War Childhood Museum

The War Childhood Museum stands in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is a historical museum that opened in 2017. The museum focuses on the experiences of children who lived through the war in Bosnia. It uses objects, video testimonies, and oral histories to tell their stories. In 2018, the museum received the Council of Europe Museum Prize. The museum began as a project in 2010. Jasminko Halilovic, a Sarajevan entrepreneur and activist, started collecting memories from young adults who were children during the war. Over 1,000 people shared their recollections, which Halilovic published in a book. The book has been translated into German and Japanese. Halilovic later collected over 3,000 objects and over 60 oral history testimonies for the museum. Visitors find diaries, toys, photographs, and clothing in the museum. Each item is displayed with the donor’s personal recollections. The museum also offers audio testimonies and written snippets from oral history interviews. The permanent exhibition is located on Logavina Street in Sarajevo. Temporary exhibitions have been held in Zenica and Visoko before the permanent space opened.