National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina was established in 1888, and is the oldest modern cultural and scientific institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of Western kind.
It foundation is a combination of historical events.
Over the time many individuals and groups of intellectuals have emphasized the need for one institution like this. The first idea of establishing the museum was there already in 1850, but the realization really came in almost after 4 full decades, and in the meantime, on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina two empires have replaced – Ottomans replaced Austro-Hungarian empire.
Political, strategic and economic objectives that were set by the Austro-Hungarian authorities demanded European kind of literacy and mass education.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, as one of the still unexplored countries of the Balkans, attracted the curiosity of many scientists, especially those from Austria-Hungary, and quasi scientists, what already in first years of occupation resulted in “takeaway” of monuments of culture from our region.
National Museum, Sarajevo
These events contributed even more taking concrete measures to achieve long-present idea of establishing the museum, which was reflected in the founding of the Museum Society, after which the 1st February 1888, the national government established the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Museum director place was given to the government adviser Kosta Hörman.
Since the space in which the museum was originally located soon became the cramped and inconvenient, in 1908 the construction of two new buildings started.
It was decided to build museum building of pavilion type, which will operate as sparate entities of total existing collection. Construction was completed in 1913, and the museum was opened to the public on 4th of October the same year.
Inside that complex, the only one purposely built to such a purpose, a museum, the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina still operates today.
The Museum houses more than 105,000 inventory items in the Archeology Department, more than 700,000 inventory items in the Natural History D.epartment, and more than 200,000 publications (periodicals, books, journals) in the Library.
The Museum’s major exhibitions are display by means of thematic collections (“Prehistory, antiquity and the medieval period”), while Herbarium of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SARA), registered in the world wide “Index Herbariorum”, was established in 1890. The Sarajevo Haggada, two original copies of Charter issued by Bosnian kings, and coats of arms with the royal mantle from the tomb of King Tvrtko I Kotromanić are housed in specially protected premises.
The organizational units of a museum today are:
- Department of Archeology
- Department of Ethnology
- Department of Natural Science
- Library
