Istočno Sarajevo


Istočno Sarajevo is a city located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It consists of a few suburban parts of pre-war Sarajevo which are now in the Republika Srpska and newly built areas. As of 2013, it has a population of 61,516 inhabitants.
It was previously known as Srpsko Sarajevo but the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina adjudicated its name change. With an area of 1450 km2, it is one of the largest administrative areas in the Balkans.

History

The first government in the territory of East Sarajevo was formed at the parliamentary session in the building of the local community Lukavica in the late summer of 1992. The commission was organized by the Serbian municipality of Novo Sarajevo, headed by the Commissioner of the Presidency of the Republic of Srpska Dragan Đokanović. The Municipal Assembly of Srpsko Novo Sarajevo, consisted of the members of Serbian nationality and the territory of the pre-war Sarajevo municipality of Novo Sarajevo. Invited members, elected in multiparty elections in the 1990s, elected the new municipal government.

Geography and climate

Geography

East Sarajevo lies in the Sarajevo valley, in the middle of the Dinaric Alps. The city is surrounded by heavily forested hills and five major mountains. The highest of the surrounding peaks is Treskavica at, then Bjelašnica at, Jahorina at, Trebević at, with Igman being the shortest. Last four are also known as Olympics mountains of Sarajevo.
The Željeznica river is one of the city's chief geographic features. It flows through the city from south through the Trnovo, Kijevo, Krupac and Vojkovići, parts of East Sarajevo to the western part of Sarajevo, where it eventually meets up with the Bosna river.

Climate

East Sarajevo has a mild continental climate, lying between the climate zones of central Europe to the north and the Mediterranean to the south. The average yearly temperature is 9.5 °C, with January being the coldest month of the year and July the warmest. The highest recorded temperature was 40.0 °C on 19 August 1946, while the lowest recorded temperature was −26.4 °C on 25 January 1942. On average, East Sarajevo has 68 summer days per year. The city typically experiences mildly cloudy skies, with an average yearly cloud cover of 59%. The cloudiest month is December while the clearest is August. Moderate precipitation occurs fairly consistently throughout the year, with an average 170 days of rainfall. Suitable climatic conditions have allowed winter sports to flourish in the region, as exemplified by the Winter Olympics in 1984 that were celebrated in Sarajevo.

Municipalities

The City of Istočno Sarajevo consists of six municipalities. Three of which; Istočna Ilidža, Istočno Novo Sarajevo and Istočni Stari Grad, were formed by separating the existing pre-war municipalities of Sarajevo between the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipalities of Pale and Trnovo were formed in the same way. The municipality of Sokolac is the only municipality that entered the City of Istočno Sarajevo as a whole.
The municipalities of Istočno Sarajevo are:
According to the 2013 census results, the city of Istočno Sarajevo has a population of 61,516 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of the municipality:
Ethnic groupPopulation
2013
Serbs57,953
Bosniaks2,429
Croats442
Others692
Total61,516

Economy

The city of East Sarajevo is the administrative, industrial, commercial, financial and cultural center of the eastern part of Republika Srpska. The position of East Sarajevo is strategically important, located near the biggest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city of Sarajevo. East Sarajevo is easily accessible, having an airport close to the city - Sarajevo International Airport, and being a point of intersection of numerous roads.
East Sarajevo is one of the most important industrial centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, well known for its companies: Elko, Famos, Energoinvest, Unis and others.
;Economic preview
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity :
ActivityTotal
Agriculture, forestry and fishing874
Mining and quarrying57
Manufacturing1,666
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply499
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities410
Construction1,060
Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles2,385
Transportation and storage550
Accommodation and food services1,260
Information and communication315
Financial and insurance activities207
Real estate activities18
Professional, scientific and technical activities389
Administrative and support service activities270
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security2,020
Education1,545
Human health and social work activities1,121
Arts, entertainment and recreation778
Other service activities354
Total15,778

Tourism

The Jahorina Mountain is one of the highest mountains of the Dinaric system. It is 30 kilometers long mountain range, with several peaks, of which the highest peak Ogorjelica is 1916 meters above sea level. From Sarajevo it is distanced 28, from Banja Luka 200, of Belgrade 320, and 350 kilometers from Zagreb. The Jahorina ski resort is located on the slopes of Jahorina Mountain.

Sport

The local football clubs are Slavija that plays in the First League of the Republika Srpska and Famos that competes in the Second League of the Republika Srpska.
Basketball Club Slavija is a basketball club from the City of East Sarajevo that competes in the National Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Also this city is a big volleyball center of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Men club OK Student Pale and women OK Jahorina Pale are competing in highest rank of Bosnia and Herzegovina with good results, and OK Mokro Mokro and OK Slavija are competing in second rank
The 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival was held in Sarajevo & Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 9 to 16 February.

Image gallery