As promised I am posting the pictures from my trip in Bosnia.

The first ones are from Sarajevo and the second ones are from the historic town of Mostar.

Also, here is a draft version I am currently writing for my website on figs in the Balkans. Once I will complete a spellcheck and add more content I will add all relevant references to the text.

(Keep in mind this text is incomplete)

When most of us think of fig tree cultivation we will mainly associate it with countries such as Italy, Turkey and the state of California in the U.S. Nonetheless, one has to take into consideration the reality of the presence of fig trees in the Balkans and other parts of the world. During September 2010 and May 2011, I had the chance to visit Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and eastern Croatia. In each of these countries, I was able to spot fig trees growing in different areas. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to explore all the countryside areas but in each case I was able to spot fig trees in major cities such as Sofia, Belgrade and Sarajevo.

From a historical perspective, the western Balkan states are bordering the Adriatic sea. In this context, historical data points the introduction of fig cultivation during the age of Illyarians and Greek colonization. Additionally, we should consider the impact of the Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire and others as a mean of introducing fig cultivation into the Balkans. Evidently, this is beyond my ability to pull all possible historical data relating to fig cultivation in the Balkans. Nevertheless, one should keep in mind the influence of these former empires as an element of introducing fig cultivation into the Balkans.

The varieties in this region are different and one should not expect to find such fig varieties as Hardy Chicago, Sultane and others. In fact, this region has distinct varieties with their own characteristics.

The first pictures are from Sarajevo

The second part are pictures from the historic town of Mostar

Outstanding, stunningly beautiful  pics and  great narrative Michal.  We are all on the lookout for cosmopolitan fig cuttings and will reciprocate when possible.  Turkish beach fig is growing well and we are harvesting strawberries now.  Good adventures my friend.

Good to Hear C.H. all is going well with the Turkish Beach and the strawberries!

Kind regards,

Michal

Michal, great job and all we can say is lucky you. Where are you going to be for fig season? 

Hi Michal

Breathtaking photos, nothing better eating figs overseeing the gorgeous landascapes.

Please keep in touch for exchanging fig cuttings

George

Awesome pictures! I'm curious though, are those seemingliy "wild" figs harvested? or considered an obscure weed by the local people?

brebabob: they are harvested and figs are well known in the area. Some grow as wild figs but people also plant them in their yards (as you can see in the last picture).


Bass: I am not sure since I am going to be busy at work. However, there are plenty of occasions at relatively low costs.

For Bosnia the cheapest way (50 Euros for a return ticket) was to do a 12 hours journey via train from Budapest in Hungary to Sarajevo. If I had more time I would made it all the way to Dubrovnik in Croatia but this will be for another time. 

Also, one should keep in mind this is a former war zone. When I was in Mostar we climbed a local mountain on the western front of the city and when we got to the top we saw warning signs of mine zones. This made us nervous since we climbed the whole mountain and there could have been anything on the way to the top.

If anyone is curious about the history you can watch this interesting documentary of the siege of Sarajevo.
part 1 and part 2 (25 minutes in total)

Hi Michal, Do you know by any chance location of this fig in Sarajevo on your first pic? I will send my brother to get me some cuttings from this tree, it looks like it is very hardy one growing on open not close to a building for protection.  

This is the same fig tree from first picture from another angle and another season. This is one of very cold hardy fig as you can see.

I now know the location of this fig tree next step is to get some cuttings.