monday's mulling: dayton and peace and connecting the dots

Thirty years ago in 1995 Ambassador Richard Holbrooke led the international community's successful effort to end the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was ended by the negotiation of a peace agreement at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton. The agreement is known as the Dayton Peace Accords.

From May 23 - 26, 2025, Dayton hosted the Spring NATO Parliamentary Assembly, becoming the first U.S. city to host an assembly in more than 20 years. The city became a restricted NATO village with no vehicle traffic and limited pedestrian access.

Before the delegates arrival, Todd and I went downtown to see all the countries' banners lining Main Street and the art that went up to beautify buildings. Downtown cleaned up nicely. Critics complained about the amount of money that was going into this event and the inconvenience of downtown's closure and all that other wa-wa-waaaa stuff but the funding had been in place for a few years and this international milestone put the wheels in motion for its use. 

After the delegates returned to their respective countries and the security fences were removed, downtown life returned to its regular routine, and the Sarajevo Symphony Orchestra and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performed a joint concert with guest conductor Marin Alsop on the podium. Music truly transcends all boundaries. 

At Dayton's beautiful Arcade, artist Edina Saleskovic hung 400 metallic birds for her "Think Freedom" in the Rotunda, each carrying messages of peace from young children around the world. What an unexpected bonus to have this display at your event!

A walk along Riverview Avenue across the river from downtown Dayton will take you to the Peace Corridor consisting of Holbrooke Plaza, the Salem Avenue Peace Corridor sign, Sunrise MetroPark which celebrates Dayton's Sister Cities (Sarajevo is one of them), and the 3rd Street Peace Bridge. It's a 3/4 mile walk from the Holbrook Bridge to the 3rd Street Bridge. 

Ambassador Holbrooke passed away in 2010 and this plaza honors his work and his memory. Stones from Bosnia and Herzegovina have been incorporated into the memorial to commemorate historical buildings that were destroyed in the war, but which have been rebuilt. The stones are from the Sarajevo City Hall, the Novi Grad City Hall, and the Mostar Old Bridge (Stari Most), which is an internationally known symbol of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both the American flag and the flag of BiH are flying over the plaza.

The Salem Avenue Peace Corridor sign:

Sunrise MetroPark and the Sarajevo Sister City bench.

The 3rd Street Dayton Peace Bridge.