Catching up on last month’s visit to Sarajevo, here’s a four-minute high speed stroll down the 1984 Olympic bobsled run on Trebević Mountain. Apologies for the bumpiness, but I imagine that an actual ride on a bobsled would be a bit bouncy too. Particularly these days when a machete would come in handy.

Constructed in 15 months at a cost of 563,209,000 Yugoslav Dinars (US$4.5 million*), the facility was a point of pride for 1984 Winter Olympic organizers. The venue hosted 30,000 spectators for the bobsled competition, and 20,000 for the luge. Eight years and two months after the Closing Ceremonies it served as a Bosnian Serb artillery position during the siege of Sarajevo which ultimately killed more than 10,000 people. 

With chirping birds as my guides along the battered and bruised concrete monument, it was a peaceful stroll through a landscape well on its way to becoming a reclaimed forest. It was surreal, too; I felt as if I was walking through a set of a post-Apocalyptic film.

Trebevic Mountain Polka (Sarajevo notebook II) from Bob R on Vimeo.

* According to the official report to the IOC, local organizers listed the cost of the bobsled and luge facility as 563,209,000 Yugoslav dinars. The official exchange rate at the time was 125.67 YUD to 1 USD. If anyone has a better figure on the actual cost, both in 1984 and 2011 USD, please share. 

Music in the video:
Gitanas Mojadas by Polka Madre
CC/Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Originally published 16 July 2011 on my blog Piran Cafe which is no longer being updated.