Which river divides Sarajevo?

In Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania, we can witness an interesting phenomenon where all capitals in the Adria region are divided by rivers. It is also evident that in most cities in the world, people used to occupy areas by the water, either for easier transportation or water supplies.

One such river also divides Sarajevo, and what makes it so special is a thing on its own to be talked about.

Miljacka River, the name of which popular song by Halid Bešlić carries, might be small but is a mighty one for this capital. Only 38 kilometers long, this beautiful confluence of Paljanska Miljacka and Mokranjska Miljacka, once it leaves Sarajevo, continues towards the Bosnia River. 

Miljacka,Sarajevo, Photo: Adria.fun

What is significant about this river are all her bridges. At the time of Ottoman rule, many bridges were built across Sarajevo over Miljacka. Some were sadly destroyed, some even remain today, and some were built much later. If you walk along Miljacka, you will come across:

• Goat’s Bridge: One of the oldest in Sarajevo that crosses the Miljacka River and was built in the 16th century by Ottomans
• Latin Bridge: Also known as Princip’s Bridge, a bridge at which Franz Ferdinand was killed by an assassin Gavrilo Princip
• Šeher-Ćehaja Bridge:  Also one of the bridges built by the Ottoman Empire located near Sarajevo City Hall.
• Ćumurija Bridge: It was first built out of wood in 1565, and connected two mosques on either side of the river.
• Emperor’s Bridge: Located by the Emperor’s mosque, and built in the 15th century.
• Drvenija Bridge:  A unique bridge built during the Austro-Hungarian reign in 1898.
• Čobanija Bridge: Although built in 1889., Čobanija Bridge was constructed at the same place where it used to be Šejhanija Bridge.
• Festina Lente: Modern bridge built for pedestrians in 2012.
• Skenderija Bridge: Also known as the Eiffel Bridge, it was made by Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower.
• Suada and Olga Bridge: Named after the first victims of the Siege of Sarajevo, but also known as Vrbanja Bridge
  And several other less-known…

Šeher-Ćehaja Bridge, Miljacka, Photo: Websi, Pixabay

Another interesting fact about Miljacka is that at the Mokranjska Miljacka in the village of Mokro, you can find a Mokranjska Miljacka cave which is the second longest cave next to Vjetrenica. The length of the cave is around 7 kilometers from which Miljacka springs.

Miljacka, Milan Suvajac, CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons