Tucked away in the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the abandoned Hotel Igman stands as a haunting reminder of both Olympic glory and the scars of war. Built to house athletes during the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, the hotel was designed in a striking Brutalist style, its angular concrete structure blending with the snow-covered landscape of Mount Igman.
Hotel Igman fell into disrepair during the Bosnian War (1992–1995). The conflict left the building in ruins, riddled with bullet holes and gutted by fire. Today, its stands as a fascinating site for urban explorers. The building is huge, with six floors plus a the rooftop to meander. Despite its decay, the hotel's imposing design still holds a strange beauty.
Hotel Igman is located about a half hour outside of Sarajevo. You will need our own transport to get there. When I went in July 2024, all the car rentals had no availability, so we ended up hiring a taxi for half a day and it costed 150 BAM in total (about $80 USD). Split amongst three people, this was an affordable way to see a site that most tourists to do not even know about. The hotel is easily accessible, you can just walk right in. We saw just a couple other explorers on the day we went. But beware of the stinging nettle!
About 5km away are the abandoned ski jumps and Olympic podium (seen at the bottom of this page). They are also definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. This area is more of a public park, so you will probably see some locals here enjoying the outdoors.
Here are some of my favourite shots:
The roof has stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
These are bullet holes from the war.
These are the abandoned ski slopes. You can climb all the way to the top if you'd like.
