| Igman | |
|---|---|
| Игман | |
 Igman in winter | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,510 m (4,950 ft) |
| Coordinates | 43°44′N18°09′E / 43.74°N 18.15°E /43.74; 18.15 |
| Geography | |
  Igman Location in BiH | |
| Location |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Parent range | Dinaric Alps |
Igman (Serbian Cyrillic:Игман,pronounced[îɡman]) is a mountainplateau in centralBosnia and Herzegovina. Geologically, Igman is part of theDinaric Alps and formed largely of secondary and tertiary sedimentary rock, mostlyLimestone. It is located southwest ofSarajevo, bordering the Bjelašnica range in the south and west,Hadžići andIlidža in the north, and the riverŽeljeznica in the east. Igman's highest point, Crni vrh, west of the Malo Polje road, at an altitude of 1,510 metres (4,954 feet), the homonym highest elevation on the east side of this road reaches an elevation of 1,502 metres (4,928 feet). Most of Igman is covered withmixed forest with localpastures (f.i.: Veliko Polje: Large Field, Malo Polje: Small Field). Igman was the location of the lowest recorded temperature in the region, −43 °C (−45 °F). Igman was the site of extensive combat during the 1992-95Siege of Sarajevo and certain areas, in particular the surroundings of formerfront lines, constitute ahigh mine risk.[1]
During the1984 Winter Olympics, Igman was, along withJahorina andBjelašnica, the location of the competition in thealpine andNordic sports disciplines. Igman hosted primarily the Nordic disciplines; theIgman Olympic Jumps in the Malo Polje area were the site of theski jumping events and also the ski jumping part of theNordic combined events. Meanwhile, the Veliko Polje hosted thebiathlon,cross-country skiing, and the cross-country skiing part of the Nordic combined event.[2] In preparation of the Games a road was constructed across the Igman plateau connecting Sarajevo throughHadžići to the Malo Polje, Veliko Polje and Babin Dol venues. There were numerous structures constructed on Igman at this time, although many stand destroyed or bear the scars of the 1992-1995 conflict. One of the most eye catching structures remains the Ski Jumping platform at Malo Polje.
Although the Igman area may probably have been the scene of military controversy in the earlierhistory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most striking events took place in the course of the 20th century. The area became of substantial military significance during the struggle betweenTito'sPartisans and the German occupational forces during theSecond World War. A renowned episode of this struggle took place on Igman duringOperation Südost Kroatien associated with what is known as theSecond Enemy Offensive in January 1942. The Partisan 1st Proletarian Brigade, pursued by the German342. Infanterie-Division, crossed Igman in what is known as the "Igman March". With temperatures reaching −32 °C (−26 °F), 172 Partisans suffered severe hypothermic injury, 6 of whom died.[12] When they approached the German–Italian demarcation line south of Sarajevo, the Partisans were able to infiltrate through the weak Italian cordon. A monument in memory of the Partisan struggle in this area is to be found on Veliko Polje.
Mount Igman was usurped in the course of theBosnian War, and suddenly became an area of major strategic importance as part of theSiege of Sarajevo. The predominantlyBosniak villages ofHrasnica andButmir held out as anARBiH stronghold between theVRS-held villages ofIlidža andVojkovići, forming a corridor connecting the slopes of Mt Igman with theUN-controlled airport of Sarajevo.
After the completion of theSarajevo Tunnel under the airport in July 1993, the small unpaved forest road passing over Mt Igman became the sole important supply road into the besieged city. The ARBiH-controlled central plateau of Igman came under increased VRS pressure when the suspicion became stronger that the area had become a major logistical artery of the besieged city. A major VRS offensive started July 1993 and on August 4, 1993 Serb forces captured part of the Igman supply road.[3] The VRS advance was stopped under threat ofNATO airstrikes.[4]
The area was declared aDemilitarized Zone (DMZ) by the UN after the VRS retreated andUNPROFOR units were stationed on Igman and nearbyBjelašnica. The supply road intoSarajevo was agreed to be used for humanitarian goods only, but ARBiH logistical activity on the road and through the tunnel continued nevertheless. Discussion about real or alleged reluctance to withdraw ARBiH forces from the DMZ was a growing issue between UNPROFOR CommanderGeneral Rose and ARBiH CommanderGeneral Delić, with VRS CommanderMladić waiting for an opportunity to close the gap.[5] Trucks on the Igman supply road's narrow last stretch descending the steep north-eastern slope became fully exposed to fire from VRS artillery positions in Ilidža and Vojkovici.
Meanwhile, the ARBiH units remaining on the plateau were formally restricted toR&R activities, notably resulting in the building of the Igman Džamija, a wooden mosque in the forest, still much frequented today. The Igman supply road remained the almost exclusive supply route into Sarajevo until the end of the war. It was also the only entry and exit road for the Bosnian political leadership. Bosnian presidentAlija Izetbegović and foreign secretaryMuhamed Sacirbey traveled through this road.[6]
Foreign negotiators tended to avoid the road as it was "often described as the most dangerous road in Europe".[7] Forced by a Serb blockade of the Sarajevo Airport, on August 19, 1995, a USPeace Mission headed byRichard Holbrooke took this road in order to reach Sarajevo for a meeting with the Bosnian presidency. Holbrooke decided to sit withGeneral Wesley Clark in aHumvee, while the other members of the delegation travelled in a French UNPROFORRenault VABArmored Personnel Carrier. At a particular exposed and narrow point -- now marked by a French memorial plaque -- the French APC went over the edge and rolled and tumbled down some 400 metres. USDiplomatsRobert Frasure, Nelson Drew and Joe Kruzel as well as the French Corporal-driver perished in the incident.[8] The battered APC is still to be seen where it ultimately came to a halt - next to a memorial site for the victims.
By mid-1995 the military situation became very tense again, and in August 1995 the VRS launched another offensive forcing UNPROFOR from the Bjelašnica ridge and advancing again towards Veliko Polje. After thesecond Markale shelling, on August, 30 NATO startedOperation Deliberate Force, in which NATO aircraft engaged VRSCommand & Control facilities and other targets.[9] In conjunction with these attacks aRapid Reaction Force consisting of units of the British19th Reg. Royal Artillery, the French2nd Legion Etranger d'Infanterie and the Dutch 1e Mortiercompagnie of theNL Marine Corps, was deployed on Igman with (RNLA)search radars and heavy artillery, engaging any actively firing VRS artillery installation around Sarajevo until 14 September 1995, when the NATO air strikes were suspended to allow the implementation of the withdrawal of VRS heavy weapons from the Sarajevo exclusion zone, effectively ending the Siege of Sarajevo. A number of memorials and war cemetery sites is found throughout the Igman plateau.
Igman is nowadays a popular destination formountain-biking,hiking andskiing. Skiers will find -apart from 2 baby lifts- a single major skilift at Malo Polje that will bring them to 1,490 metres (4,888 feet) with a single descentpiste of 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mile) red/bleu with a black split-off of 0.2 kilometres (0.1 miles). Mountain bikers will find a vast network of forest roads on Igman. The steep north-eastern slope of Igman is especially popular with the mountain bikers, who use the former wartime supply road to climb from Hrasnica up to an altitude of 1,250 metres (4,101 feet), and then descend with some bravura via a hiking trail. This hiking trail connects the village with the main mountain hut in the area: Hrasnički Stan. Another trail leads from Hrasnica to the Memorial for the deceased American diplomats and the memorial plaque for the French military fallen on this road and ends also at Hrasnički Stan. From there other trails lead to the mountain hut at Malo Polje proceeding further east towards the Javornik mountain hut.[10]
At the very foot of the mountain, close toIlidža, are the sources of the riverBosna:Vrelo Bosne. This beautiful area is one of the most popular recreational areas of Sarajevo, and one its most important drinking water sources. Nearby lies one of the famous residential villas of Marshal Tito: Stojcevac, now fully destroyed. The area further up above Vrelo Bosne is the location of the former frontline and inaccessible because of heavy contamination withland mines andUXO.Demining activities on former frontlines have taken place and are still taking place around recreational areas and the main roads.[11]
One of the primeval forests of Bosnia and Herzegovina,Ravna Vala is also located on mountain Igman.
The Igman mountain, with its wartime legacy, has lend its name to a non-governmental/political initiative that is aimed at bringing the former belligerents in the region together. The mission of the Igman Initiative is to encourage normalization of the overall relations among the countries of theDayton Quadrangles. The initiative was named after Mt. Igman in remembrance of the intellectual activists, who traveled from all over formerYugoslavia via the Igman Mountain Road to Sarajevo in April 1995 in solidarity with the besieged population.[12] In November 2000, in Zagreb, a conference, “Prospects of Relations between Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the FRY[13]” was convened. The conference gathered more than a hundredNGOs from the nations ratifying theDayton Agreement. The participating organizations agreed to formally join their efforts to stimulate the normalization of relations among the three countries. At the second session of the conference, held in Novi Sad, 2001, the Igman Initiative was established and a Council was appointed. The new institution would speed up the process of normalizing the relations. The Igman Initiative is now governed by four co-Presidents from Croatia, BiH, Serbia and Montenegro and its Council is currently composed of twenty members, five per country. The Igman Initiative efforts are essentially still aimed at establishing good neighbourly relations, building mutual trust and tolerance and overcoming all types of discrimination in the countries of the region.
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