Goat’s Bridge (Kozja cuprija) is one of the bridges on Miljacka River, and it used to represent one of the two entrances to the city of Sarajevo. There were two roads that led to the capital of BiH. First one across Hresa and Romanija, and the other through Goat’s Bridge.
The bridge was built due to rocks on the right side of Miljacka River, which were blocking the road.
There are two legends about the way Goat’s Bridge was built. The first legend says that the bridge was built by a poor shepherd Meho, whose parents died from the plague. He was raised by his neighbours, and he went to mekteb (Islamic primary school) when he was a boy, where he learned about Istanbul, the Sultan and his army. Later on, he would read books while taking care of goats around Lapisnica. He was dreaming about going to Istanbul.
One day, he saw that one of his goats is trying to dig something in the bush and after careful observation, he found a few pots with treasure. His dream came true, he went to Istanbul, got education and became a real Pasha. In the memory of the goat and found treasure, he decided to build a bridge and call it the Goat’s Bridge.
The other legend says that two brothers who were goat shepherds from Jarcedoli, the settlement on the slopes of Trebevic Mountain, Sinan and Mehmed, found large treasure in a cave with the help of their goats. One of them built a mosque in Sarajevo, and another built the Goat’s Bridge.
The Goat’s Bridge is no longer a gateway to the city, and it is visited by excursionists, tourists … You can come to the Goat’s Bridge from Bentbasa if you walk along Dariva. This promenade is located on the shore of the Miljacka River, and it was named after an Austrian, Josef Da Riva. He moved to Sarajevo back in 1884, and he built a house and tavern on Miljacka River in the year of 1889.
He managed to connect his tavern with the basement where he stored the wine. Therefore, he became the first person to serve the wine in the town on Miljacka River. Josef Da Riva was also the first person with an authentic winery, which existed until the year of 1918. Da Riva also opened a bathing spa for the residents of Sarajevo back then.
Dariva, fenced with Miljacka on one side and rocks on the other side, represents a real paradise for all mountaineers and climbers. Dariva was crucial for the development of sports climbing in BiH after the end of aggression on our country.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
