Compiled shortly after the war, this comprehensive chronology of the Sarajevo siege covers the period from March 1992 to March 1996. Structured by month and year, it draws on articles from the “Oslobođenje” newspaper, UN archives, reports from foreign correspondents, and citizen testimonies to document key social, political, military, cultural, and personal events of that time. By recording major developments and everyday survival, the chronology remains a vital reference for understanding how the siege unfolded and transformed every aspect of city life.
It was clear to us that the lifting of the siege of Sarajevo marked the beginning of a new phase: transforming experience into knowledge. We began exploring methodologies for articulating the material documented during the siege and for structuring the facts in a meaningful and coherent manner. Each project developed between 1996 and 2010 required its own method of data organisation and a format suited to knowledge transfer at various educational levels. We had to start from scratch, and the Chronology of the Siege proved to be an invaluable platform for establishing the appropriate framework for the entire project, which culminates in the creation of the virtual FAMA Collection.
In March 1996, following the peaceful reintegration of Sarajevo, we began archiving and documenting experiences from the 1992–1996 siege. The primary goal of the project was to establish a chronology of daily events from March 1992 to March 1996.
Additional context
The project drew on key sources including newspaper archives (1992–1996) of the local daily Oslobođenje newspaper (printed in besieged Sarajevo), as well as archives from The New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, CNN, Radio France Internationale, The Independent, and The Financial Times. It also relied on UN reports from within the besieged city, as well as surveys and interviews with Sarajevo residents.
The Chronology of the Siege also served as a platform for developing the Oral History of the Siege of Sarajevo 1992–1996 project. By following the events listed in the Chronology, we invited participants to share their testimonies of what they had lived through and the events they had taken part in.
In doing so, the Chronology created a living picture of life under the four-year siege, capturing a wide range of themes, from existential struggles to cultural survival, while also reflecting the political and military roles of domestic and international institutions.
Note:
All of these projects have since demonstrated that this method is key to documenting events if we want our efforts to serve as a meaningful contribution to the interpretation and understanding of the 1991–1999 period in the former Yugoslavia, for both local and global education. This project has already proven and continues to prove its value as a contribution to the process of truth and reconciliation, as well as to the democratisation of post-war society.
| Theme | The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-1996 |
|---|---|
| Research period | 1992-1996 |
| Original Format | A textual chronology outlining important events and experiences between March 1992 and March 1996. |
| Language | Bosnian / Croatian / Serbian (English translation available) |
| Project content | A concise chronology of key political, military, diplomatic, economic, cultural, and personal events and experiences during the Sarajevo siege (March 1992 – March 1996), organised by year and month. |
| Production | Sarajevo (1996-1997) |
| Note | The chronology was developed using daily articles from the local newspaper Oslobođenje, international print and broadcast media, UN daily reports, surveys, and interviews with Sarajevo residents. |
