National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina stands in central Sarajevo, its four pavilions arranged symmetrically around a spacious courtyard. Built in 1913 by the Czech architect Karel Pařík, the building blends Italian Renaissance Revival style with functional museum design. The courtyard serves as a botanical garden dotted with stone monuments, many of them relocated medieval stećaks. Inside, the museum houses departments of archaeology, ethnology, natural history and a library holding 162 000 volumes. The Sarajevo Haggadah, a 14th-century illuminated manuscript, is kept here as its most precious object. The museum opened in 1888 under Austro-Hungarian rule, its first director Kosta Hörmann rapidly expanding collections in natural history and archaeology. After the First World War it operated under the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, suffering from reduced funding and cultural neglect. During the 1992–95 war shells damaged the roof and destroyed hundreds of windows, yet staff continued to protect the artefacts. After the conflict ended, international donors helped restore the building and reopen it in 2015. Visitors walk through the four pavilions, each dedicated to a different discipline, and pause in the botanical courtyard among the stone monuments. The Sarajevo Haggadah is displayed in a secure case within the archaeology section. The library offers quiet study space for its large collection. Outside, the surrounding city provides cafés and tram lines, linking the museum to Sarajevo’s wider cultural life.