Sarajevo – Children Attending School in Grbavica, June 1993

Product Description

In June 1993, the press service of the Army of Republika Srpska arranged overnight accommodation for a group of journalists in Grbavica. We slept three people to a bed. The windows facing the city center of Sarajevo were boarded up with thick wooden planks. Throughout the night, shelling echoed continuously, and every strong explosion caused involuntary reactions. Our hosts reassured us that there was no danger, explaining that “our side” was firing.
Only a different sound—resembling a suppressed shot from an air rifle or small-caliber weapon—provoked immediate alarm, with shouts that enemy snipers were active.
The following morning, we reached a school through basement corridors connecting buildings. Where underground passages did not exist, blankets were suspended on long steel cables to conceal movement between structures. People crossed only when the wind stopped lifting the blankets, which otherwise exposed them to sniper fire.
This photograph shows a classroom in use despite the ongoing siege. Children sit at their desks, raising their hands to answer questions, while the walls bear visible traces of war damage. The image documents an attempt to preserve education and normality amid constant danger.