Sarajevo Umut Tunnel (Tunel Spasa)

Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope is a strategic underground passage constructed during the 1425-day Siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege in modern history, to connect the besieged capital of Sarajevo with the outside world. ^【1】 Construction began in 1993 and linked the Dobrinja and Butmir areas under Bosnian government control with the runway of Sarajevo Airport, passing beneath it.

The path to building the Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope began with Bosnia-Herzegovina’s declaration of independence through referendum on 1 March 1992 and the subsequent siege launched by Serb forces on 5 April 1992, which refused to recognize this decision. Sarajevo endured this 1425-day siege as the longest blockade in modern history; all land connections to the outside world were severed. This complete logistical isolation made it impossible to supply basic necessities such as food, medicine, and ammunition, plunging the civilian population and defense units into a severe humanitarian crisis. ^【2】

By 1993, the Sarajevo Airport, under United Nations (UN) control, had become a barrier separating Bosniak-held areas on either side of the city — Dobrinja and Butmir. Civilians attempting to cross the airport runway were killed by sniper fire, prompting the idea of digging an underground passage to break the siege. ^【3】 The tunnel project, engineered by Nedžad Branković, was realized through the initiative of a delegation including Bosnia-Herzegovina’s first President Alija Izetbegović and his son Bakir Izetbegović. ^【4】 A house belonging to the Kolar family in Butmir was selected as the strategic location for the tunnel’s secret entrance and operational center.

Amid the Bosnian War — the largest massacre and most systematic violence in post-World War II Europe — the tunnel’s opening on 30 July 1993 became not only a military strategy but also a symbol of the will to survive of 400,000 people. The tunnel served as the only legal channel for delivering weapons necessary for the city’s defense, as well as for supplying food, diesel fuel, and electrical cables to the besieged population. ^【5】

^{A Video About the Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope (}TRT News⁾

The construction of the Tunnel of Hope was a technical endeavor shaped entirely by the impossible conditions of siege, combining military engineering with civilian solidarity. Nedžad Branković led the engineering effort, and construction began in March 1993. The tunnel’s primary objective was to connect besieged Sarajevo with the free territory of Butmir by passing beneath the runway of the UN-controlled “neutral zone” of the airport.

The tunnel is 800 meters long and has a very narrow and low internal structure: one meter wide and approximately 1.60 meters high. These physical constraints forced most soldiers and civilians using the tunnel to move bent over or crouched. The ceiling and side walls were supported by wooden planks, logs, and occasionally steel plates to prevent soil collapse.

^{About the Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope (}Anadolu Agency⁾

Due to a lack of technological equipment, construction was carried out almost entirely by manual methods. A volunteer team of approximately 300 people worked continuously for four months and four days using only shovels and picks. ^【6】 Excavation was initially planned in two shifts. After reaching the 300–400 meter mark, the removal of excavated sand and soil became one of the greatest technical challenges. ^【7】 Throughout construction, underground water seepage and rainwater flooding frequently halted work, with water levels sometimes rising to the workers’ waists. ^【8】

After completion, a rail system was laid along the tunnel floor to increase operational capacity, enabling the transport of military supplies and heavy loads. Small wagons and hand carts moving along these rails accelerated the delivery of ammunition, food, and medicine. Moreover, the tunnel functioned not only as a passage but also as an infrastructure corridor: high-voltage power cables, telephone lines, and fuel pipelines were installed within it to supply the city. ^【9】

The entrance on the Butmir side was strategically located beneath the Kolar family house to conceal it from Serb snipers and artillery fire. The structure, activated on 30 July 1993 when both ends met, remained the logistical heart of the city until the end of the war.

^{The 300-Person Volunteer Team Involved in the Construction of the Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope (}Anadolu Agency⁾

The museumization of the tunnel began in 1996 through the personal efforts of the Kolar family and gradually evolved into an institutional structure. Today, the two-story house serving as the northern entrance to the tunnel and its surroundings are preserved as part of the museum complex managed by the Sarajevo Memorial Center (Fond Memorijala). The museum’s collection includes shovels and hand carts used in excavation, the laid railway tracks, uniforms worn by soldiers, photographs and video recordings from the period. One of the museum’s key artifacts is the chair used by Alija Izetbegović, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s first president, during his passage through the tunnel. ^【10】

^{Some Artifacts Exhibited in the Museum (}Anadolu Agency⁾

For the approximately 400,000 people under siege, the tunnel was described as “the only window to the world.” ^【11】 Through the tunnel, food, medicine, diesel fuel, and military supplies were delivered; wounded civilians were evacuated, and civilian movement was facilitated. It is estimated that approximately 300,000 lives were saved through the tunnel, which was used daily by an average of 1,000 people. ^【12】 Many political and military leaders, including then-president Alija Izetbegović, used this route.

After the war, the Kolar family house at the tunnel’s northern entrance was converted into a museum in 1996 and later nationalized and transferred to the Sarajevo Canton Memorial Fund. Today, a 20-meter section of the original tunnel is open to visitors, and within the museum, photographs, documents, and military equipment from the war period are displayed. Considered within the literature as part of “war tourism” and “dark tourism,” the museum is one of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s most visited sites and plays a vital role in preserving the memory of the tragedy and raising global awareness.