Sarajevo Trebevic Mountain Cable Car: Witness to the War
Sarajevo Cable Car was built in 1953 and has become a sightseeing spot for thousands of Bosnians. Trebevic’s fresh air and forests are the lungs of Sarajevo. The cable cars and cable car stations, which were damaged during the war, were rebuilt and are now popular tourist spots. These spots, where you can watch the best view of the city, are also of interest to photographers with their panoramic view.
In order to increase the visibility of the soldiers stationed on the Trebevic hill, it was demolished in the early days of the war and the elevation became a sniper’s position. Some of the houses on the slopes of Trebevic that were damaged in the war have been rebuilt and used, but others have been left as they were. You can see these houses from the cable car.
The back sides of Trebevic form the border line between the two countries, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. When you climb Trebevic, you are very close to the border with Serbia. You are advised not to go out of the road because of the mines laid on the foothills during the war. Although they are being cleaned, there are still mines somewhere in the foothills of Trebevic and many tourists have been killed or injured by these mines.
Bobsleigh Track (Sarajevo Bobsleigh Track)
A popular destination for nature lovers and mountaineers, Mount Trebevic was made popular by the bobsleigh track built for the 1984 Winter Olympics. The area, which has the most modern bobsleigh track in the world, was devastated after the Bosnian war, and from those days to this day, the graffiti-covered racetrack remains only a historical element. It has also become a favorite place for those who love ruined, abandoned places and adventure seekers. You can see the race track on the way back to the cable car, but you have to walk about 1km to get there.
How much does the Sarajevo Cable Car cost?
Cable car fares are paid round trip. As a foreigner, we pay more than 3 times more than the locals. If you buy a one-way ticket, you make your way back through the mountains, through the forest walkways. The cable car part of Trebevic Mountain, which is frequently visited by those who are bored of the city heat or those who prefer forest walks, is as follows. The summit of Trebevic Mountain has an altitude of 1630 meters. But the cable car goes to a certain point of the mountain. The starting point of the cable car is around 570 altitude and the last point is at 1150 meters. The cable car is a little over 2 kilometers long, but if you want to cover this distance on foot, you can complete about 5 km in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. You can follow the walking routes on the maps.me app. Be careful in cold weather as the roads and passes can be snowy and even icy.
What are the hours of Sarajevo Cable Car?
The cable car is actively used every day of the week between 09:00 – 20:00 or 21:00. But my advice is to use the cable car before sunset. If you have a car, you can go up with your car according to certain points. There is a parking lot even at the last station. You can also leave your car in the area where Pino Hotel is located in the area behind the cable car and reach the upper station directly as indicated on the map.
War Bunker War Museum
It is not directly related to the cable car, but I would like to mention a war museum very close to the cable car. As you climb the stairs towards the first station of the cable car, one of the houses on the right side has been turned into a museum. Entrance to the museum is free. The owners of the house are people who lived through the Bosnian war. Like many houses, the people here lived with electricity, water and food shortages.
If you follow the footprints as you enter the museum, you enter a bunker. The first room of the bunker is designed to feel like a real bunker. It is decorated to give you a sense of the war. The sounds of bullets and cannons coming from outside, sounds of war atmosphere. In the other room, items from the war period are on display. Since there is no electricity, we see items such as light mechanisms that light up as you turn them, communication tools, grenades, mortars, soldiers’ belongings. In a small room there are items scattered in various places. The place where the museum is located is a hostel known to travelers, called War Hostel and it has a good rating in the online booking community.
