Suada and Olga Bridge ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Most Suade i Olge'' / Мост Суаде и Олге), also known by its old name Vrbanja Bridge (''Vrbanja most'' / Врбања мост) is a bridge across the Miljacka river in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

Name

The oldest name of this bridge is Ćirišhana bridge, named after Turkish word for glue factory, which was located near the bridge on right side of the river. During Yugoslavian-era, name of the bridge was "Vrbanja bridge", and on 6 April 1996 it was renamed first to "Suada Dilberović bridge", after which on 3 December 1999 it was renamed to today's name "Suada and Olga bridge". It is named after Suada Dilberović and Olga Sučić, the first victims shot by Bosnian Serb's Democratic Party militia at the beginning of the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then be ...

, while a group of civilians was peacefully demonstrating.

History

On 19 May 1993, the couple Admira Ismić and Boško Brkić, a Bosniak and a

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...

, were also shot while trying to cross the bridge, which was the subject of the 1994 documentary ''

Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo ''Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo'' was an international documentary about the deaths of Admira Ismić (born May 13, 1968) and Boško Brkić (Cyrillic: Бошко Бркић; born August 11, 1968). The couple were natives of Bosnia and Herzegovina l ...

'', inspired by a piece of

Kurt Schork Kurt Erich Schork (January 24, 1947 – May 24, 2000) was an American reporter and war correspondent. He was killed in an ambush while on an assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone together with cameraman Miguel Gil Moreno de Mora of Spain, who work ...

. In 1995 it was the site of the battle of Vrbanja Bridge between French

Troupes de Marine The (TDM, ) is a corps of the French Army that includes several specialities: infantry, artillery, armoured, airborne, engineering, and transmissions (Signals). Despite its name, it forms part of the Army, not the Navy. Intended for amphibi ...

of the

United Nations Protection Force The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

and militiamen from the

Army of Republika Srpska The Army of Republika Srpska ( sr, Војска Републике Српске/Vojska Republike Srpske; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska (RS), the self-proclaimed Serb ...

.French humiliation sparks battle of Vrbanja bridge

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

, 28 May 1995

In popular culture

* Up with People - sang the song
Last Embrace
, inspired by Bosko and Admira's story as part of their show ''The Festival'' * Bill Madden - "Bosko and Admira", from the 2008 album ''Child of the Same God'' *'' Jill Sobule'' - "Vrbana Bridge" *" 薩拉熱窩的羅密歐與茱麗葉", exact translation in Chinese of "Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo", from

Sammi Cheng Sammi Cheng Sau-man (; born 19 August 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dub ...

's 1994 album ''Ten Commandments''

Notes

External links

* Bridges in Sarajevo Siege of Sarajevo {{BosniaHerzegovina-bridge-struct-stub