Sarajevo is a city with a large amount of impressive historical and cultural monuments. There is a lot of things to see and do. But, it’s quite clear that, like most other places in the world, only one part of the city is filled with these touristy, done-up sights. However, this city has so much more to offer. If you want to dig a little deeper and discover what life in Sarajevo truly looks like, make sure you visit some of the not-touristy, and yet interesting locations in Sarajevo.
Dobrinja is a district in the western outskirts of the city, part of the municipality of Novi Grad. It is estimated to host 40,000 inhabitants. Its name comes from the short river Dobrinja that crosses it. Today it is organised in four communities (MZ Dobrinja A, B, C, and D). Dobrinja lies just north of the Sarajevo International Airport.
The first phase of settlement construction was completed in 1983 with the settlement areas of Dobrinja I and Dobrinja II, used as olympic village for the accommodation of sportspeople and foreign journalists in Sarajevo for the 1984 Winter Olympics. They included two residential neighborhood, one school, and a trolleybus line to link it with the city centre. Dobrinja III, with its primary school, was the next phase in the second half of the 1980s. By the early 1990s Dobrinja IV and V were built and occupied. The newest blocks. These newest settlements suffered most damage during the Bosnian conflict, as they were repeatedly bombed by the Army of Republika Srpska, and all three schools were destroyed. Overall, during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992–95), Dobrinja was the most bombed neighborhood of Sarajevo. In 1993 a mortar attack was conducted from Serb-held positions on a football game. 13 people died and over 130 were wounded.
Most of Dobrinja lies west of the inter-entity boundary line, in the territory of Kanton Sarajevo. Only its eastern settlements (Dobrinja IV and parts of Dobrinja I) are in the territory of Republika Srpska, making up the municipality of Istočno Novo Sarajevo, where lies the East Sarajevo Bus Station (Istočno Sarajevo Autobusna Stanica).
The inter-entity boundary line posed certain problems in the case of Dobrinja, as it passed through apartment buildings and individual apartments. The residents were often confused about where to get the utilities such as electricity or water, or postal services. In response some efforts were made to revise the boundary line through Dobrinja, but the communities involved failed to reach an agreement. By year 2001, the High Commissioner appointed an independent international arbitrator, who re-drew the revised inter-entity boundary line, affecting Dobrinja I and IV, and eliminated the most pressing problems.
If you’re looking to find some Olympic spirit, go to Dobrinja. It is also kind of calm, relaxed and family friendly area with a lost of parks, nice cafes and restaurants. You can get there easily from the city centre, just hop on a trolleybus.