Post-Ottoman "Capitality": Making Sofia and Sarajevo in the Late 19th to the Early 20th Century.

This article compares the development of two capital cities in Southeastern Europe, paying particular attention to the political context of this process. The two cities examined in this article are Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, established as an autonomous principality in 1878, and Sarajevo, the main city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the same year. The comparison of these two cases aims to reveal their transformations from towns in imperial borderlands into primary cities of the Balkans in the second half of the 19th century. This article focuses on key planning and architectural projects, instruments that represent ideas about nascent states, and the material legacy of Ottoman times in Sofia and Sarajevo to demonstrate how political conditions influenced the attitudes to heritage and urban development. This article aims to demonstrate that the creation of capital cities is a complex process that impacts the nation-building processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article compare le développement de deux capitales du sud-est de l'Europe en accordant une attention particulière à son contexte politique. Les deux villes en question sont Sofia, capitale de la Bulgarie devenue principauté autonome en 1878, et Sarajevo, ville principale de la Bosnie-Herzégovine sous occupation austro-hongroise à partir de la même année. La comparaison de ces deux cas cherche à révéler les éléments d'une transformation qui les a vues passer, dans la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle, de villes excentrées de l'Empire à villes de premier plan des Balkans. L'article s'intéresse à certains projets majeurs d'urbanisme et d'architecture, instruments révélateurs des idées concernant les États naissants, et au legs de l'ère ottomane à Sofia et à Sarajevo, dans le but d'illustrer l'influence des conditions politiques sur les attitudes à l'égard du patrimoine et du développement urbain. L'article entend montrer que l'établissement d'une capitale est un processus complexe qui se répercute sur la formation de la nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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