Sarajevo, snipers, and the view of humanity
June 13, 2026When Anja Niedringhaus was sent to the war in the former Yugoslavia for the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) in the early 1990s, she probably had no idea that this conflict would define the coming years of her life. For the young photographer, the Balkans became the place that shaped her professional career – and the beginning of an extraordinary one.
After gaining initial experience as a local journalist in Höxter, studying in Göttingen, and entering the field of professional photojournalism, Niedringhaus received a permanent position at the EPA in 1990. Two years later, she was deployed to a Europe suddenly engulfed in war once again.
The war on Europe's doorstep
The wars in the disintegrating Yugoslavia shook Europe. The siege of Sarajevo, in particular, became a symbol of the conflict. The Bosnian capital was besieged from 1992 to 1996. Snipers controlled streets and squares, and shells rained down on residential areas daily. For the residents, even the journey to the market or school became life-threatening.
On her very first assignment in Sarajevo, she experiences the reality of war firsthand. A sniper hits her body armor. She survives – but the experience makes clear the risks that war journalists face. Later, she will suffer further injuries: from a traffic accident in Belgrade, shrapnel in Kosovo, and even an accidental NATO airstrike on a group of journalists. Nevertheless, she keeps returning.
The people behind the headlines
Anyone who looks at Niedringhaus' pictures from Sarajevo, Mostar or Pristina today will discover something surprising: Tanks or weapons are rarely the focus.
Instead, she photographs children playing football among wrecked cars. People seeking cover from snipers. Families trying to maintain their daily routines. Teenagers laughing amidst the ruins. Women and men carrying on despite everything.
This perspective becomes a hallmark of her work. Niedringhaus is interested not only in the military events, but also in their impact on people's lives. Her images depict not only destruction, but also dignity, hope, and resilience.
Sarajevo as a school of life
Niedringhaus spent almost a decade repeatedly in the war zones and crisis regions of the Balkans. At times, she even lived and worked in Sarajevo. The city became an important focal point in her career.
Here she learns to work under extreme conditions. Here she develops her eye for the decisive moment. And here she develops the conviction that she would later often express: If events are not documented, they disappear from public consciousness.
The photographs she sent to Germany from Sarajevo, Mostar, Tirana, and Pristina between 1991 and 2000 appeared in international newspapers and magazines. They made the suffering of the people visible and helped ensure that the conflicts in the Balkans were not forgotten.
More than a war photographer
The years in the Balkans laid the foundation for everything that followed. Later, Niedringhaus would document the September 11 attacks, work in Afghanistan, cover the Iraq War, and be awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Joelle Czampiel
General