nick otto

Freelance Photographer

nickotto.visura.co

25 Years after the siege of Saravejo

Two women take photos of the ci... onto the citizens of Sarajevo.

Two women take photos of the city of Sarajevo from an elevated vantage point. For more than four years from 1992 until 1996, shells and sniper fire rained down from these very hills onto the citizens of Sarajevo.

A man looks at items for sale a...r tourism industry in Sarajevo.

A man looks at items for sale at shop in Sarajevo’s Old Town. Some of the local metal workers are turning discarded bullet casings and shells from the war into items that can be sold to tourists, part of a growing war tourism industry in Sarajevo.

The Sarajevo landscape is pockm...butts right up against houses.

The Sarajevo landscape is pockmarked with cemeteries both big and small. A constant reminder of the nearly 14,000 people killed over a three-year period. Here, the Mezarje Stadion Cemetery butts right up against houses.

A young girl gets some assistan...es for men and women hold true.

A young girl gets some assistance while driving a go cart at the Sarajevo Zoo. The culture is still a conservative patriarchal one where traditional roles for men and women hold true.

A muslim woman walks past a caf... drinking coffee day and night.

A muslim woman walks past a cafe crowded with men. Cafe culture is extremely prominent in Sarajevo. People, mostly men, can be seen idly chatting and drinking coffee day and night.

Two young boys play in the hill...the hills surrounding Sarajevo.

Two young boys play in the hills just above Sarajevo. The threat of landmines still exists in the hills surrounding Sarajevo.

Pedestrians are reflected in th... the buildings around Sarajevo.

Pedestrians are reflected in the window of a closed dress shop in downtown Sarajevo. Signs of the war are still visible in many of the buildings around Sarajevo.

The owner and chef of this trad... in the family for generations.

The owner and chef of this traditional Bosnian restaurant looks out onto the streets of the Old Town as evening sets in. This restaurant has been in the family for generations.

People and cars crowd the stree...ene unthinkable during the war.

People and cars crowd the streets of Sarajevo today. A scene unthinkable during the war.

A woman begs as people cross th...tained siege in modern history.

A woman begs as people cross the latin Bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated in 1914 setting off World War I. Sarajevo is known for 3 major events in world history: the Assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Este, the 1984 Winter Olympics and the longest sustained siege in modern history.

Locals walk through a day marke...ween modernizing and tradition.

Locals walk through a day market set up near a freeway bridge outside the city center. Sarajevo remains at the crossroads between modernizing and tradition.

A Muslim girl and her friend wa... in spite of its troubled past.

A Muslim girl and her friend walk near a graffiti-covered wall in downtown Sarajevo. The city continues to display a diverse mix of religions and ethnicities in spite of its troubled past.

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Thumbnail of Two women take photos of the cit_s onto the citizens of Sarajevo.

Thumbnail of A man looks at items for sale at_ar tourism industry in Sarajevo.

Thumbnail of 25 Years after the siege of Saravejo

Thumbnail of The Sarajevo landscape is pockma_ butts right up against houses.

Thumbnail of A young girl gets some assistanc_les for men and women hold true.

Thumbnail of A muslim woman walks past a cafe_d drinking coffee day and night.

Thumbnail of Two young boys play in the hills_ the hills surrounding Sarajevo.

Thumbnail of Pedestrians are reflected in the_f the buildings around Sarajevo.

Thumbnail of The owner and chef of this tradi_n in the family for generations.

Thumbnail of People and cars crowd the street_cene unthinkable during the war.

Thumbnail of A woman begs as people cross the_stained siege in modern history.

Thumbnail of Locals walk through a day market_tween modernizing and tradition.

Thumbnail of A Muslim girl and her friend wal_s in spite of its troubled past.

Public Project

25 Years after the siege of Saravejo

Copyright nick otto 2025

Updated Sep 2021

Topics Civil Wars, civilian casualties, Documentary, Editorial, Fear, Genocide, Historical, Hope, Human Rights, Landscape, Peace, Photography, Photojournalism, Politics, Portraiture, Stock, Travel, War, War and its effects, World

Perspective | Twenty-five years after the siege of Sarajevo, exploring the cityâs colorful palette
Twenty-five years after the Siege of Sarajevo, photographer Nick Otto explores the city's colorful palette.
Washingtonpost.com

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