Tales of an Observatory
Telescopic Repairs in post-conflict Sarajevo
How to tell the story of an observatory in Sarajevo?
Perhaps through its refrain: Down - Up - Down - Up?
In the heights of the city, the Trebević hill.
An old watchtower, once gazing with its inquisitive eye at the movements of the city below. Down.
But in the 1960s, a group of students had the somewhat crazy idea to make it look up instead. To build an astronomical observatory. Up.
Yet, an observatory on top of a hill is too serene or perhaps too strategic. During the Siege, the observatory was forced to lower its gaze again. Hijacked, repurposed for surveillance and targeting rather than stargazing. It was wounded, mutilated. The relationship with the sky became twisted. Those stationed on the hills could enjoy the sunlight, while those in the city faced a deadly rain. Down.
When the siege ended, the observatory lay in pieces, scattered everywhere.
Thirty years of effort have passed since, and ongoing efforts to restore the right to look Up?
"I don’t know where they bring their women from, but I saw them through binoculars. One of them rolled out a beach mat by the trench and sunbathed in a swimsuit. She lay there for hours (...) covered her body with sunscreen and abandoned herself completely to her quietude." (Chetnik Positions)
“Come on, Harun, come back home, grenades are raining outside.” (Children)
Semezdin Mehmedinovic, Sarajevo Blues (1992)
Trebevic Observatory - 1982
Trebevic Observatory, 2025
Trebevic Observatory, 2025
Trebevic Observatory, 2025
Trebevic Observatory, 2025
Trebevic Observatory, 2025
Meanwhile…
Meanwhile, The city is quietly dozing.
Meanwhile, The city is quietly dozing.
Meanwhile, The city is quietly dozing.
Meanwhile, The city is quietly dozing.
“The sky is still engulfed in darkness
— by the brightness of earthly objects.
But then the buildings turn to cardboard
Flat and black shadows emerge.
And then the glowing sky appears
And the moon grows luminous in the heart of war.”
Religiosity, S. Mehmedinovic, Sarajevo Blues
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, a telescope is hoisted atop a shopping mall, 40 minutes away, with its entrance nestled amidst pool tables. There's city light pollution. It's not ideal, but still, it's a place of encounters and sharing.
Meanwhile, the rest of the equipment that wasn’t destroyed lies dormant in the closets of an academic building that isn’t its own.
Meanwhile, the rest of the equipment that wasn’t destroyed lies dormant in the closets of an academic building that isn’t its own.
Meanwhile, the rest of the equipment that wasn’t destroyed lies dormant in the closets of an academic building that isn’t its own.
Meanwhile, the rest of the equipment that wasn’t destroyed lies dormant in the closets of an academic building that isn’t its own.
Meanwhile, the rest of the equipment that wasn’t destroyed lies dormant in the closets of an academic building that isn’t its own.
Meanwhile, the rest of the equipment that wasn’t destroyed lies dormant in the closets of an academic building that isn’t its own.
Meanwhile, Mensur Zlatar continues to watch the moon from the center of Sarajevo. He is the official keeper of the world’s only functioning lunar clock. Every week, he climbs the stairs to wind the mechanisms, as he has done for over 50 years, ensuring the prayer times are kept.
Meanwhile, Mensur Zlatar continues to watch the moon from the center of Sarajevo. He is the official keeper of the world’s only functioning lunar clock. Every week, he climbs the stairs to wind the mechanisms, as he has done for over 50 years, ensuring the prayer times are kept.
Meanwhile, Mensur Zlatar continues to watch the moon from the center of Sarajevo. He is the official keeper of the world’s only functioning lunar clock. Every week, he climbs the stairs to wind the mechanisms, as he has done for over 50 years, ensuring the prayer times are kept.
Meanwhile, Mensur Zlatar continues to watch the moon from the center of Sarajevo. He is the official keeper of the world’s only functioning lunar clock. Every week, he climbs the stairs to wind the mechanisms, as he has done for over 50 years, ensuring the prayer times are kept.
Meanwhile, Mensur Zlatar continues to watch the moon from the center of Sarajevo. He is the official keeper of the world’s only functioning lunar clock. Every week, he climbs the stairs to wind the mechanisms, as he has done for over 50 years, ensuring the prayer times are kept.
Sensual Meteors, Sarajevo
