Sarajevo · Butmir · Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tunnel of Salvation

tunnelwwii-memorysiege-museumgoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: morning

sobering, historic, claustrophobic

A local would say...

For three years, Sarajevo survived by tunnelling under the airport runway — the besiegers were standing on the roof of the city's lifeline.

The tunnel dug beneath the airport runway during the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo to connect the besieged city with Butmir — the only lifeline through which weapons, food and people could pass under UN-controlled ground. A preserved 25-metre section of the original tunnel is walkable, while extensive exhibits demonstrate the scale and desperation of the operation. The modest suburban house above it hid the entrance from Serbian forces.