MILIĆI city guide — John W Bills

Without bauxite, there is no Milići. To be more accurate, without Boksit, there is no Milići. The bauxite-mining company was established here in 1959 and is the life and blood of this small town in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two hours from Sarajevo. There isn’t much else to say, but why would there be? Fewer than 3,000 people live in the town, with around 12,000 in the municipality. Milići was an independent municipality for the first couple of Yugoslav decades before being annexed by Vlasenica, regaining its independence in 1992. There is a lot of Russian love in the town, which is totally fine if we’re talking about the rich history of literature, art, science and development but considerably less pleasing if we’re talking about Putin.

TRANSPORT

Despite being a tiny town in the hills with little going on, Milići has one of the country’s better bus stations. There is a waiting room and toilet, vaguely okay WiFi, friendly information (no English, unfortunately), a timetable, and daily buses to Bijeljina, Istočno Sarajevo and Zvornik. There are also connections to Trebinje to the south and Belgrade to the east. Also, mining equipment!

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Rajko’s Tower

You can’t miss it, being the massive tower in the town centre and all that jazz. Rajko’s Tower was opened in 2009 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Boksit and is named after the Serbian businessman who financed it and most of Milići’s development. Rajko Dukić, for the record. The tower is 77m high and is visible from all over town. There is a viewpoint and cafe at the top, while the museum and cafe are on the ground floor. The viewpoint was closed when I was last in town, but hopefully that isn’t the case forever. Trg Rudara

Museum of Mining

Located on the ground floor of Rajko’s Tower, the Museum of Mining tells the story of Milići and Boksit, a love story for the ages. The museum isn’t big, but it gets the point across, showcasing equipment development alongside the growth of Milići. Without Boksit, Milići would be a very different place today, so this is probably the most important cultural legacy in town. Closed until further notice, unfortunately. Trg Rudara, +387 56 740 674

The Park of Greats

Originally divided into European, Serbian and Russian parts, Milići’s Park of Greats has since expanded to include Chinese and Indian heroes. The parade of busts stretches from the bus station to town and features some of history’s most important and influential individuals, from Dostoevsky to Aristotle via Tesla, Confucius, Gandhi and others.

BREWS, BOOZE AND BITES

There is not a vast amount of food and drink options in Milići, although it is a small town, so that isn’t a shock. If the tower is open, go there, but the chances are good it is probably closed. There is a cafe called Kod Putina underneath, which isn’t a great look. Cafe Itinere (Petra Petrovića Njegoša, +387 66 196 444) is a popular spot for coffee and beer. Ekspres (Trg Rudara 3, +387 56 741 387) is the food option in the town centre, but your best bet is to head out of town to Restaurant Bard (Supač, +387 65 441 341).

SLEEPING

The adventurously-monikered Motel Milići (Petra Kočića 1, +387 56 740 215) is the only real accommodation option in town. It isn’t the most modern of settings but has an excellent swimming pool, so you take what you can get.

MILIĆI