The Battle for Žuč: A Key Turning Point in the Defence of Sarajevo

(Patria) - On the heights above Sarajevo lies Žuč, a place that today gathers citizens, hikers and visitors, and which in 1992 was one of the key battlefields in the defence of the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At a time when the future of Sarajevo was uncertain, it was precisely the fighting waged in this area that played an important role in stabilising the defence and preserving the city, which is why Žuč became a symbol of the resistance, courage and determination of the defenders of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Battle for Žuč, during which the plateau of this hill was liberated on 8 June 1992, is counted among the key operations during the siege of Sarajevo and the aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the very beginning of the siege in April 1992, Žuč represented a dominant point from which the city was exposed to daily artillery and sniper fire. From positions above 800 metres, the enemy had a complete view over a large part of Sarajevo, especially its new urban zones, along with the real threat of cutting the city in two and its complete strategic division.

Therefore, the liberation of this elevation had a decisive military and moral significance for the defence of Sarajevo and the establishment of connectivity among units of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the early morning hours of 8 June, a coordinated attack was launched from the direction of Novi Grad, Novo Sarajevo and Vogošća, after which Orlić, Vis, Kota 850 and Golo Brdo were liberated in several hours of fighting.

Heroes who chose their homeland

Every victory has its price. The Battle for Žuč claimed the lives of numerous defenders of Sarajevo. Among them was Vinko Šamarlić, an athlete who had achieved the Olympic qualifying standard for Barcelona, but chose to stay and defend Sarajevo. He was killed just one day before his planned departure for the Olympic Games. Also taking part in the same defence were commanders Safet Zajko and Enver Šehović, whose names are today permanently inscribed in the collective memory of the city.

Their stories are not just war stories. They are stories about people who exchanged their own future for the future of their homeland.

Are we aware of the value of freedom?

More than three decades after the Battle for Žuč, generations born in peace are growing up without the sound of shells and the uncertainty that the siege of Sarajevo brought. This is precisely the greatest success of those who defended the city and the state. Yet, with the passage of time, it is easy to forget how dearly the freedom we live today was paid for.

The opportunity to study, work, travel and plan our own future is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of martyrs and fighters. Therefore, the culture of remembrance must not be limited only to anniversaries and ceremonial events, but must remain a part of collective memory.

The martyrs are not just names on headstones and memorials. They are part of the history upon which today's freedom rests. True remembrance lives when young people understand who the people whose names schools, streets and squares bear were, and what price many paid for the defence of their country.

Although the battles on Žuč ended long ago, the responsibility of preserving the memory remains. It is precisely through education, culture, books, films and journalism that the stories of Vinko Šamarlić, Enver Šehović, Safet Zajko and other defenders continue to live, reminding us that freedom is not something to be taken for granted.

Today, on the Golo Brdo plateau, at the foot of the "Wings of Freedom" monument, the 34th anniversary of the Battle for Žuč and the Day of Defence of the Novi Grad Municipality will be marked. At that location, our cameras will capture an emotional encounter with the past, as we pay tribute to the heroes who gifted us freedom.  The Hayat TV programme begins at 6 PM, and viewers are invited to join us to together pay homage to those who wove their lives into the foundations of this country.

Behind the martyrs and defenders of Žuč remain a free Sarajevo, a free Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a permanent obligation never to consign their sacrifice to oblivion.

(Hayat)