Suada and Olga Bridge ( Bosnian, Croatian and

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

: ''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 The Miljacka ( sr-Cyrl, Миљацка) is a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina that passes through Sarajevo. Numerous city bridges have been built to cross it. Characteristics The Miljacka river originates from the confluence of the Paljanska Mi ...

river in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, the capital of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

Name

The oldest name of this bridge is Ćirišhana bridge, named after Turkish word for

glue factory Animal glue is an adhesive that is created by prolonged boiling of animal connective tissue in a process called rendering. In addition to being used as an adhesive, it is used for coating and sizing, in decorative composition ornaments, and as ...

, which was located near the bridge on the right side of the river. During the Yugoslavian-era, the name of the bridge was "Vrbanja bridge". Following the

Siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

, on 6 April 1996 it was renamed first to "Suada Dilberović bridge", after which on 3 December, 1999 it was renamed to the-now "Suada and Olga bridge". It is named after Suada Dilberović and Olga Sučić, the first victims shot by the Bosnian Serb's Democratic Party militia at the beginning of the

, while a group of civilians were peacefully demonstrating.

History

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

Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

and a

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

, 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'' is 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 liv ...

'', 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 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 (; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed Serb secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herz ...

.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 publis ...

, 28 May 1995

In popular culture

Up with People Up with People (UWP) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Up with People stages song and dance performances promoting themes such as multiculturalism, racial equality, and positive thinking. Critics, including some former Up with P ...

- 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 Jill Susan Sobule ( ; January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film ''Clueless''. Her folk-inflected compositions alte ...

'' - "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 25 million copies throughout the Asia-pacific. Most notably in the 199 ...

's 1994 album ''Ten Commandments''

Notes

External links

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