During the horrors of the Balkan war in the early to mid 90s, about 40,000 Bosnian refugees were resettled in St. Louis. The city proper, with its declining population, welcomes immigrants, who provide vibrancy and economic growth.
Most of them came to the area around the Bevo Mill, seen on Sunday. The area, now often called Little Bosnia, was in decline but now is full of new businesses, restaurants and, importantly, homeowners. The neighborhood has rebounded. The structure seen here is a replica of The Sebilj in Sarajevo, a kiosk-shaped fountain. There was no water running last weekend but it marks the ongoing cultural ties. Interesting discussion at https://www.wikiwand.com/en/History_of_Bosnian_Americans_in_St._Louis .
Such a horrible time this. I was island hopping in Greece on my own for a month during the war. So weird being on holiday, while at the same time there was a brutal war going on. And I had travelled through Jugoslavia several times before the war, and seen some ugly scenes.
ReplyDeleteAn elegant and striking structure.
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