:25 GMT
Feb 2, 2021 16:44:51 GMT lugg said:
Monument to murdered children - sounds so stark and a reminder of the atrocities of war. Hope you get chance to show it to us at some point.On the way there though...........
I also thought I’d have a look whilst the sun as out at a few of the small parks in the city. The monument is in one and I’ve walked past a couple more, so I decided to meander a little to see what they were like.
Whereas in many countries they’d have an area for children to play in, not so here. They are treated mainly as a cut through from one place to another. But in saying that, I’m sure once the spring and summer weather hits and the plants/trees/flowers come out, they’ll be more attractive.
This is the park here the monument is. It’s just out of shot to the left. I did see kids sledging down the hills when the snow was about -
It’s called Veliki Park and is about the largest green area in the city.
Initially a cemetery and named after Muslihudin Hajji Mustafa Čekrekčija who once owned the land. He was one of the first to be buried there.
With the arrival of Austro-Hungarian authorities, burials were forbidden in the centre of town because of hygiene and sanitation and in 1886 the area was turned into a park but with the proviso many of the headstones/tombstones (called Nišani) were retained.
At the side of this statue used to be a sign board. I can see it in other photos. The statue is facing the children’s monument and represents a man called Nermine Dodi who called out to his son to surrender to the Serbs (in Srebrenica), and believed nothing would happen to him. Later the bodies of the father and son were discovered in a mass grave -
You can see the gravestones dotted around but there are also numerous busts of prominent people -
We’ll get to this soon, but not right now -
Views of the park -
There is also now a graveyard here for a number of policemen killed during an operation against a local gangster and brutal warlord. I’m not sure if this is it but the flag is from the Ministry of the Interior, so I think so as the stones have a common date of 1993 when the operation took place -
Moving past the monument to a park at the side -
Another nearby (small) park dedicated to a local musician/singer and a famous basketball player -
Some further random shots as I’m moving around the area.
To be honest I went down to the monument and found it was in the shadow of a large building across the road. The sun is quite low and I’m trying to see if it’ll pop around the side and shine somewhat on what I came down to see -
Divide by two for Euros -
Another small park with a large building behind it. If you read the sign it’ll explain what the building is about -
Yep, I’ve no idea what that said either.
I do know though that this is the back of the central police station -
Rent a bike -
I did well to spot this. It is without fanfare or monument and stuck on a wall at a busy street crossing where you’d be too busy trying to avoid being run over to have the courage to take your eyes off the road and scan the walls for anything interesting. Just like I do.
I may have risked my life to get you this, but it’s worth it -
We come to another park (Liberation Square Park), quite a nice one and I’m sure the dog appreciates be able to once again relax in the sun
In the background is the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos. I’ll get in it one day.
On the way down to town there is a church, nothing much, but I saw the doors were open. I moved inside and saw the pews full of army men having a service.
I slipped quietly back out again.
Give me a break will ya -
In the park itself is this. It is called variations on “Monument to Multicultural Man” and represents either a man rebuilding the world or Sarajevo being multicultural.
Or maybe not.
All I can say is that on Trip Advisor, for the Bosnia branch, is a man who is extremely knowledgeable about the area, is always pleasant no matter how stupid or ridiculous the question and always give fully detailed answer. He is a star and I’ve asked a few question to which his reply has always been exact and informative.
His opinion of this statue is thus - “I was never a great fan of the modern art, but this statue on its own is an especially "heavy" example of something completely pointless and meaningless. Waste of good bronze...”
I am more thinking of agreeing with him than disagreeing -
Chess players in the park and surroundings -
For some of the police who were killed in the war -
If you want patio heaters when it is freezing cold, you’ll find them in these places -
But as soon as the sun shines -
Small diversion down and alley and poking my head in where it’s probably not wanted. Especially the secret hairdressers -
Horde Zla (Hordes of Evil) is the organized Ultras group that supports Bosnian football club FK Sarajevo.
During a riot in 2009, this member was shot dead by the police.
There are many, many of these stencils around the city -
But, to get back to what we came for, the Monument to Murdered Children.
Just to recap, during the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from the 5th April 1992 to 29th February 1996 (1,425 days), 1621 children were killed. At the side are the names of 521 of them.
Built in 2008/9 the bronze fountain surround was made from recovered shell cases and ammunition in the local hills, the footprints are from friends of those killed and it is to represent a mother looking over her child to protect it.
I admit to going a bit mad with the photos but the sun eventually was shining and I have culled the lot down from about eighty. Hope it’s ok -
Can't say I know much about the glass used, other than it is glass.
I hope the sun keeps shining.
