Visiting the location where World War I started was something that I never thought about doing — but I found that one incident triggered a series of incidents in a complicated conflict to be fascinating.
Visiting the Location Where World War I Started
The incident that ultimately led to World War I occurred just north of the northern end of the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo in Bosnian and Herzegovina, which is on the right in the photograph shown above.
I walked across the Latin Bridge — which spans over the Miljacka River — in both directions. It is considered to be the oldest preserved bridge in Sarajevo, as it dates back to at least 1541.
The following words are printed in both English and Serbo-Croatian on a glass memorial with an illustration of a monument that was created by Eugen Bory which once existed:
THE MONUMENT TO THE VICTIMS OF THE SARAJEVO ASSASSINATION, ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND, HEIR TO THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN THRONE, AND HIS WIFE SOPHIE DUCHESS OF HOHENBERG, WAS UNVEILED HERE ON 28 JUNE 1917, AND REMOVED IN FEBRUARY 1919.
While turning from the Right Bank onto Zelenih Beretki Street on Sunday, June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Franz Ferdinand, who was the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, which began the July Crisis that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I.
One can today walk peacefully along the Miljacka River and over the Latin Bridge.
Final Boarding Call
The actual spot where the assassination occurred is at a building at 30 Zelenih Beretki Street, which has words in both English and Serbo-Croatian briefly describing the event as etched in stone — along with footprints on the sidewalk:
FROM THIS PLACE ON 28 JUNE 1914 GAVRILO PRINCIP ASSASSINATED THE HEIR TO THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN THRONE FRANZ FERDINAND AND HIS WIFE SOFIA
I am amazed just how fragile the world was back in the early twentieth century…
…but a single incident could just as easily trigger another world war today — especially with the advent of social media combined with the proliferation of untruthful statements, propaganda, yellow journalism, and falsehoods. Human beings may be able to use intelligence to advance the race; but we are still stifled by such significant character flaws as discrimination, bigotry, jealously, greed, power, lust, ignorance, and violence — all of which tend to impede our advances and even cause them to regress.
Let us use this article as a reminder to do everything we can to try to ensure that this world becomes a better place for all of us — rather than succumb to those aforementioned character flaws.
Site of the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Zelenih beretki 30
Sarajevo 71000
Bosnia and Herzegovina
The memorial and bridge are both open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. No admission fee is charged. No facilities are immediately available at the memorial itself. No parking for motor vehicles is immediately available near the memorial or the bridge.
All photographs ©2022 by Brian Cohen.
