Where is the cemetery located in Sarajevo?

The cemetery lies in the Kovačići-Debelo Brdo area on the slopes of Trebević mountain in the south-western section of the city.

Who established the cemetery?

Sephardic Jews established the burial ground during the Ottoman era, and Ashkenazi Jews later used the grounds following their arrival under the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

What memorials are located on the cemetery grounds?

The site contains monuments dedicated to victims of fascism, including memorials for Sephardic and Ashkenazi victims and victims of Ustasha militants.

How was the site affected during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

The cemetery stood on the front line, suffered damage from artillery and bullets, and underwent mine clearance following the conflict.

What is the historical significance of the complex in Europe?

It is the largest Jewish cemetery in Southeast Europe and among the largest historical Jewish sepulchral complexes on the continent.

Sarajevo · Bosnia and Herzegovina

Old Jewish Cemetery, Sarajevo: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Living uphill above Kovačići trades flat city walks for steep daily climbs past mountain artillery lines and centuries of memorial stone.

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About the place

The hillside necropolis stands above the river valley as an enduring record of communal heritage and military conflict.

Sephardic community members founded this hillside burial ground on the slopes of Trebević mountain during Ottoman rule. Following the arrival of Austro-Hungarian administration, Ashkenazi families also buried their dead across the grounds. The slopes around Kovačići and Debelo Brdo hold thousands of traditional stone markers, making it the most extensive Jewish cemetery in the region and second in Europe only to Prague.

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Memorial monuments dedicated to victims of fascism stand among the historic graves, including a dedicated memorial designed by Jahiel Finci. During the conflict in the late twentieth century, military forces seized the elevated terrain as an active artillery post. Heavy shelling and direct bullet impacts fractured the masonry across the slope, while retreating units laid extensive minefields that demining teams later cleared.

Associations

Trebević SlopesSteep mountain terrain overlooking the valley below.
Jahiel Finci MemorialArchitectural monument honoring victims of wartime fascism.
Wartime Artillery FrontFront line battle damage and mine clearance history across the site.
Sephardic HeritageCenturies of communal history preserved in distinct burial stones.

Facts

The burial ground spans the mountain slopes of Trebević in the Kovačići and Debelo Brdo area.
The complex is the largest Jewish necropolis in Southeast Europe and the second largest in Europe after Prague.
Sephardic settlers founded the cemetery during Ottoman governance before Ashkenazi burials began under Austro-Hungarian rule.
The site contains four distinct monuments dedicated to victims of fascism, including one designed by Jahiel Finci.
During the conflict of the late twentieth century, combatants used the cemetery as an artillery base, causing severe structural damage.

Updated September 21, 2026Source: Wikipedia

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Old Jewish Cemetery, Sarajevo: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

What is around15

The hillside necropolis stands above the river valley as an enduring record of communal heritage and military conflict.

Getting there and staying

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