We start at the beginning of civilisation. In Egype, at the banks of river Nile; in India, at the banks of Ganges Rivier; In China at the Yang Tse river banks; in France, at the banks of river Seine and in Bosnia at the banks of the Miljacka river The valley of the river was a challenge to man to inhabit even 2400 years B.C. The civilisation grew through milleniums, plundered and invaded by many but also enriched by them. Traces of history can be seen as wounds but also as flowers.

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The interrelegious library

Zajedno

Zajedno The Interreligious Library Circle is an organization of citizens that grew from a youth project of Wings of Hope. Wings of Hope is an international organization that works on detraumatization of children and youth and therefor it supports youthprojects which have the aim to create an relation of trust between the groups and entities that seek for reconciliation.
Members of the Wings of Hope youthprojects wish and found a consensus in the foundation of an NGO to make further steps into their work that contribute to the development of a civil society in Bosnia Hercegovina and that increases it’s own possibilities.

With this decision they made the step to take the future in their own hands. Members of Circle live spread around the country and belong to all entities and nationalities. Most members are students.

The aims of Circle are:
Strengthening the friendship between countries and people
Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement.
To support projects that have the aim to stand above conflicts in society.
Democratization of the society
General equality
Socialization of disabled.
Social work in the fields of alcoholism, drug abuse and sexual abuse of children and youth.
Social work in the field of traumatized persons.

Circle has member groups in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Zenica, Mostar and Gorni Vakuf/Uskolpje. Main aims, as democratization and conflict resolution is a common platform of our activities but locale groups have the freedom to initiate additional activities in the region of choice.

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Cafe Marquee

Cafe Marquee is in the middle of the quay, at the center side, very close to the faculty of laws. This bar is the best place to continue after you would think that is impossible. A small bar with a TV, a stage, where mostly Blues is played that not many people see because this is to early (or is this only my experience?), and a DJ corner. From here the tunes of Neil Young, Ike & Tina Turner, Brain Ferry and Abba comes from. Remarkable is that most of the instruments always stay at the stage and never anything disappears or get broken. This cafe was specially popular in the time the curfew was on. That was until November 1996. In the time the steal fence was locked with a chain, the door is of glass bolted, and the curtains closed. Because it is on the busy road of Obala, where at night the cars break speed records every day, you can’t hear a thing outside. The visitors we took there always were very much surprised when it turned out to be an open bar.
Prices are equal to a bar in Holland, although this is a kind of nightclub.

The Royal Dutch Embassy

In one of the big building you can find the Dutch Embassy. It is in the same building as you can find the British Council, ICVA, CIMIC (the organization that supposed to be the bridge between the militaries and the citizens organizations) and a lot more institutions and corporations.
I went for a courtesy visit with the idea you shouldn’t bother an embassy with all these small things, but Marco Hennis, deputy embassador, maked clear I shouldn’t see it that way. He endorses the idea that people at the office depends on those who work in the field. Two our later I walk on the street and I’m still surprised: I thought I had to take care of my words and so on. But now I feel much better. Again some prejudice, so little only, beaten out of my head. Surprised but also cheerful I continued.
The Dutch embassy is of course the office that represents Holland, it is a place where you go for visa and it also tries to support the rebuilding of Bosnia with bigger and smaller projects. They do not focus on a small area, everything is possible. The conditions are more related to the fact that you get your sources from the local society. The brochure is made on such a way that it could be distributed in every country.
We hope to mention the embassy in further newsletters about their activities. In that way, time can give the proof to the statement that inside the levels of bureaucracy and diplomacy also elements exists that work on human level and sincere, that covers a wide range and doesn’t beat holes in the same time or creates frustration.

Personally I call this a message with potention.

Je vind de Ambassade op Obala Kulina Bana 4/2 of op onze link pagina

Valterov spomenik

Walter Peric became the most known resistance leader during the second world war, when the Germans tried to control the situation.
When the new German commander, who has already quite some experience, comes in Sarajevo he already heard about Walter. He is the man to be caught and so break the moral of the resistance. He order his lieutenant to bring him to Walter immediately. The lieutenant, a little longer in Sarajevo, obeys as he is supposed to do, he arranges a car and drives the new commander around town. When they arrive at a top that has a beautiful panorama over the city, the lieutenant says, informing his commander patiently; Das ist Walter.
Later more about this remarkable person when we get into the history of the town itself.

Bridge of Suada Dilberovic

At the end of the month we stumble further. Besides all these interviews we have visited quite some towns. Further more we had to arrange an accommodation and get connected with telephone and internet. We remember the advice of the director of the National Library and we follow it. Our small journey end on the bridge which is now named to Suada Dilberovic. She was the first of many victims in Sarajevo.
On the bridge there is a small memorial. ’A drip of my blood fell but Bosnia didn’t desicate.’
The Latinska Cuprija became known by Gavrilo Prinzip who shot Prince Ferdinand. We saw this bridge very near to the Interreligious Library. The Goat bridge, build in the first half of the 16 th century became known because a goatherd that found a treasure in a nearby cave and as appreciation he build that bridge. Many bridges over the Miljacka river had a facelift during the past centuries. The Vrbanja bridge had the biggest change. First is was a small and unimportant part of the chain, of all connections in town, and than it became the symbol of the most ridiculous war. Vrbanja is now called Bridge of Suada Dilverovic.