Traversing Bosnia’s Divided Landscapes

Driving through Bosnia’s breathtaking landscapes, I encountered the lingering scars of war, where beauty and pain coexist, and memory battles denial across divided communities.

This spring, I found myself on the road, driving through the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The country’s landscapes are breathtaking, rolling hills covered in dense forests, crystal-clear rivers snaking through deep valleys, and villages that seem untouched by time. Yet, as I travelled through this beautiful, yet scarred, land, I was acutely aware that I was journeying through a place where history is never far behind. Bosnia is a country divided, not just by the physical borders that separate its entities, but by the memories of a war that tore it apart.

As I drove through the Republika Srpska, the tension in the air was palpable. The picturesque landscapes were dotted with signs of a troubled past, memorials to fallen soldiers, graveyards honouring war participants as heroes, and banners celebrating the anniversary of military units involved in some of the darkest chapters of the war. My journey took me to Vlasenica, a town that, like many others in Republika Srpska, bears the scars of the Bosnian War. The "Park of Heroes" here is a stark reminder of how history is remembered differently in different parts of the country. The park is dedicated to the men who fought for the Serb cause during the war, and the locals revere them as national heroes. But when I mentioned that my next stop was Srebrenica, the mood changed dramatically.

This memorial in Vlasenica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, photographed on April 4, 2024, serves as a monument to the individuals commemorated here. The inscriptions reflect the community's effort to preserve the memory and history of those remembered. (VX Photo/Vudi Xhymshiti)