It’s hard to speak about Sarajevo street art. The city that had to struggle so much in recent years still tries to define itself in the new way and sadly a bustling street art scene isn’t part of it. There are few random scribbles here and there in the center and some decent graffiti around the stadium in Kosevo as well as faded effigy of Vucko – the mascot of 1984 Winter Olympic Games but overall the art didn’t take streets of Sarajevo yet. However if you look carefully around you will see work by one artist pretty often. A friendly, grinning cat by Thoma Ville is an unofficial symbol of Sarajevo street art!

Main character of Sarajevo street art – Mr Chat

Mr Chat (that’s the name of the cat) has been born in the streets of Orleans, France in 1997. Since then it has appeared in the cities all over the world (I’ve seen some in Pristina, Kosovo and Lisbon as well) and there are numerous cats in Sarajevo too. Very often it is accompanied by roses – reminding of the city’s tragic past with this innocent and fragile yet cruel symbol (here you can read more about Sarajevo roses). As soon as I accidentally came across first cats on the wall I fell in love with them (you just cannot resist this smiling face) and made it my mission to find as many of them in Sarajevo as possible. And I did pretty well – managed to find 12 Mr Chats as well as I figured out the location of few more (like in the garden of the French embassy). What was a super cool attraction for me turned out to be just a normal thing for Sarajevans. When I asked a friendly receptionist in my great hostel – Franz Ferdinand – where can I find more Mr Chats she couldn’t remember any exact location although she said she can see them everywhere all over the city! It was one of my favorite things to do in Sarajevo – Mr Chat hunting!

Sarajevo street art still needs to burgeon

No matter how much I loved wandering around Sarajevo I really missed some decent street art there. It would be such a good addition to this city! Murals could tell the history of brave people defending Sarajevo, it could be a good reminder of what the city have been through, of events that should not happen again. But I believe the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina will still get its dose of street art and next time I’m there I will find even more Mr Chats! Anyway, here’re some pictures of Sarajevo street art!

And here’s a map where you can find all the street art I’ve tracked down in Sarajevo!

Have you seen Mr Chat anywhere else? Would you like to visit Sarajevo?

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Are you planning a trip to the Balkans? Do you like that region as much as I do? I’ve created a Facebook group where you can look for advise or inspiration and share your travel stories and pictures from the Balkans and beyond. Join now!

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If you think of visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina or just want to read more about the country don’t miss my other posts about this place:

• Sarajevo – the most tragic city in Europe
• Multicultural Sarajevo
• Alternative Sarajevo guide
• and more!

If you’re looking for articles about any place in particular this map with posts might be useful for you. Or just take a look at the “destinations” page.

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