City – Horse-Drawn Traffic in Sarajevo (1885)
The year is 1885. Austrian authorities in Sarajevo, after the construction of the old railway station (1882), come up with the idea of establishing a horse-drawn streetcar transportation. The means of public transport would be a tram pulled along narrow-gauge tracks by a horse. Considering that the railway station is three kilometers away from the city center, all goods listed in the railway schedule are transferred by freight wagons. Since this aggravated traffic, the Provincial Government decides to begin work (August 27, 1884) on constructing a streetcar line to the very center of the city.
In addition to transporting people, goods, and construction materials, the construction of the Cathedral (1884–1887) and the building of the Regional Government (1884–1886) also influenced the introduction of the horse-drawn tram. Vase Miskina Street, now Ferhadija, received the City Tram Depot. The depot is located on Liberation Square – Alija Izetbegović, more precisely from the corner in front of Markale Market (German: Markthalle), all the way to the Serbian National Elementary School (now the Faculty of Economics), which was demolished in 1938 and 1939. In Strossmayer Street, a depot was built that served as a stable for horses and a shelter for the tram.
Officially, the first tram was put into operation on January 1, 1885. Four specially equipped carriages for this occasion stand in front of the station in Ferhadija, with a crowd assembled in front of them, including the provincial governor Ivan Baron Appel, the heads of the provincial government, the City Council, and numerous citizens.
Then this entire entourage gets into a wooden carriage—an electric tram hitched to a white horse—and in thirteen minutes, it is driven to the narrow railway station. Mayor Mustafa Beg Fadilpašić, on behalf of the city and its future progress, requests the leader of the Appel to convey special expressions of gratitude to the Minister of Finance and the manager of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Benjamin Kalaj. Immediately after the opening, transportation begins, and the conductor, who, according to the special regulations of the city government, was “modestly dressed,” calls his first passengers. Once the tram, which could hold 28 people, is full, the bell rings, and “tram driver” John Hanke drives his white horse along the tracks towards Marijin Dvor.
The first tram line in Sarajevo was 3.1 kilometers long, starting from today’s Faculty of Economics, extending through Ferhadija and further along the main city street Ćemaluša (today’s Titova), crossing Marijin Dvor, and ending at a narrow railway station. The tram ticket was dark red, printed in Serbian-Croatian, German, and Turkish languages, and cost 5 krajcars.
From horse-drawn to electric tram traffic
- 1894–1895 – Electric power plant built (in Hiseta), later expanded.
- 1895 – Sarajevo gets its first electric lighting.
- April 3–4, 1895 – Sarajevo shines brightly with the help of light bulbs; 18 arc lamps installed on the main streets.
- 1910 – Electricity reaches Ilidža.
- 1917 – Hydropower plant built in Hrid.
- 1892 – Track extended from Marijin Dvor to the Latin Bridge (Princip Bridge).
- May 1, 1895 – With the introduction of electricity, the line from the train station to the Latin Bridge (5.1 km) is electrified; first electric tram introduced.
- June 1, 1895 – Electric operation launched on Ćemaluša line (Marijin Dvor – National Bank/former SDK, Titova Street).
- 1897 – Full line from Tobacco Factory (Marijin Dvor) to City Hall along the Miljacka River (2025 m) begins operation.
- April 1, 1898 – Line from National Bank (Upper Ćemaluša) to Cathedral begins passenger service; Ferhadija section kept for freight transport.
- 1918 – Total track length reaches 5.7 km; fleet includes 3 electric freight locomotives, 13 motor cars, 7 trailers.
- 1923 – Circular tram line created with track from Cathedral to City Hall (788 m).
- 1924 – Second track (double line) built from Marijin Dvor to the old train station, easing traffic on route Tobacco Factory – Ilidža – Banja Ilidža.
- 1924 – Tram line extended from train station to Dolac Malta.
- 1926 – Underpass built on Višegrad line; extension from Dolac Malta to Čengić Vila added (lasted only 10 years).
- 1936 – Dolac Malta – Čengić Vila section discontinued due to lack of financial support for track repairs.
- 1952 – Double track built from Marijin Dvor to New Station; new line Baščaršija – New Railway Station introduced.
Reconstruction of the track and modernization of the rolling stock (1958)
The tram line from Čengić Vila to Ilidža began construction of the normal gauge (1435 mm) tram tracks in 1958. Prior to that, narrow-gauge trains were used, and since 1948, double-decker “Leiland” buses, known as “Londoners,” were introduced. Simultaneously, the rest of the tram network within the city was brought to the same track width, and the entire section was officially opened to traffic on November 28, 1960. The single-track tram service in Sarajevo ceased operation on October 9, 1960, with a ceremonial farewell attended by over 50,000 citizens.
During the reconstruction of the tram tracks from 1958 to 1960, the modernization of the tram fleet was also carried out, leading to an agreement for the procurement of 71 modern PCC trams from Washington (50 delivered in 1958 and another 21 trams in 1962, remarks Washington D.C. or popularly “Washingtonians”).
It is interesting to mention that the existing number of vehicles could not meet the needs of the passengers, so GSP workers, using their own knowledge in the workshop, built a articulated tram, i.e., two decommissioned “solo” trams were joined into one and ceremoniously introduced into service on November 29, 1964. In the following years, seven more articulated trams were made this way.
From 1966 until 1983, the procurement of “TATRA” brand trams, known as “Czech trams,” was contracted, gradually displacing the already worn-out “Washington” trams from service. The retirement of the Washington trams took place before the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Later, in addition to the exploitation of the “old Tatra” trams, the fleet was renewed in 1999 with new Czech trams of the “SATRA” brand, trams from Vienna (2001) of the “Lohner Type” brand, and trams from Amsterdam (2009) of the “LHB” brand.
Along with the images below related to the mentioned topic, you can view the entire album of today’s Sarajevo trams by clicking on the following link: https://vremeplov.ba/2025/?page_id=169
Your Srećko Ignjatović