City Market (Markale Market)

The City Market or Markale Market is another place in Sarajevo which has significance greater than first appears. The marketplace is where many citizens come to buy their fresh produce and fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables and is housed in a traditional open marketspace.

The name Markale comes from the German word Markthalle which means a place of selling. The three arches at the front of the entrance are more reminiscent of a theatre than a market due to their Renaissance style. It was originally constructed at the end of the 19th century and was created by the city to have a central place for selling products available. It is interestingly the first place in Sarajevo where steel was used in construction and it is a designated National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city market and the green market next door are colourful places where locals have come to buy their goods for over a century.

Markale Market has had its share of tragedy however as it is unfortunately also the location of two massacres which took place during the 1990s Bosnian War. Both of these involved the purposeful shelling of civilians during the siege of Sarajevo though to this day nobody knows who was responsible for the first massacre. However a direct result of this was the involvement of NATO into the conflict arena which eventually led to the ending of the war.

Today there is a large memorial in the centre of the market which is just a little further down the road from City Market and which depicts the names of the civilians who lost their lives as a result of the shelling.

In spite of this tragic occurrence the markets remain a lively and are open daily for you to wander round and savour the atmosphere as well as buying fresh produce to enjoy.

Photo Sarajevo covered market 1. by Christian Bickel is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0