Basketball is one of the favorite sports in the Balkan region. You can find basketball courts almost anywhere you go, even in the most absurd places. Sometimes they are full courts, sometimes just the baskets, an improvised place for people to enjoy, but you can play basketball all around the region. I don’t know exactly why, but I feel immensely attracted to basketball courts in general, and the ones in the Balkans especially. Balkan Basketball always looks deserted and run-down, always radiates infinite melancholy, but always bears a promise. The courts tell stories about the people who have been there, about people’s wishes and dreams, fights over money and girls, winners and losers, children and grown-ups. And all these people like to hang out and play. Here’s a selection of photos of some of my favorite basketball places in the Balkan region:
Dubrovnik has this old town, and when you walk the city walls, you can peek inside the town and discover places that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see. I found three basketball courts along the city walls. Of course you can find basketball courts outside the city walls, too. The courts in Bosnia and Serbia are a bit more shabby, as far as I can tell. They are more improvised. But I think they are beautiful. Here are places I found during my last vacation in Tuzla and Bijeljina, Bosnia, and two places in Serbia. They are both very close to where the trashbus lives.
Trashbus 
I was always struck by the abundance of tall men and women when I lived there. Love the little court in Dubrovnik – squeezed in-between. Can just imagine the discussion, “What should we do with this little patch?” Anyway, lovely piece – the melancholy – yes.
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Mhm, there are a lot of handsome girls and guys 🙂 Yes, the little one is my favorite in Dubrovnik, too! But my all-time-favorite is the one in Serbia close to where the trashbus lives. I don’t know what it is with these courts, but … I don’t have this kind of sensation with soccer fields or anything else.
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Neat topic for a post. Thank you. Nice photos, too.
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Thank you! I’ve been planning on posting this forever, and now I finally did it! The basketball courts are one of my favorite photo subjects. 🙂
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Nice photographs! It does allude to a kind of insulated romantic world…apart from everything else.
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Thank you Allen for your kind words! The basketball photos are very dear to me. I’ll try and find more courts along my travels so I can put them in my trashbus! 🙂
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That would be cool. 😀
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I have never been to Dubrovnik, but it has always been attractive to me as a very beautiful place. Nice to the see it from the interesting point of view of the basketball courts.
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Dear Wayne, yes, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever come across. But it is hard to find anything about Dubrovnik that does not refer to the typical touristy things, like all the big sights and everything. I know a lot of people who don’t wanna go there because it’s a tourist hot-spot, but if you take your time and take strolls around, you will find so many nice places and breathtaking views. Here’s another photo story on Dubrovnik for you to check out, this time from a cat’s point of view: https://trashbus.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/a-cats-perspective-on-dubrovnik/ Enjoy!
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