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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Colourful sandals Bosnia and Herzegovina is the heart shaped land that lies in the heart of southeast Europe. It is here that eastern and western civilizations met, sometimes clashed, but more often enriched and reinforced each other throughout its long and fascinating history.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a long name for a country that measures just over 50,000 km2. Bosnia covers the north and centre of the country with its name probably derived from ‘bosana’, an old Indo-European word meaning water, which Bosnia has no short of.

Sarajevo street scene The southern region of ancient Hum, ruled by Herceg Stjepan (Duke Stjepan), was later named Herzegovina after the region was conquered by the invading Ottomans. Perhaps what is most important for the visitor to know today, though, is that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a stunningly beautiful country with a vast array of landscapes, cultures, traditions and people. And as the old cliche goes ‘people make the place’ – and BiH prides itself on its hospitality and treating our guests as if they were family members. And family we take to heart.

For practical purposes you’ll find quite a few versions of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In a nutshell, there are three main ‘peoples’ that inhabit this country: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. There is also sentiment of just being Bosnian, with no particular affiliation except to the country from where they are from. The Bosniaks are mainly Muslims, the Croats Catholic and the Serbs Orthodox. Despite different religious and/or ethnic background their language, traditions and culture are more similar than not. Their roots are in the early Slavic tribes that settled this land between the 6-7th centuries and intertwined with the indigenous Illyrian tribes.

Visegrad bridge The Mediterranean and Alpine influences meet and create a mosaic of climate types within a relatively small area. The south enjoys warm, sunny and dry weather, with very mild winters. In the more continental areas the weather is similar to that of central Europe – hot summers, cool springs and autumns, and cold winters with considerable snowfall. The Mediterranean and continental climates meet in the middle, creating one of the most diverse eco-systems in Europe. The mountains create a climate of their own. The Alpine climate rules the mountain terrains of the high Dinarics above 1700 meters. The winters there are extremely cold, with temperatures well below zero for more than six months of the year.

Travel articles about Bosnia and Herzegovina

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