It’s true, Sarajevo doesn’t own any bragging rights on the best museums. For folks who have been around and enjoy visiting the British Museum or the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, this city may seem a bit thin in that category. Nevertheless, there are a handful of museums that most certainly do extend to visitors some interest and intrigue. These are my top picks and why.
Muzej Brusa Bezistan
Abadžiluk 10; 033 239 590.Hours 10am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-3pm Saturday. Entrance fee 2KM.
Right in the center of Baščaršija, I’m still amazed on how many people tell me they couldn’t find it or walked right by it and didn’t notice. The main entrance is near the Badem spice shop just off the main square heading towards the Miljacka. This is the city of Sarajevo’ museum – dedicated to its founders, creators, and builders. Being that the city was founded during the Ottoman era, it naturally has a strong emphasis on this period. It was then that Sarajevo was transformed from a small village to one of the Ottomans central hubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The museum itself is an impressive six-domed structure built in 1551 by Rustempaša. The curator won’t necessarily guide you through but feel free to ask questions, they usually have good answers.
Jewish Museum
Velika avlija bb; 033 535 688.Hours 10am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-3pm Sunday. Entrance fee 2KM.
The Sephardic Jews arrived on the Balkan Peninsula after 1492 when they were expelled from Spain. They were displaced throughout the Ottoman Empire, including Sarajevo. The museum is housed in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s oldest synagogue. It was built in 1581, less than a century after their exodus and was the first sacral object of the Sephardic Jews. The museum is dedicated to the scientific and artistic contributions made by this small but influential Jewish community that has called Sarajevo home for over five centuries. One of the more interesting exhibitions is the WWII on the plight of Bosnia’s Jews during those brutal years. Just next door is Rahat look, a perfect place for a coffee and cake after visiting the museum.
Museum Sarajevo 1878-1918
Zelenih Beretki 1; 033 533 288. Hours 10am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-3pm Sat. Entrance fee 2KM.
If you can find a time when there isn’t a group of tourists occupying the sidewalk in front of the museum, take the opportunity to pop into this small but charming museum. Locally it’s referred to as the assassination museum. A USAID project gave it a nice facelift some years back, with a nicely refurbished display of the events of that fateful day, June 21 1914, when Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his pregnant wife Sophie. It displays a series of photos from the event, the capture, arrest, and trial of Gavrilo Princip as well as mannequins with the attire of the era. I have witnessed, on several occasions, pickpocketers very active in the area. Keep your wallet and purse close.
Svrzina Kuća/Svrzo’s House
Glođina 8; 033 535 264.Hours 10am-6pm Mon-Fri; 10am-3pm Saturday. Entrance fee 2KM.
This is one of my favorites for several reasons. It’s an exceptionally well-maintained house that obviously receives a lot of TLC. The layout of the house is not only impressive but enticing. This house is dedicated to the lifestyle of a wealthy Muslim family during the 18th and 19th centuries. This stunning residence is the original version of the well-to-do Gođo family, which, due to the lack of a male heir, was later passed to the Svrzo family. Regardless of who owns it, it’s an exceptionally laid out home with a charming avlija garden and fascinating interior spatial plans which the guide will gladly explain in impeccable detail.
Historijski Muzej/History Museum
Zmaja od Bosne 5; 033 226 098; www.muzej.ba. Hours 9am-4pm Tues-Fri; 9am-1pm Sat-Sun. Entrance fee 2KM for locals; 4KM for foreign visitors.
Most people will be more familiar with the Tito Café and decaying war logistics sitting in the garden of this Tito era museum but trust me, there is certainly plenty worth seeing inside. Disregard the buildings old look and ill-repair, the History Museum contains the country’s best photo collection of wartime Sarajevo, including a new contribution from Scottish photographer Jim Marshall. His ‘Before and After’ collection is a series of photos taken just after Dayton was signed in 1996 and then again a decade and a half later. There are also fascinating displays of the tools of survival and how the citizens of Sarajevo managed 1,400 days under siege. It’s a tribute to human innovation. The HistorijskiMuzej was founded in 1945 and owns a remarkable collection of WWII propaganda and paraphernalia. Sooner or later they will get their acts together and put this historical collection on permanent display. Keep your eyes and ear peeled for future exhibitions.
Numero Uno…The War Tunnel Museum
Tuneli 1; 061 213 760.Hours 9am-3:30pm everyday. Entrance fee 10KM.
I crossed the tunnel into besieged Sarajevo many times during the war. And although the museum is only a slight resemblance of what it was like ‘back in the day,’ it nonetheless depicts the triumphs and tribulations of the city’s only self-sustaining lifeline. The War Tunnel Museum was a family owned operation. The Kanton Sarajevo recently added it to its repertoire of museums, purchasing the family home and opening it under the official auspices of the local authorities. The video in the basement is a must-see to get a feel on what Sarajevo under siege was like and although the remaining bit of tunnel is quite short, it gives one a good feel on what it was like to ramble 700 meters through the dark, dirty and moist canal during wartime. Traffic signage to the museum has drastically improved. You’ll now have to pay 2 KM parking in one of the neighbors yards as the Kanton hasn’t yet made any parking facilities. This is my top pick not because it’s beautiful curated but because it’s real and raw and depicts what wartime Sarajevo was for me – the true spirit of human endurance.
If you’re an ex-pat living and working here in Sarajevo, I would definitely make the effort to at least visit these six museums. They’ll give you a better feel for the city, it’s people and its turbulent history.