Latin Bridge (Latinska ćuprija)

The Latin Bridge (Latinska ćuprija) is a single-arched stone bridge over the Miljacka river at Obala Kulina bana in central Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A crossing has existed here since the Ottoman period, and the present stone structure dates largely from the late 18th century, replacing earlier wooden and stone predecessors that floods repeatedly damaged. Its name refers to the Latin, meaning Catholic, quarter that lay on the right bank in Ottoman times, in contrast to the Orthodox and Muslim districts elsewhere in the city. The bridge is chiefly known for its role in world history. On 28 June 1914 the Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife Sophie near the northern end of the bridge, on the corner of Appel Quay, as their motorcade turned into a side street. The event led within weeks to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia and the escalation into the First World War. After 1918 the crossing was renamed Princip Bridge, and it kept that name through the Yugoslav era until 1992, when the original name was restored. A commemorative plaque and a small display on the Sarajevo assassination stand at the corner, and the nearby Museum of Sarajevo 1878-1918 covers the Austro-Hungarian period and the events of 1914 in greater detail. Architecturally the bridge is modest: a graceful stone arch with low parapets, framed by the Appel Quay embankment and the minarets and roofs of the old town. It was damaged during the 1992-1995 siege, when the riverfront was exposed to shelling and sniper fire, and has since been repaired. Today it is a free, always accessible public crossing and a popular stop on walking routes between the Vijećnica, Baščaršija and the Marijin Dvor district. Visitors usually spend a short time here, reading the plaque, photographing the river, and continuing along the embankment to nearby sites.