The National Museum in Sarajevo Reopened For Public

The National Museum in Sarajevo is the oldest and most important museum institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the largest museums in the Eastern Europe. Founded in 1888, the Museum is divided into archaeological, ethnological and natural history department.

Three years ago, due to a difficult economic and political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and lack of funding by government institutions, the National Museum had to close its doors for the public. The incident was a huge blow to the cultural and scientific scene in the country.

A variety of campaigns have been organized to raise awareness of the Museum importance. One of the most recent was a campaign #jasammuzej (#IamMuseum) where many cultural workers and citizens showed their solidarity and came to guard the Museum's collections, while it was still closed for public.

Finally the political and financial solution for the Museum was found, and on September 15, 2015 the National Museum once again opened its doors to the public. Symbolically, the Museum was opened by the children of Sarajevo.

The opening of the National Museum, Sarajevo / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Childern holding baloons infront of the National Museum, Sarajevo / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Removing the "Closed" sign / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

The National Museum reopened / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

The opening of the National Museum, Sarajevo / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Many guests he been invited, among others: Denis ZvizdiÄ‡, President of the Ministry Council of BiH; Adil OsmanoviÄ‡, Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH who contributed greatly to in the reopening; Samer ReÅ¡idat, Minister of Culture of the Sarajevo Canton, and Maureen Cormack, US Ambassador to BiH. The US Embassy made a large contribution to the opening of the Museum with 1,1 mil KM. The distinguished guests stressed the importance of the National Museum and expressed hope that the situation with the closure will not happen again.

Denis ZvizdiÄ‡, President of the Ministry Council of BiH / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Maureen Cormack, US Ambassador to BiH / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Adil OsmanoviÄ‡, Minister of Civil Affairs of BiH / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Samer ReÅ¡idat, Minister of Culture of the Sarajevo Canton / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

The guests at the opening of the National Museum, Sarajevo / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

The archaeology department houses objects related to the ancient and medieval history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ethnological department has a rich collections relating to the Bosnian way of life and tradition from the Ottoman period, the great collection of old Persian carpets and works in metal from Persia. A special department of the natural history includes a vast collection of animal and plants remains from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina but also across the globe, as well as a large collection of minerals, semi-precious and precious stones. The Museum is also known for its special room that protects a Quranic manuscript, medieval manuscripts as well as one of the most famous Hagada in the world.