Weekly Photo Challenge: Abandoned
The abandoned bobsleigh run from the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics serves as a haunting reminder of both the height of aspiration and accomplishment and the depth to which humanity sinks. For the ’84 games, Yugoslavia built wonderful winter sports facilities on Mount Trebević, Mount Igman and Bjelašnica.
While many of these facilities were destroyed during the Bosnian War of the early to mid-1990s, the bobsleigh run was repurposed as a shelter for snipers to fire down into the city.
In November 2006 I took my first trip back to Sarajevo since the mid-1990s and shot these pictures of the old bobsleigh run, now covered in graffiti. The drive to reach the bobsleigh tracks on the slopes of Mount Trebević provides stunning views back over Sarajevo and a point to reflect and gather perspective.
This somber chapter only adds to Sarajevo’s fascination as a city where religions, and regions meet and serve up a rich mix of culture, food and history; Sarajevo is a gem for any tourist willing to spend a few days visiting one of the most historic cities in Europe.
How very sad that the bobsled run was used for sniper fire. Also sad that the olympic park, home to such glory, has been so sadly neglected. Excellent post.
If there are lessons in any of this, it may be that peaceful coexistence is extremely fragile and far more easily destroyed than popularly supposed.
Is that smog of fog over Sarajevo?
But interesting how they always abandoned the bobsleigh track. It’s the same in Sapporo when I visited the city in 2012.
Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Abandoned | Acid Free Pulp
Pingback: Broken—Life During Wartime | Doublewhirler
Pingback: Shooting Fashion Sarajevo Style | Doublewhirler