Sarajevo: Culture, History and Museums

Baščaršija is Sarajevo’s old marketplace and the city’s historic and cultural centre. The market was established in the 15th century during the founding of Sarajevo by Isa-bey Ishaković. The year 1462 is cited as the year of its foundation, when Isa-bey Ishaković built an inn and a number of shops there. Brusa Bezistan, built in 1551 by Rustem Pasha, Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, is also located in this historic setting.

The Sarajevo Museum consists of a main building and five branches: Svrzo’s House, Despić House, Jewish Museum, Brusa Bezistan and Museum of Sarajevo 1878–1914. Its objects take visitors through the city’s history – from the prehistoric settlements in Butmir, through Illyrian and Roman settlements, medieval Bosnia, and the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian periods, to the present day.

The archaeological collections of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina also cover a long historical period. They encompass all aspects of human life in Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Early Stone Age to the Late Middle Ages. At the Museum of the Gazi Husrev-beg Library, the permanent exhibition offers an encounter with the Islamic tradition of the Bosniaks in this region. The foyer contains a lapidarium with stone works; the collection of the Gazi Husrev-beg Library comprises more than 1,200 objects.

The Tunnel D-B memorial complex is open to visitors on the Butmir side and offers a historical experience at the authentic site where the D-B facility was created and used. The complex is publicly known as Tunel spasa, meaning “Tunnel of Hope”. It includes an authentic 25-metre-long section of tunnel and a revitalised 100-metre-long section. An exhibition explains the siege of Sarajevo using a map of the city’s siege.

The “Besieged Sarajevo” exhibition depicts everyday life in the city during the siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995. Photographs, documents and objects made by Sarajevo’s citizens convey this history, including improvised household items from the wartime period.

The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina includes a botanical garden covering 14,270 square metres and comprising 12 scientific and exhibition collections. Around 1,000 plant species grow there. The garden provides knowledge about the native flora and the importance of protecting biological diversity.

The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina can be reached by every tram line; depending on the direction, visitors can get off at the “Technical School” stop. A city bus line also operates on the Baščaršija–Dobrinja route.

The Olympic Museum in Sarajevo preserves the memory of the organisation and staging of the XIV Olympic Winter Games. The sports section covers their preparation, organisation and staging. For groups and visitors, the museum presents films of the opening, the course and the closing of the XIV Olympic Winter Games.

Another cultural dimension is provided by the Sarajevo Film Festival. It focuses on the cinema of Southeast Europe and the South Caucasus, the film industry through CineLink, and the training of young filmmakers through Talents Sarajevo. The programme includes competitions for feature, short and documentary films.

For further research in the same higher-level area, you can also include Jablanica, Nevesinje, Slatina, Doboj, Novi Grad and Trnovo.

For the higher-level travel overview: Republika Srpska.

Relevant information for planning your trip:

Sarajevo: capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo, Mostar and travel in the Balkans.