Dressed as Austro-Hungarian crown prince Franz Ferdinand, his wife Sophie, their assassin Gavrilo Princip and Ottoman-era governors of Bosnia, Gazi-Husrev Beg and Isa-Beg Ishakovic, local actors walked through Sarajevo on Saturday telling tourists about the city’s history.

“This is a beautiful project, with it we are breathing new life into the culture and tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina and these characters who were important for Sarajevo and entire Bosnia,” said Emir Fejzic, wearing a costume of the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince whose murder in Sarajevo sparked WWI.  

“This is the first time I’m doing something like this and it is very interesting, but I somewhat had stage fright – how will people react?” said Deni Masic, adding that because he was the one wearing the costume depicting Ferdinand’s killer, several people approached him and warned him to be careful, as “people don’t like Gavrilo Princip.”  

“But, I think that people find it interesting to see us like this,” he said.  

Passersby took the opportunity to take a picture with the historical figures. 

“(I took pictures) with all of them. Franz Ferdinand, Gavrilo, Sophie… I like this, going back to the past,” one of them, Andjela, told N1.  

“We were very surprised to see them in Sarajevo,” another person, Adisa, said.  

But the performance also managed to inform others of Bosnia’s history.  

“Now I know who they are, I went to the museum, I know. He (Gavrilo Princip) is the one who started WWI!” Jusuf, from the United Arab Emirates, told N1.  

“I like this, I think it is a trend in Europe and in the world. I think that over there is Franz Ferdinand. Those others – I don’t know, probably some visiers,” Darko, from Slovenia, said.

The Slovenian was talking about governors Gazi Husrev-Beg and Isa-beg Ishakovic.  

The performance was part of ‘SarajevoReborn’, which again is a part of the “Sunny side of the Federation” project, and the actors will repeat it a few more times until the end of September.