Sarajevo, a city between East and West. A town where various nations and empires have left their mark, as evidenced by numerous historical monuments.
Known for its traditional cultural and religious diversity, with members of Islam, Orthodoxy, Judaism, and Catholicism that have existed there for centuries, Sarajevo captures the attention of all casual passers-by who visit it. Due to its long and rich history, religious and cultural diversity, Sarajevo is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe.”
In the last 100 years, Sarajevo has been known more for the war events than for its charm, richness of culture, and traditions of the people who live here. History has recorded that the trigger for the beginning of the First World War was the 1914 murder of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie, in the center of Sarajevo. During the Second World War, many battles were fought here, and the 1992-1995 war caused the deepest suffering in Europe after the Holocaust.
With the beginning of the 21st century and its significant technological developments, Sarajevo has finally found its place as a gracious host for large IT companies and groups, increasingly growing into an important IT hub in the heart of Southeast Europe.
Examples of Bosnian excellence.
Bit Alliance, aiming to unite IT companies into one association, exists to develop a positive business environment to further support the Bosnian IT industry. It has established cooperation with the academic community and the authorities. Nowadays, the members of this alliance employ over 3,000 young IT professionals who develop software daily and distribute it to the world’s largest companies.
Infobip, a global IT and telecommunications company that provides mobile communications services in the cloud for business users, is one of the world’s leading IT companies with over 60 offices on 6 continents. It is a member of the Bit Alliance, which this spring is launching the most significant IT infrastructure project in the region – constructing the largest IT campus in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal is for the IT campus in Sarajevo to reflect the culture of the company and enable employees to strengthen the sense of community and continue to achieve success in a space that supports creativity, versatility, and commitment. Employees will have the best conditions for working in the most modern environment, all in one place. The idea of creating such an IT campus was also supported by the local government. A strategy was set up to further develop the IT industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period from 2021 to 2027.
In addition to supporting the construction of the aforementioned campus, the government will also allocate significant funds to develop an IT park that will become the address of the largest European and world companies looking for quality IT staff. The IT park will be the first of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina providing the opportunity to establish an IT business community of thousands of highly professional individuals and to generate a solid scientific and highly valued financial export potential.
Indeed, far from the dark years of the problematic period of its development, today the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is telling a completely new story. Take note Europe, the IT heart of Sarajevo is beating strong.
