The turning point in tourist facilities in Sarajevo Bazaar at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to present the buildings and sites in Sarajevo Bazaar that stand for the touristic area during the period of power transition between the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Many commercial buildings, shops, warehouses and dairies, as well as larger buildings that were used for trade – "bezistan" were built in the area of the Sarajevo Bazaar in the 15th and 16th centuries. Gazi Husrev-beg played a significant role in the development of Sarajevo together with his properties and goods that are today the endowed properties of a Gazi Husrev-beg Waqf. Sarajevo was a very important and central point of economy and trade in that time. Nowadays tourists are attracted to a city by the natural beauty of its surroundings, architectural and historical monuments, cultural and educational institutions, industry and trade, yet in earlier times the visitors were mainly the traveling merchants coming for trade who used to stay longer, buying and selling various goods. There were many inns including 4 big caravanserais in Sarajevo built for guests from abroad. During the Austro-Hungarian occupation, the first hotels and cafes of the European type were opened in the city. Almost all caravanserais were out of use at the time of power transition, replaced with newly built hotels which brought a new cultural scope to Sarajevo. There is only one caravanserai that survived until now. All the aforementioned confirm the thesis that from today's perspective, the transition of power between the Ottoman Empire and Austro-Hungarian monarchy was not smooth in terms of architecture and tourism.

Keywords

• touristic facilities
• caravanserai
• inn
• hotel design
• tourism