Timur Vilić, President of the Youth Forum of Our Party and a Councilor in the Old Town Sarajevo Municipal Council, has put forward a plan for a tram line linking Baščaršija and Vratnik.
Vilić shared this idea on Instagram, and said that it would be a kind of “inclined train” linking Baščaršija Square and Vratnik’sMejdan, modeled after systems in cities such as Lisbon, Trieste, and San Francisco, but adapted to Sarajevo’s terrain.
“Imagine that you get on a tram at Baščaršija, passing through the hillside neighborhoods, and a few minutes later you’re in Vratnik. This sounds like something from a postcard, right?” Vilić wrote.
He pointed out that in his first year in office he dealt with issuesat the Baščaršija minibus station and stated that the work on that project should start soon.
“We successfully advocated for that project, and its implementation will begin soon. We made the safety of citizens and order a priority,” he said.
As he emphasized, this year’s focus is Vratnik, which he sees not only as a hillside but as a significant cultural and historical area and a tourist attraction for Sarajevo. He added that Vratnik, with its walls, bastions, gates, and city views, represents a space that should be more integrated into the city’s tourist and transport map.
He announced that he has gathered a small, informal group of young experts to develop the idea.
“I managed to form a small, informal team of young experts,” Vilić wrote, adding that the group includes an architect who honed her skills in Prague, as well as young talents from the Bosnia and Herzegovina architectural scene.
Vilić believes that the realization of such a project would have multiple effects, from enhancing public transport to creating a new tourist attraction in Sarajevo.
“The implementation of this, I will freely say, major project will create a tourist attraction that leaves a lasting impression. It would be a new symbol of our municipality, strengthening public transport, and Vratnik would practically become part of the old town (čaršija) and the popular tourist offerings it provides, enriching and expanding them,” he pointed out.
He added that they are currently analyzing several possible route options and other technical details of the project.
“We are currently analyzing more route options and other technical details, and soon we will present the initiative to Mayor Irfan Čengić. More details will be available soon,” Vilićwrote, concluding:
“This is just the beginning of the Vratnik story!”
