When you see a chimney sweep, grab the button and make a wish – says an old belief, and judging by that, Baščaršija is today the happiest place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and perhaps beyond. Hundreds of chimney sweeps gathered on Baščaršija Square where, as part of the Stari Grad Municipality Day, the First International Festival of Chimney Sweeps in Bosnia and Herzegovina was opened.
Chimney sweepers from BiH, Croatia, Serbia, Germany, England, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden and other countries arrived in Sarajevo with the desire to exchange experiences, get to know the rich culture, history, traditions and gastronomy of the Old Town.
Convenient program
An eventful program was held on Baščaršija square, where the chairman of the Municipal Council, Seid Škaljić, greeted the chimney sweeps on behalf of the Municipality of Stari Grad and Mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić. He pointed out that this meeting is an opportunity for chimney sweeps to network and connect with other experts in their field, exchange experience, ideas and knowledge and create new friendships.
“The Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo is a place that offers many opportunities for sightseeing and enjoying the rich culture and traditions of our peoples. I hope that you will have a pleasant stay in our municipality, and that you will create lasting memories and new friendships here,” said chairman Škaljić.
The president of the Association of Chimney Sweeps Mirza Ekmečić also addressed the attendees, who thanked the Municipality of Stari Grad and Mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić for their support in organizing this event.
“Thank you to Mayor Hadžibajrić who recognized the importance of this event and supported us in organizing this event. I hope that our fellow chimney sweeps will enjoy and take back beautiful memories from Stari Grad and Bosnia and Herzegovina”, said Ekmečić, who also thanked Dervo Sejdić, a friend of the Association of Chimney Sweeps, for his support.
Among the many chimney sweeps in Baščaršija today is Dino Šahman, who was born in Maglaj, but has been living and working in Italy for 32 years. “I am very happy to be invited to this Festival. Colleagues are delighted with Sarajevo and its historical part, the Old Town. I hope that this meeting will be useful for all participants and that we will exchange experiences and connect even more with each other”, said Dino Šahman.
Chimney sweepers walked the circle of honor in Baščaršija today, and this festival ends the program of celebrating the Stari Grad Municipality Day.
Buildings were higher than before and the new chimneys’ tops were grouped together. The routes of flues from individual grates could involve two or more right angles and horizontal angled and vertical sections. The flues were made narrow to create a better draught, 14in by 9in (36 × 23 cm) being a common standard. Buckingham Palace had one flue with 15 angles, with the flue narrowing to 9in by 9in (23 × 23 cm). Chimney sweeping was one of the more difficult, hazardous, and low-paying occupations of the era, and consequently has been derided in verse, ballad, and pantomime.
The first mechanical sweeper was invented by George Smart in 1803 but was resisted in the UK and the US. Joseph Glass marketed an improved sweeping machine in 1828; he is credited with being the inventor of the modern chimney sweep’s brush. In the northern US, whites gave up the trade and employed black sweep-boys from the South. After regulation finally took hold in 1875 in the UK and the turn of the century in the US, the occupation became romanticized in popular media.
