A Day in Banja Luka, the Capital of Republika Srspka
I think that had we arrived in a different train station in Banja Luka, we would have had a different and favorable impression of the country. Given that we already had quite a scare with the fake police in Graz, arriving in a place where there was absolutely no one we could communicate with in English was frankly quite scary. Everything was in Cyrillic and as we made our way out of the train station to go to our hotel, we quickly realize we ended up in a place that was even more drab that the train and bus stations we had previously been to in Eastern Europe.
Our hotel in Banja Luka. I originally thought this hotel was right in front of the train and bus station. It turned out it wasn't. Thanks to a lady vendor inside the train station, we ultimately found our way here. This hotel by the way is a 30 minute leisurely walk to the city center.
A brochure of the Hotel Cezar
As soon as Marc and I found our way to this hotel, we left our bags and walked approximately 800 meters to the city center.
The City Administration Building of Banja Luka
The Palace of the Republic
Christ the Saviour Church
In front of the Christ the Savior Church
Another view of the Christ The Savior Church
Ruins on the grounds of the Christ the Savior Church
Information about the Christ the Savior Church
Decoration on the side of a government building
Artwork in a square
A government building behind the artwork featured above
Another artwork in a square
The most centrally located hotel in Banja Luka, the Hotel Bosna
A side view of the Bosna Hotel in the city center
The Memorial to the Fallen Soldiers from World War II
Marc by the Monument of the Fallen Soldiers from World War II
These were some of the busts on columns which surrounded the Memorial to the Fallen Soldiers
The Cultural Center of Banja Luka
The facade of the Cultural Center of Banja Luka
The most popular shopping street in Banja Luka, Gospodska Street
McDonald's in Banja Luka's city center
The shopping square on one end of Gospodska Street
A Russian Orthodox Church on the outskirts of town
The river that crosses the city of Banja Luka
The fortress/castle in downtown Banja Luka which was undergoing repair and reconstruction at the time of our visit.
Another view of the fortress/castle in Banja Luka
The mosque with the minaret under reconstruction
We saw this sign right outside a glass skyscraper a few blocks away from the city center. The building apparently housed the office of the Prime Minister of the Republika Serspka