Momčilo Momo Lađević

Sarajevo should brand itself as a festival town

Momčilo Momo Lađević has had a special connection with Sarajevo since the 1984 Olympic Games and during the 1990s he hung out with a team here that was involved with the New Primitives movement. In 2002, he started coming to Sarajevo more often and then in 2004 he moved to what he calls “a city that has a mentality similar to that of his native Makarska.”

2017/08/01

After traveling around the world and running his own business in Croatia, here he has set up his own company, Multimedia, which creates top audio productions and rents audio and sound equipment.

- I ended up staying here purely by chance. New festivals and big projects were becoming more frequent and my work was really picking up, says the Dalmatian, who has enjoyed many plays, concerts and other cultural and entertainment events through work.

He says Sarajevo should brand itself as a festival town because it has excellent programs and attractions.

- Jazz Fest, MESS and Sarajevska Zima feature great events and artists from all over the world. There is also Sarajevo Film Festival, with its alternative films and Open Air screenings which are really special. Javorwood on Bjelašnica is a great arts festival, as is OK Fest in Tjentište, which is not far away.

- This town has tons of other festivals and interesting events, plus there is the fact that something might always be going on and everyone can benefit from this.

Beautiful nature

He says that visitors should spend some time in nature in Ilidža, on the hills around town and on the Olympic Mountains and that they should go by motorcycle, like he does.

- Lunch at Biban provides an unforgettable panoramic view of famous Baščaršija and Vijećnica; Pivnica Sarajevo offers tambura music in the fantastic garden and serves international specialties, and Pivnica HS hosts larger groups and delights guests with its grand size and atmosphere. You can dance to house music at Silver & Smoke, you will find great rock gigs at Underground and Celtic, and jazz at Monument and Jazzbina.

Momo enjoys the displays at Sarajevo museums and from his apartment near the National Theater he can see church spires, minarets and the large Sephardic temple, now home to the Bosnian Cultural Center, all of which remind him of why Sarajevo is such a popular destination.

- It hurts to see the lovely building that once housed the Olympics Museum because the Olympic Games are one of three things associated with Sarajevo, aside from the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the Siege from 1992 to 1995.

Coffee grinders and zvekirs

Momo's favorite local dishes are the mućkalica and pače served at Čobanija, ćevapi from Nune and Ferhatović and Sarajbosna's mini baklavas. He usually drinks coffee at Opera, Mash and Barometer and recommends hand-made coffee grinders from Kazandžiluk St. and zvekirs (door knockers), symbols of Sarajevo’s open doors.