Balkans / Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Stories, travel and reports
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a country that you just travel to – you encounter it.
For many years, it has been my place of work, second home and journalistic focus.
In my reports, I talk about people, landscapes and stories that rarely make the headlines, but reveal a lot about the country and its society. It’s about culture and history, about the present and change, about life after the war – and about the quiet moments in between.
Travel, movement & sustainable paths
Traveling in the Balkans often means slowing down, taking a closer look, rethinking borders.
I explore the region on foot, by car – increasingly electrically – and talk about places that are off the beaten track.
People & Perspectives
My work always focuses on people: those who have stayed, those who have returned and those who are opening up new paths.
Your stories make Bosnia and Herzegovina tangible – beyond political headlines and simplistic images.
It is these voices that give the country depth and show how diverse, contradictory and vibrant it is.
About my work in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Southeast Europe
I have been working as a journalist on Southeast Europe for years – with a special focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
My texts are the result of proximity, research and a personal connection to the region. I don’t write about the Balkans from the outside, but from experience, conversations and repeated travels.
Many of my reports appear or have appeared in international media such as MDR or Deutsche Welle (DW) and the European magazine danube connects.
Current Balkan stories
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Ramadan und Bayram in Sarajevo: Wenn eine ganze Stadt gemeinsam das Fastenbrechen feiert
I am often asked what it is like to travel to Sarajevo during Ramadan or Bayram. Many people are unsure and wonder whether life in the city is restricted or whether tourists might even feel uncomfortable. That’s exactly why I decided to write this little report. Much has already been reported about Ramadan in Sarajevo….
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
On the road in the Cupra Tavascan – photographer Khalil Al Zadjali discovers Bosnia-Herzegovina
This road trip was special. Not only because we were traveling fully electrically, but because this time I was able to experience Bosnia-Herzegovina through the eyes of a guest. My companion was the outstanding photographer Halil Al-Zadjali from Oman. It was his second visit to the country – but he was seeing many of the…
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5 in number – UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to extraordinary cultural and natural diversity. UNESCO has recognized five sites – three cultural and two natural – which together form a living panorama of history, mythology, architecture and evolution. They tell of empires that came and went, of people who built bridges and connected worlds, and of a nature…
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Skiing in Bosnia and Herzegovina – The most beautiful ski resorts between Sarajevo, Travnik and Herzegovina
Winter in Bosnia and Herzegovina doesn’t feel like a calendar page, but like a landscape ritual. As soon as the first snow covers the Dinarides, the mountains around Sarajevo, Travnik and Herzegovina are transformed into a winter fairytale that is both modern and pristine. Those who are looking to ski away from the crowded Alps…
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Bosnia and Herzegovina: From a forgotten country to Europe’s most beautiful surprise
In the shadow of its Croatian and Montenegrin neighbors, who bask in their prestigious locations on the sapphire-blue Adriatic, Bosnia and Herzegovina has long eked out a quiet existence. Too insecure, too complicated, too second tier – these were the old prejudices. A mistake? And what a mistake! Because the reality has long since changed….
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10 things you need for a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦✨
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a country that you simply visit – you experience it with all your senses. Between turquoise-blue rivers, steaming cevapi grills and warm encounters, an adventure awaits that will change you.So that you are well prepared, here are the ten things you absolutely need for your trip. 1. an open heart…
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3 mysterious places in Bosnia and Herzegovina that you have to see
Where legends, stones and history speak to each other … Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that mysteriously combines past and present. Between ancient forests, rivers and rocks, there are places that tell of times long past – and yet still seem alive. Places where history lives on not in books, but in stone, symbols…
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Balkan | History | Travel | Uncategorized
Museums in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the Sarajevo VRX Immersive Museum
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that not only preserves its history, but lives it. In almost every town, museums tell of bygone eras, of art and crafts, of people’s everyday lives, of splendor and wounds. Whether in Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka or in small towns in the country’s interior – each museum is a…
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Why Bosnia and Herzegovina is the perfect country for sustainable travel
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that still breathes – wild, genuine and undisguised. Time seems to pass more slowly here, as if to remind us of what really matters: clear rivers, fragrant forests, fresh mountain air and encounters that are not fleeting. Wer hier reist, reist nicht nur auf der Suche nach Sehenswürdigkeiten, sondern…
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Art | Balkan | Uncategorized
Yoda, sheep and co – unique crochet and knitted items full of heart
Handmade soft toys are more than just toys – they are memories you can touch. Crocheted and knitted with love, Sana from Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina creates unique pieces that enchant children and adults alike. Each piece is a gift for life – unique, personal and full of heart. A balance full of creativity…
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Automobile | Balkan | Movie
Silent glamor on the red carpet: Porsche Sarajevo electrifies the Sarajevo Film Festival
At this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, Porsche Sarajevo is once again causing a stir with an all-electric festival fleet. Film meets electromobility and shows how sustainability and glamor go together perfectly. A story of how cinema and modern mobility are taking responsibility for the future together. The evening sun bathes Sarajevo in warm gold. People…
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5 mystical places in Herzegovina: holy springs, ancient cities and mysterious gravestones
“… V ime i otca i sina i svetoga Duha, tražio si u sebi dublje, no što tvoja dubina bješe, i šire no što tvoja širina bi …” “… In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, You have searched deeper in Yourself than Your depth and further than Your breadth…
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Balkan | Hiking | Travel | Uncategorized
Hiking in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Beautiful mountains that don’t forgive mistakes
Seven Australian tourists had to be rescued at the highest and oldest mountain village of Lukomir in Bosnia and Herzegovina after they climbed Mount Obalj at night without a guide. This time everything went well. But such stories don’t always have a happy ending. Nadin Kevelj, main coordinator of the rescue operations of the GSS…
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Police officers from all over the world meet at the 11th International Police Association Meeting in Sarajevo
Rafting on the Neretva, competitions in five sports and friendships across borders – Around 250 police officers from eight different countries meet for the eleventh IPA meeting in Sarajevo at the invitation of Muamer Klino, President of IPA Sarajevo Sarajevo to host the IPA Meeting 2025 From August 14 to 17, 2025, Sarajevo once again…
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Balkan | Movie | Politics | Uncategorized
🌍 Danube Youth Organization Network (DYON): Youth moves the Danube region!
Origin of the idea – focus on young people and the Danube The idea for DYON was born in 2018, when I led a workshop at the Agapedia Youth Boot Camp during the 48th Methodius Day in Ellwangen, while working as a journalist for the Danube Connects Magazine. The topic was “Creative Danube”, organized by…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Škoda Elroq 85 test drive in Sarajevo – Electric car experiences between the city and the mountains
Sarajevo – a city that connects East and West like no other place in Europe. Anyone who travels here is immersed in a mixture of history, cultures and cuisine. You don’t have to travel all the way to Istanbul to experience this symbiosis – Sarajevo offers it up close. What’s more, the city is surrounded…
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Automobile | Balkan | Hiking | Travel
Mystical Bosnia-Herzegovina with Skoda Elroq: In the realm of dragons and legends
The mountain villages of Umoljani and Lukomir are hidden between the rugged peaks of the Dinaric Alps. Here, landscape, legend and time merge into a mysterious unity. Mist becomes dragon’s breath, rivers become living creatures – and the stars dance like scales in the sky. Umoljani – The village of praying people A fine mist…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
🔋 Traveling through Bosnia and Herzegovina by electric car: all charging stations & tips for your road trip
Yes, it works – and how!Anyone who thinks a road trip through Bosnia and Herzegovina in an electric car would be a challenge will be pleasantly surprised: the charging network is growing fast, nature is breathtaking and the sustainable travel style is perfectly suited to this special country. 🌿 Why Bosnia and Herzegovina is a…
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Sarajevo in the focus of the world – First International Security Conference in the world’s best travel destination 2025
Sarajevo – a city with history, diversity and now international recognition. Under the leadership of the IPA President of Sarajevo, Muamer Klino, an important international security conference was recently held, which not only brought together experts from various countries, but also focused on the tourism potential of the Bosnian capital. At a time when travelers…
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🌟 Why Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the safest countries in the world to travel to
Bosnien und Herzegowina zählt zu den sichersten und gleichzeitig authentischsten Reisezielen Europas. Das Land überzeugt mit einer einzigartigen Kombination aus niedriger Kriminalität, herzlicher Gastfreundschaft, einer stabilen politischen Lage, einem reichen multikulturellen Erbe und einer der letzten wilden Naturlandschaften Europas. Wer echte Kultur, tiefe Geschichte und unberührte Natur erleben möchte, findet hier ein verstecktes Juwel –…
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Young Energy Europe 2024 in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Energy Scouts for a sustainable future
As part of the competition Young Energy Europe competition, the best Energy Scouts 2024 from Bosnia and Herzegovina were selected on December 10. Young employees from eight companies presented innovative projects on energy efficiency and resource conservation. The competition was organized by the AHK Bosnia and Herzegovina and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics…
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Alex Vaszi: “Bosnia and Herzegovina offers the best conditions for successfully operating as an investor in a country close to the EU!”
Alex Vaszi, CEO of Porsche Sarajevo BH, is a versatile manager. His career has taken him from Austria via Slovenia, Hungary and Chile to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since graduating in business administration and computer science from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, he has made a name for himself with his expertise in the areas…
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Art | Automobile | Balkan | Culinary | History | Personalities of the Balkans | Travel
Eco-designers, adrenaline, living history – through Herzegovina in an electric car
Spring is here and with it the temperatures are rising again, inviting you to take a sustainable road trip through this beautiful country. I open the season with a trip to Herzegovina last summer. The journey by electric car first takes me from Sarajevo to Mostar. There, I visit a sustainable jewelry designer in the…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel | Travel
Ford Ranger Raptor – 7 exciting days in the Balkan outback
We explore the magical winter landscape in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the new Ford Ranger Raptor
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A lot of green in Kosovo – ProCredit Bank opens first photovoltaic park
Thinking about Kosovo, I knew nothing about this country, except where it is located on a world map. I have never been there before even though the desire in me was great to visit it – ideally with an electric car during a road trip. Therefore, I was even more pleased to receive an invitation…
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ProGreen by ProCredit BiH – An account for a better world
How ProCredit Bank is revolutionising sustainability in Bosnia and Herzegovina Do you know what your bank does with the money you invest? Exactly! I never knew that either. Until I met the ProCredit Bank in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A credit institution from Germany, where sustainability has top priority in all criteria. I have been a customer of…
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Roman TUNEL – Being Mirsad Ibisevic
Being Mirsad Ibisevic “I can’t believe you still haven’t read the book when you were so excited about it! Either you’re really that busy or you were expecting something else…” Yes, I was really looking forward to this book! Mirsad Ibisevic, Irish actor of Bosnian-Herzegovinian origin, I have been following on Facebook for a long…
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Around the world with wooden bike
Coco-Mat Bikes Discover the world by bike? Is nothing new. But with a wooden bike it is. The 62-year-old Greek Paul Efmorfidis has already reached Norcap from Athens with his sustainable Coco-Mat bike, as well as India. Next year we are going to Katmandu to climb Mount Everest and to the Amazon River. We explored…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Be spontaneous? This works great with the VW ID.5!
ID.5 Per performance Imagine you have an appointment in Slovenia. And then you spontaneously decide to take a few days off. You think spontaneity with an e-car is not possible? We have tested it with the ID.5. He looks great. The ID.5 Pro Performance with 150 kW (204 hp) in Blue Dusk Metallic Black. The…
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Funfly with Fedja Štukan – Back to Life
I am in heaven. And crying. Yes, a man actually made me cry. Not to make me sad, but to give me an incredible joy … I am on my way to the Bosnian town of Visoko. One evening before, I had met the Bosnian-Herzegovinian actor Fedja Stuka. We had talked about his book BLANK,…
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BLANK by Fedja Štukan – Fulfilled emptiness
“How far have you come?” “You’re in psychiatry right now,” I reply. “Oh then you haven’t read that much yet! The worst is yet to come!” Fedja Štukan, actor from Sarajevo who is also internationally known, grins. I look at him a little aghast… Even worse than now? I can hardly imagine that. Until now,…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Pomegranates, Figs and Co. – In the paradise of the Balkans
ROAD-TRIP IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA Pomegranates, Figs and Co. – In the paradise of the Balkans Mediterranean climate is responsible for the fact that Herzegovina is home to wild pomegranates and figs. But the barren natural landscape has much more to offer My Stages ROAD-TRIP IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA Pomegranates, Figs and Co. – In the paradise of the…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
So close to heaven – In The Mountain Village Lukomir
OFF-ROAD TRIP WITH THE LANDROVER DEFENDER – PART 3 So close to heaven – In The Mountain Village Lukomir We visited Lukomir, the remote mountain idyll in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were not only propelled back into a bygone era, but also straight into the universe! My Stages OFF-ROAD TRIP WITH THE LANDROVER DEFENDER –…
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“Electromobility could become a symbol of mobile freedom”
People in Bosnia and Herzegovina are fascinated by e-mobility, but are skeptical about it. Mayor of Municipality Sarajevo Center Srđan Mandić is a visionary. He is already in the process of building the first public gas station in Sarajevo. This year. I met him and asked him about it. A conversation about future urbanisation, his…
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In Memoriam Jovan Divjak 11.03.1937 – 08.04.2021
An open letter In Memoriam Jovan Divjak 03/11/1937 – 04/08/2021 “The days of life in Sarajevo were days of love, respect and appreciation.” My Stages An open letter In Memoriam Jovan Divjak 03/11/1937 – 04/08/2021 “The days of life in Sarajevo were days of love, respect and appreciation.” My Stages “A symbol of humanity and…
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With Audi e-tron 55 Sportback quattro 1080 kilometers from Augsburg to Sarajevo
Can you make a long road trip sustainable? I took the plunge and drove 1080 kilometers from Augsburg to Sarajevo alone in the Audi e-tron Sportback 55 quattro. “You’re crazy!” – My friends laugh when I tell them about my plan: a road trip from Augsburg to Sarajevo in an all-electric vehicle. A road trip…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Mountain Village Umoljani – In Search of the Stone Dragon
Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender – Part 4 Mountain Village Umoljani – In Search of the Stone Dragon Bosnia and Herzegovina is full of legends that continue to come to life. Mountain village Umoljani with its petrified dragon is one of the most mysterious places in this world. My Stages Off-Road Trip with the…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Swiss Cheese Made in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender – Part 5 Swiss Cheese Made in Bosnia and Herzegovina The best Swiss cheese can only be found in Switzerland? Not quite! We visited a cheese dairy in the Bosnian mountains and enjoyed a culinary treat. My Stages Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender – Part 5 Swiss Cheese…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
To the Wild Horses of Romanija
Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender – Part 2 To the Wild Horses of Romanija Are there any wild horses left in the nature of Europe? We went looking for them in the Romanija region of eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina! My Stages Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender – Part 2 To the Wild Horses…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Mystical Bosnia and Herzegovina – Descent into the depths
Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender – Part 1 Mystical Bosnia and Herzegovina – Descent into the depths The Balkans are considered to be the destination of 2021. We visited Bosnia-Herzegovina and were surprised by what this small country in the heart of Europe has to offer! My Stages Off-Road Trip with the Landrover Defender…
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Clear Water, Canyons, and Pristine Nature – Rafting on the Neretva
“We’ll pick you up tomorrow at quarter to eight and take you rafting,” a beaming Amel Salihbašić, author of the Bosnian travel guide Come, Enjoy, Pass It On, tells me. I’m hesitant at first. We’d been planning to do something together for quite a while, but I wanted to go to the mountains. “Come on,”…
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Automobile | Balkan | Travel
Belgrad – Fićo connects
To visit the Serbian capital Belgrade with a Fićo is a journey into the past. The legendary Yugoslavian car is currently undergoing a revial. It is at least as popular as Tito’s time in all countries of the former Yugoslavia.
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Mostar Rock School – Growing from Music!
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian city of Mostar has been divided into two parts since the end of the Balkan war. Catholic and Muslim children are taught separately and in different ways. The musician Orhan Maslo wants to put an end to this ethnic division and founds “Mostar Rock School”, a place where children make music together. Despite…
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🎬 Edin Hasanović – How a Berlin actor keeps his roots alive (Video)
Between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Berlin – Edin Hasanović embodies how home, humor and heart come together. Known from “Im Westen nichts Neues” and also from Tatort, the actor shows that true strength comes from roots and change. Günter Strack Television Award, nomination for the German Film Award for Best Leading Actor, Actor Award at…
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Christian Schwarz-Schilling on the Srebrenica genocide: “We should have had the political will to prevent a genocide in our neighborhood.”
“I will be ashamed to be a member of this parliament if it continues to do nothing.” Words from a politician who did not stop at doing nothing. They come from Dr. Christian Schwarz-Schilling, the former German Postal Minister, who resigned in 1992 in protest against the German government’s stance on the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina….
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A crocheted flower as a reminder of the genocide in Srebrenica and a symbol for a better future
“There are personal stories, sadness and memories in every flower. But through our handiwork we express love. Everyone who wears this flower shares this feeling and expresses their solidarity and hope that a crime like the one that took place in Bosnia-Herzegovina will never happen again,” explains Azemina Ahmedbegovic, President of the Association for Handicrafts…
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Hurmašice – sweet memory of my aunt Nadja 🍯
My favorite is Hurmašice from my aunt Nadja. You can get this small, sweet and moist pastry everywhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina – whether in the family or in traditional pastry shops. Hurmašice are one of the most popular desserts in the Balkans – baked golden brown, drenched in sugar syrup and deliciously aromatic. Every…
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Perpetrator or victim – Gavrilo Princip and the First World War
On the centenary of the Sarajevo assassination, participants at the international conference “The long shots of Sarajevo 1914 – 2014” are attempting to reinterpret the events. The results are surprising. South African author Tim Butcher stands in front of a rock in Obljaj in north-western Bosnia-Herzegovina. The assassin Gavrilo Princip carved his initials into this…
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Grandma’s apple pita – traditional apple pie from Croatia
As a child, I loved spending my vacations with my grandparents in Bosnia. My grandmother Helena was an exceptional pastry chef – no one could hold a candle to her baking skills. Although my grandparents lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, my grandmother was originally from Slavonia, a region in eastern Croatia. This “Croatian granary” is…
