Name: Baljvine in Bosnia: Where Serbs and Muslims stood together
Uploaded: 2025-12-08T08:44:07.314Z
Duration: 5 min 26 s
Description: 30 years ago, the Srebrenica massacre shook Europe. In the midst of the war, the village of Baljvine stood out: Serbs and Muslims prevented violence there. To this day, they work together on matters of mutual concern.

30 years ago, the Srebrenica massacre shook Europe. In the midst of the war, the village of Baljvine stood out: Serbs and Muslims prevented violence there. To this day, they work together on matters of mutual concern.

Baljvine

Baljvine, a village in the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is notable for its peaceful coexistence between Serbs and Muslims during the Yugoslav war, when it was the only place in Republika Srpska where the mosque was not destroyed and no violence occurred. Residents attribute this harmony to long-standing mutual respect and a shared struggle with chronic water shortages, which fostered cooperation regardless of ethnic or religious differences.

Currently, Baljvine faces significant depopulation, with only 200 of its pre-war 800 residents remaining, largely due to ongoing water scarcity. Despite having modern infrastructure, the lack of reliable water access has forced many to leave, and climate change is exacerbating droughts, threatening the village's future.

Baljvine in Bosnia: Where Serbs and Muslims stood together

Its survival is a miracle. A mosque in the small village of Balvina, in the Serbian part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The only mosque in the entire Republika Srpska that was not destroyed during the Yugoslav war 30 years ago. So what happened? Everyone who comes here asks the same question. But for me, it's completely normal. It's normal for people, for human beings, to tolerate each other, to get along, to help and understand each other. That's normal. Balvina is located in the Serb Republic within Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 1992 to 1995, it was a war zone. Christian Serbs against Muslim Bosnians. The fighting claimed 100,000 lives. But in Balvina, not a single shot was fired. On the contrary, Serbs protected their Bosnian neighbours. Čefko Čašević, a Muslim, remembers it well. People always ask what kind of relationship we had with each other here. We would have been ashamed to say a bad word about each other. Or even about a girl. It was unthinkable. As if we were family. That's the real miracle. Or at least it's so phenomenal that Balvina was the object of a scientific study. The research identified two main reasons for peace in the village. For one, Serbs and Muslims live strictly separated, with the two halves of the village about two kilometres apart. But they've respected each other for centuries. We had one school and one doctor. We shared everything. And it's still like that today. Čefko Čašević takes us to visit his best friend. Marko Vučinović was one of the Serbs who protected the Muslims in the village. Marko took on the lion's share of the burden. He contributed more than anyone else to our survival. There was no doubt that he was a great man. There were others, but he was number one. And Marko knows the second reason for the peace in the village. There's no running water here. Maybe that's what makes us special. We've always been on the lookout for water, before the war and after. It's so important. If someone's well dries up because there's no rain, the neighbours say, here, have some of mine. Then you don't have to walk so far. For centuries, the chronic water shortage has brought people together. Where you came from or who you prayed to was secondary. Bosnia is still dealing with ethnic tensions. But the people of Balvina are focused on a different problem. Of the 800 people who lived here before the war, only 200 are left, most of them elderly. Marko says the water shortage is the reason for the exodus. Water's the main problem here. Were there running water here, many of those living abroad, who could afford it, would return. They could build swimming pools, bring their grandchildren and at least be here on weekends. Now all we can do is look up at the sky and wait for rain. There are three waterholes in the village. Although mudholes would be more apt. None of them are reinforced. They're only good for watering the cows. Šefko's neighbours are farmers. Many of them collect rainwater in a cistern and have seen levels drop as summer droughts become more common. Sabid Mešić needs 1,500 litres a day just for his cows. The family's water consumption is on top of that. These droughts are unbelievable. It's like a rock. You can see for yourself, these aren't normal summers anymore. Everything's dry, grass, potatoes, cows. Everything is burning up. Sabid is forced to buy water at great cost. The municipal district responsible trucks it in. It can't do more than that, says the mayor. A water pipe would be too expensive. We can't do it alone. It has to help, because we can't solve the problem. The springs are simply not there. We have everything else here. Paved roads, electricity, good accessibility. A neat, beautiful village. But no water. During the war, the water shortage saved Balvina and brought Bosnians and Serbs together. But now, climate change and the severe lack of rain could spell the end for the village.

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