Franz Ferdinand assassination — where WWI started in Sarajevo
Sarajevo: Franz Ferdinand Assassination & the Start of WWI
Where did World War I start in Sarajevo?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este was assassinated on 28 June 1914 on Franz Josef Street (now Zelenih beretki) near the Latin Bridge over the Miljacka river. The exact spot is marked, and the adjacent Museum of Sarajevo 1878–1918 documents the events leading to the First World War.
On the morning of 28 June 1914, a nineteen-year-old student stood on a Sarajevo street corner and fired two shots that triggered the First World War. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, set off a chain of ultimatums, mobilisations and declarations that drew every major European power into a conflict that killed seventeen million people.
Walking to the spot today — the corner near the Latin Bridge, on the right bank of the Miljacka river, five minutes from the old town’s main bazaar — takes about fifteen minutes from most Sarajevo hotels. It is one of the most historically significant small patches of pavement in the modern world.
The political context: Bosnia under Austria-Hungary
Bosnia was annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908 following thirty years of Austro-Hungarian administration. The annexation was controversial and deeply resented by Serbia, which had hoped to incorporate Bosnia (with its large South Slav population) as part of a greater Serbian state. Among Bosnian Serbs and Croats, there was growing agitation for South Slav unification — a movement known as Yugoslavism.
The years 1908–1914 were marked by increasing nationalist violence in the Balkans. The two Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 had reshaped the region and emboldened Serbian nationalists. By 1914, several Bosnian nationalist groups were in contact with officers of the Serbian military intelligence, known as the Black Hand.
Gavrilo Princip and his co-conspirators had been trained in Serbia and provided with Browning pistols and hand grenades before crossing the border into Bosnia. The group of seven conspirators positioned themselves along the Appel Quay — the route planned for the Archduke’s motorcade — on the morning of 28 June 1914.
The day of the assassination
Franz Ferdinand had arrived in Sarajevo on 26 June with his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. The visit was both a ceremonial inspection of Austro-Hungarian troops and a gesture of confidence in the stability of Bosnia. The date — 28 June — was St Vitus Day (Vidovdan), the anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, a date of deep symbolic significance to Serb nationalists.
The motorcade drove along the Appel Quay in the morning. At approximately 10:10, one of the conspirators, Nedeljko Čabrinović, threw a hand grenade at the Archduke’s car. The grenade bounced off the folded-back roof and exploded under the following vehicle, wounding several people. Franz Ferdinand’s driver accelerated and the motorcade continued to the city hall.
After the city hall reception, the Archduke decided to visit the injured officers in hospital. His driver was not clearly informed of the route change. At the intersection near the Latin Bridge, the lead car turned onto Franz Josef Street (now Zelenih beretki). Realising the mistake, the driver stopped and began to reverse.
Gavrilo Princip was standing at the corner — reportedly at a delicatessen after the failed first attempt. Finding the car stopped directly in front of him, he stepped forward and fired two shots from a distance of about 1.5 metres. The first bullet struck the Archduke in the jugular vein; the second struck Sophie in the abdomen. Both died within an hour.
The site today: Latin Bridge and the museum
The Latin Bridge (Latinska ćuprija) is a sixteenth-century Ottoman stone bridge over the Miljacka. It is one of the most photographed bridges in Sarajevo and a beautiful piece of architecture independent of its historical significance. The corner where Princip stood is a short walk north of the bridge, on the right bank.
The Museum of Sarajevo 1878–1918 occupies the corner building. It is also known informally as the Franz Ferdinand Museum. The permanent exhibition covers Sarajevo’s Austro-Hungarian period: the architecture, the urban development (the city was transformed under Austrian rule), and the events of June 1914 in considerable detail — the conspirators, the timeline of the day, the political aftermath. Admission is around 6 BAM; open most days 10:00–18:00.
On the pavement outside, you will find a small plaque and a set of footprints marking the approximate position where Princip stood. The footprints have had an interesting history — they were installed under Yugoslav rule when Princip was celebrated as a hero of South Slav liberation, removed after the war as part of debates over the assassination’s legacy, and reinstated in a more neutral commemorative form.
Sarajevo: Franz Ferdinand assassination and the start of WWIFrom Sarajevo to world war: the July Crisis
Within a month of the assassination, Europe was at war. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the conspiracy and issued an ultimatum with ten demands, most of which Serbia accepted — but not all. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Russia mobilised in Serbia’s defence; Germany declared war on Russia; France and Britain were drawn in. By August 1914, the war was continent-wide.
The debate among historians about the chain of responsibility for the July Crisis has continued for over a century. The assassination was clearly the trigger; whether it was a necessary or sufficient cause of the war is a more complex question. What is not in doubt is that the events on a Sarajevo street corner on 28 June 1914 set the sequence in motion.
Guided tours of the assassination site and Austro-Hungarian Sarajevo
A number of guided walking tours in Sarajevo include the Latin Bridge and assassination site as part of a broader historical narrative. The best of these connect the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav periods of Sarajevo’s history into a coherent story — helping visitors understand why Sarajevo has always been a place where large historical forces intersect.
Sarajevo: Start of the First World War tourDedicated WWI-themed tours focus specifically on the political and conspiratorial background of 1914 — tracing the route of the motorcade, standing at the first ambush point on the Appel Quay, and visiting the museum. These are particularly valuable for visitors with a prior interest in the causes of WWI.
Austro-Hungarian Sarajevo: the broader architecture
The Austro-Hungarian period (1878–1918) left a profound mark on Sarajevo’s urban landscape. Walking from the Latin Bridge westward along the Miljacka, you pass buildings in the Viennese Secessionist style that sits incongruously — and fascinatingly — alongside the Ottoman Baščaršija. The Vijećnica (City Hall / National Library), the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, the National Museum and the Post Office are all Austro-Hungarian constructions.
Our Austro-Hungarian Sarajevo guide covers the architectural legacy in detail. For a broader picture of Sarajevo as a “meeting of cultures” across Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav periods, see the Sarajevo meeting of cultures guide.
Connecting the dots: Sarajevo’s layers of history
What makes Sarajevo unusual among European cities is the density of its historical layering. The same city that saw the start of the First World War also survived the longest siege of a capital in modern history. The Sarajevo war tour guide covers the 1992–1996 siege; the Bosnia history for travellers guide sets both events in a longer timeline.
For context on how all of these histories connect, the Baščaršija guide offers a ground-level introduction to the old town and its layers of meaning, just a ten-minute walk from the Latin Bridge.
Practical visit information
The Latin Bridge and assassination site are in the old town and freely accessible at any time. The museum is open most days from approximately 10:00 to 18:00; admission is around 6 BAM. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the museum, plus time for the bridge and the surrounding area. The site is fully wheelchair accessible. There are cafés and restaurants within a one-minute walk.
The assassination site is easy to combine with the Baščaršija bazaar and the adjacent Sarajevo mosques in a single morning walk — all are within ten minutes of each other on foot.
Frequently asked questions about Franz Ferdinand assassination — where WWI started in Sarajevo
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