Vratnik

Neighborhoods of Sarajevo

Vratnik

It is easy to get to Vratnik. From Baščaršija, we go up the road and through Kovači neighborhood after which we can immediately see the two towers: Širokac and Ploča, which are now an integral part of the Alija Izetbegović Museum. This is where Vratnik begins. Fortified walls and gates around the city – along Vratnik, were built in 1697, after Eugene of Savoy burned the city.

All that remains of old Vratnik are towers, ramparts and gates that bear witness to times long gone.

A short distance from the tower Ploča, in Saburina Street is the Saburina kuća (Sabur’s House), one of the few surviving examples of residential architecture of the Ottoman period in Sarajevo. The House of Sabur, a prominent Sarajevan family of coppersmiths and traders, after whom the street was named, contains original interior with traditional handmade furniture, as well as replicas of traditional costumes for the Bay and his wife. The original costumes are displayed in Brusa bezistan.

The arrival of Austro-Hungarian Administration in 1878 found Vratnik with five forts, three towers, five large gates and a few small ones. Two forts have been preserved: Žuta Tabija (The Yellow Fort) which is now the place from where during the month of Ramadan, the cannon announces the iftar after a whole day fast and Bijela tabija (The White Fort) which offers one of the best views of Sarajevo.