Bijela tabija is a fortress located on the southeastern slopes of Sarajevo, hiding in the stone mantle the history of the city from the Middle Ages to the present. It is certainly one of the most impressive and valuable objects of the architectural heritage of this area.
Bijela tabija’s dominant position in relation to the natural amphitheater of the historic city center, and the view that stretches along the Miljacka River all the way to contemporary residential settlements in western Sarajevo, make specific, almost entirely natural, choreography of nature and human creativity.
It was erected on the site of a medieval fortress, built around 1550. From its beginnings to the 1970s, it housed an army. Then, the Yugoslav army withdrew and gave it to the City of Sarajevo for use.
The fort was of great importance for the defense of the city during the attack of the Austrian Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 17th century, and of the Austro-Hungarian army in 1878.
It is located within the architectural ensemble of the Old Town of Vratnik, which has been proclaimed a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is located on a hill that offers a fascinating view of Sarajevo and its surroundings, and was one of the five forts (tabija) that formed the defensive rampart of the old town Vratnik.
In the 18th century, well-known Morić brothers were murdered within its walls, condemned by the central government for opposing economic and other levies as the most prominent representatives of the Sarajevo citizens and local janissaries. Mula Mustafa Bašeskija also wrote about this, stating in his “Ljetopis“(Chronicles) that an earthquake occurred in Sarajevo after the execution of the Morić brothers, because they were unjustly killed.