Situated on Trebević mountain and overlooking the city of Sarajevo, the Sarajevo Bobsleigh Track is a reminder of turbulent times.
It was once a place of admiration, where thousands of spectators flocked to watch international sporting competitions. Now it’s a structure covered in graffiti and worn down by the atrocities of war.
However, unlike my first time visiting, its popularity has seemed to grow dramatically. With a newish gondola to take you up to the track, as well as a few hiking trails, it’s become a perfect nature escape for travelers in Sarajevo.
This is one of my favorite places in Bosnia & Herzegovina, and a must-visit for anyone into adventure travel. I’ve been here a handful of times now, and plan to come back on every visit to Sarajevo.
Here is my Sarajevo Bobsleigh Track guide, with a bit of background history and how to get up to the mountain top.
THE 1984 WINTER OLYMPICS
The history of the Sarajevo Bobsleigh Track starts with the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Picked 7 years prior to hosting the games, Sarajevo proposed a bobsleigh and luge track to go along with its bid.
Like most of the other Olympic facilities in the city, Yugoslavia (the country at the time) brought in some of its greatest architects and engineers to design the track.
In the end, it was Gorazd Bučar who created the innovative winter complex.
What made it so unique was both its cost-effective build and shiftable sections. The technique of spraying concrete onto the track’s frame instead of pouring it saved money. The ability for it to change sizes by adjusting 3 separate sections into 1 made it truly exceptional.
In 1982, the bobsleigh track was finally finished. A few months later, it held its first competition, the 1983 Bobsleigh European Championships. The next year was the Olympics, and it was followed by numerous European Championships in the late 80’s. It was a place that was sought after due to its steep and fast running track.
A TIME OF INTENSE CONFLICT
I wish I could end there and talk only about the positive aspects it had on the sporting world. However, like most buildings in Bosnia & Herzegovina, the structure suffered damage throughout the Bosnian War.
The concrete slabs that make up the Sarajevo Bobsleigh Track were used as strategic positions for artillery during the Siege of Sarajevo. Although it’s mostly intact, bullet holes dot the structure like pockmarks.
Some areas have turned into ruins, and plants have grown through cracks to create a post-apocalyptic vibe.
Abandoned and forgotten places tend to attract budding street artists, and here is no different. Some amazing and colorful graffiti is painted along the turns and walls. If you are a fan of the visual arts, this is one of the coolest places in the Balkans.
In recent years, there’s been a push to renovate the track. The goal is to create a fully serviceable venue for training and future contests.
GETTING TO THE SARAJEVO BOBLEIGH & LUGE TRACK
There are a few ways to get up to the Sarajevo bobsleigh track. Car and taxi are always an option, but I’m going to stick with the two ways I know.
The first is the Trebević cable car, which leaves from the city. It’s quite pricey and takes about 10 minutes, but it has lovely views.
Once on top, it’s a short walk to the start of the track. You should see signs and/or people making their way in that direction.
There are some amazing views of Sarajevo from the mountaintop. So, it’s worth heading towards it to look across the city.
Cable Car Price | 30 KM (15 Euros) for a round-trip ticket or 20 KM one way.
Schedule | Mondays from 12:00 – 17:00, all other days from 9:00 – 17:00
The second way is to hike up one of the trails.
I can’t stress this enough: Stay on the trail if you decide to hike. The mountain still has unexploded mines littered across its surface. They won’t be along the path, but they could be anywhere else.
Besides that, the trek up is really nice. It’s extremely steep and tiring on the legs, but there are some abandoned buildings to see along the way. Plus, the bottom of the bobsleigh course is very calm, with far fewer tourists heading so far down. You can walk the majority of it all by yourself and enjoy the mix of art and urban exploring.
You’ll need to download Maps.me or another offline map like Mapy for an accurate full trail view. Google Maps will take you up the streets, which works too, but adds a bit of time and less beauty to the trip.
The trailhead I took both up and down the mountain started in this (maps) neighborhood.
What To See On Trebević Mountain
The bobsleigh track is the crown jewel of the mountain, especially for those looking to explore the Sarajevo graffiti scene. You can walk the full length of it, which I think is worth doing to see all the street art.
However, there are also a handful of spots up Trebević Mountain worth stopping by:
The Viewpoints | Just below where the cable car ends, there are a handful of viewing points, including a postcard-type picture point, a viewing deck, and a few benches.
Bistrik Kula (maps) | This is an abandoned observatory that you can urbex through. It’s tucked around a corner along one of the paths near the bobsleigh track. Some excellent views can be seen from here.
The Two Buildings | Just down the path from the observatory, you’ll find two abandoned buildings that are covered in scattered bullet holes. They have graffiti all over and sit near where the hiking trail to the city ends. There is a peak with a large flag flying behind the buildings.
The Olympic Rings | Next to the gondola building is a sculpture of the Olympic Rings. They have an outline of Coca-Cola bottles that make up each one.
Gondola Building | The building that the cable car ends in has a small cafe connected. It has donuts, okay coffee, and breathtaking views of Sarajevo.
Tuneli Trebević | A small abandoned tunnel down the street from the tracks.
Trebevic Peak | The top of the mountain can be hiked to if you follow the trails near Pino Nature Hotel.
In my mind, the Sarajevo Bobsleigh Track is a must-see place in Bosnia & Herzegovina’s capital. It combines sport, history, nature, and art to make a should-be-lost structure into an outright special site.
If you want to have some peace outside of heading to Vrelo Bosne, or are in a Cool Runnings type of mood, this is the place to come to in Sarajevo.
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