Prior to the war, Bosnian burial tradition stressed the individuality of the dead by not burying loved ones in rows. However, due to the length of the siege and the sheer volume of casualties, concessions were made in regards to the location and method of burial.

    There were many cemeteries in Sarajevo before the war, however, a good portion of them had been not been in use for many years or were designated for a specialized group of people. The Lion’s Cemetery for instance was originally used for the burial of Austro-Hungarian soldiers during WWI and, eventually, was used for the burial of soldiers from the Yugoslav Army. Under the Yugoslav Army, the cemetery was called the Partisan cemetery and was relatively exclusive; nevertheless, when the war broke out and space grew short, the cemetery was eventually used to bury the victims of shelling and sniper fire. During the war it was renamed the Lion cemetery, to honor the Sarajevans who were buried there and to recognize the damage done to the massive marble lion which watches over the graves (as noted by Majo Dizdar).

    As the siege dragged on, space grew even more scarce and even the practice fields for the Koševo soccer stadium became a place for memorial and burial. These fields were relatively well protected from sniper fire and were among the first burial grounds used during the war.  All religions and ethnic groups are buried quite freely here and, due to the frequency and intensity of shelling and sniper fire, there was little attempt at religious segregation until later in the war.

    These cemeteries are a testament to the Sarajevans’ ability to adapt and overcome but never forget. Even on our trip, we still saw people bringing flowers and praying to honor the graves of those who died during the war.