Status of monument -> National monument
Published in the “Official Gazette of BiH” no. 53/08.
Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held from 20 to 27 November 2007 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The historic building of the old railway station in Banja Luka (the Museum of Modern Art of Republika Srpska) is hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 16/13 (old survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 3752 (new survey), Land Register entry no. 7453, cadastral municipality Banja Luka VII - 25; Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska no. 9/02) shall apply to the National Monument.
II
The Government of Republika Srpska shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary to protect the National Monument.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
The National Monument occupies the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision. The following protection measures are hereby stipulated for this site:
- conservation and restoration works, structural repair works and interior refurbishments shall be permitted provided that they are not detrimental to the value as a monument of the property, as shall works designed to display the monument, with the approval of the Ministry responsible for regional planning in Republika Srpska and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of Republika Srpska,
- an interpretation of the missing parts of the portico/platform of the railway station is permitted,
- the property may be used for educational, cultural and catering purposes.
In the buffer zone consisting of the plots adjoining the protected site of the National Monument, the erection of new buildings and facilities and the extension or enlargement of existing ones is prohibited. All temporary buildings and facilities located in this buffer zone shall be removed.
IV
All executive and area development planning acts not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision are hereby revoked.
V
Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of Republika Srpska and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation and rehabilitation thereof.
VI
The Government of Republika Srpska, the Ministry responsible for regional planning in Republika Srpska and the heritage protection authority of Republika Srpska, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II – V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (http://www.aneks8komisija.com.ba)
VIII
Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
On the date of adoption of this Decision, the National Monument shall be deleted from the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02, Official Gazette of Republika Srpska no. 79/02, Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH no. 59/02, and Official Gazette of Brèko District BiH no. 4/03), where it featured under serial no. 18.
X
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption and shall be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.
This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Amra Hadžimuhamedoviæ, Dubravko Lovrenoviæ, Ljiljana Ševo and Tina Wik.
No: 06.2-2-275/04-9
20 November 2007
Sarajevo
Chair of the Commission
Ljiljana Ševo
E l u c i d a t i o n
I – INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments adopted a decision to add the old railway station building (Art Gallery of Republika Srpska) in Banja Luka to the Provisional List of National Monuments under serial no. 18.
Pursuant to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V para. 4 of Annex 8 and Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.
During the procedure, a written request was received from the occupant of the property, the Museum of Modern Art of Republika Srpska, headed by Ljiljana Laboviæ Marinkoviæ, for permission to reconstruct the annex of the north-western façade of the building, where there was formerly a platform and pent roof.
II – PROCEDURE PRIOR TO DECISION
- Documentation on the location and current owner and user of the property
- Data on the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs, data of war damage, data on restoration or other works on the property, etc.
- Historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision.
The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the site are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
The old railway station is in the centre of Banja Luka, between Kralj (King) Petar Karaðorðeviæ street and Kninska street, with its longer side running north-east/south-west. The main entrance to the gallery premises is to the south-east, and the approach to the property is from the promenade/park off King Petar Karaðorðeviæ street (formerly Marshal Tito street). The entrance to the office premises is to the south-west, and the trades entrance to the north-east of the property.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 16/13 (old survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 3752 (new survey), cadastral municipality Banja Luka VII - 25; Land Register entry no. 7453; Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historical information
Following the death of Sultan Abdül Mecit in 1961, his brother Abdül Aziz Han succeeded to the throne, and continued his brother's policy of reform and greater openness towards Europe. The European states too were keen to see the Ottoman Empire become closer to Europe, particularly Austria and Germany, who saw this as an opportunity for capital investment.
Abdül Aziz was the first Ottoman sultan to visit Europe, in 1867. He was astonished to see how highly developed industry was, and by what he learned about the development of the economy, civil engineering, and road and rail transport. On his return from Europe, the sultan decided that a railway line linking Istanbul and Vienna should be built. This line was to be known as the Istanbul main line.
In 1869, a contract was signed on behalf of the Ottoman authorities by Grand Vizier Ali Pasha. This contract governed the laying of a railway line and was entered into with the joint stock company of Baron Maurice Hirsch, who was granted a 99-year concession, with a guaranteed 14,000 francs annual revenue per kilometer of track (in return for building the line). The contract stipulated that the 2,500 km of track should be completed in 7 years. Baron Hirsch founded a company by the name of Society for the Exploitation of Railways in European Turkey. The main features of the concession were:
- The line would be 2,500 km long and would run through Bulgaria, Rumelia and Bosnia;
- The terminus would be in Dobrljin in Bosnia;
- The connection with the railways of Europe would be made by means of a line from Dobrljin to Sisak, to be built by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
In mid 1869, Austrian experts came to Bosnia and began tracing the route from Dobrljin via Banja Luka, Jajce and Sarajevo to Goražde. Tracing the route through Bosnia was one of the most complex technical problems to be faced.
The work of laying the track from Dobrljin to Banja Luka began in the spring of 1871. The first line in Bosnia and Herzegovina was opened to traffic in late December 1972. This was a standard-gauge track from Banja Luka to Dobrljin, over a distance of 101.6 km. Thirteen bridges were built along the line, two of which were iron bridges. There were five railway engines in the maintenance shop in Banja Luka, two made in the Hanomag factory in Hanover in German, and three in the Tubize factory in Belgium.
Timetables and ticket prices in both Bosnian and Turkish were posted in a prominent position at every station. An important document is the First Timetable on the First Railway Line in Bosnia and Herzegovina, written in arebica (the adapted Arabic script used to write Bosnian) in 1872. The tickets were too expensive for ordinary people, and the railway's operating costs were so high that it was not a commercial proposition. For this reason the number of trains running was cut back (initially there had been two trains a day, later reducd to one twice a week).
Another important document sets out the specific features of Bosnia and Herzegovina's first railway line: the Railways Law, enacted in early 1873 and published in no. 349 of Bosna, the Vilayet's official Gazette, on 20 February 1873. The law was issued by the Ministry of Public Works of the Government of the Bosnian Vilayet, and was also known as the Law on Railways in the State of Bosnia. The Law was printed in Zagreb in 1872 in the form of a poster, using the Latin script, and was also prominently displayed in all the railways stations and carriages (Fevzija, 2006, 26).
The service on the Banja Luka-Dobrljin line was suspended on 14 November 1875 because too few passengers and goods were using the railway. This ended the three year experiment with the first railway in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which rapidly fell into a state of dilapidation.
Sultan Abdül Aziz's intention to build the Istanbul main line came to nothing, and for ten years the first railway line in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Banja Luka to Dobrljin, remained unconnected with central Bosnia and the capital, Sarajevo.
After the 1878 Berlin Congress, Bosnia and Herzegovina came under Austro-Hungarian rule. The new authorities decided to reopen the Banja Luka-Dobrljin line. The track was repaired, and opened for service between Banja Luka and Prijedor on 1 December 1878, and all the way to Dobrljin on 24 March 1879. The track became known as the Banja Luka-Dobrljin Imperial and Royal Military Railway, but civilians could use it as well as the military. New station buildings, stores and goods loading and unloading bays were built.
On 1 December 1891 the Banja Luka railway station was linked to the town of Banja Luka by 3km of newly-laid track. The former Banja Luka railway station became Banja Luka Predgraðe (Suburbs), and the new station in the town centre became Banja Luka Grad (Town). This newly-laid track had two separate industrial branches, one for the tobacco factory and the other for the coal mine.
In 1953, the Doboj-Banja Luka line was laid over a distance of 95.10 km, linking Doboj and Sarajevo.
In 1968, under the terms of a Regulatory Plan, the Banja Luka Town-Banja Luka Suburbs line was abolished, and the Banja Luka Suburbs station once again became Banja Luka station.
Following the relocation of the railway station from the town centre to the outskirts, the railway station in Banja Luka itself was converted to new use. An extension was built and the existing premises were converted into an entirely new bus station.
Following the 1969 earthquake that struck Banja Luka, the property was restored to good structural condition and part converted into business premises. The Art Gallery of Banja Luka was established and allocated the old railway station building by decision of the Banja Luka Town Council, adopted on 13 January 1971.
In 1971 the old railway station was placed under state protection, which required the designer and contractor engaged in restoration to retain or restore the original, authentic appearance of all four façades and the interior, as far as was structurally possible.
Repairs to the railway station began on 22 April 1980. The project was drawn up by graduate architect Enes Kartal of Banja Luka, and the interior was designed by architect Božidar, also of Banja Luka.
In February 2004, by decision of the Government of Republika Srpska, the Art Gallery was designated as the Museum of Contemporary Art of Republika Srpska, which is still its official name.
2. Description of the property
Like most late 19th century public buildings in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the old railway station in Banja Luka was designed in the historicist spirit. The architectural style of the neo-Renaissance is to be seen both in the layout of the building and in the articulated, elaborate decoration of the façades.
The railway station building is rectangular in plan, with its longer side running north-east/south-west. It measures approx. 78.0 x 20.0 m on the outside, and consists of two side wings and a cenral section with a prominent main entrance on the south-east side.
The central section of the building was originally of a single storey. A roof space was later added, interconnecting the museum offices in the south-west wing of the building and the storerooms in the north-east wing.
There was originally a portico on the north-west face of the central section, with 20 steel pillars supporting a wooden roof with exposed beams, clad with sheet metal.
The wings consist of a basement, ground floor and first floor, with part of the roof space also in use.
The main entrance to the building is from the south-east, through a central hallway which has retained its original architecture (and previously contained a waiting room). The architectural solution of the building was designed to enable one to walk all the way round the exhibition rooms, both in the central section and on the ground floor of the two wings.
The basement of the south-west wing is currently used as a café, with the museum offices on the first floor of the same wing, and a photo studio and lab in the roof space. The basement and first floor of the north-west wing are used as storerooms, with a staircase and lift connecting them to the building.
The total area of the Museum of Modern Art as it is now is approx. 3,033 m2.
The building consists of the following premises on its various storeys:
The basement area of the north-east wing is designed for specialist workshops and storage space for sculptures, and has a total area of approx. 426 m2.
The ground floor consists of the following:
- an entrance hall with an area of approx. 104.6 m2 (used for chamber concerts, opening ceremonies for exhibitions etc.)
- the museum's exhibition space, consisting of nine galleries with an overall area of approx.867.5 m2. The galleries are designed to be used for art exhibitions, literary evenings, concerts, media presentations, public and academic lectures, and the like
The first floor has an overall area of approx. 972.1 m2 and consist of the following premises:
- the north-east wing, housing a club for presentations and press conferences, the museum library and storage for paintings etc.
- the south-west wing, housing the museum offices and consisting of six offices, two toilet blocks and a kitchenette.
The roof space has a total area of 426 m2.
A double-flight staircase in the south-west wing and a spiral staircase in the north-east wing connect the lower and upper floors.
The railway station in Banja Luka was originally built of traditional materials – stone, timber and brick.
The structural components of the building consist of the foundations, brick walls, interfloor structure and roof trusses.
The walls are built of brick and are about 60 cm thick. All are rendered inside and out with cement mortar, and painted.
The basement ceiling is unaltered, consisting of steel crossbeams between which are brick-built segmental arches.
The ceiling of the central section originally had steel crossbeams, which have been replaced by a prefabricated reinforced concrete slab.
The rest of the building had wooden floor/ceiling joists, which were replaced during the most recent reconstruction of the building by a prefabricated reinforced concrete slab about 25 cm thick.
Each of the three sections of the railway station building had a separate roof clad originally with plain tiles, and now with rebated tiles. Roof windows have been added to the central section.
The south-east façade of the building is the most representative. It is here that the main entrance to the museum is located. The ground floor of this façade has five double doors and 16 arched windows. The central entrance section projects outwards from the wall face of the rest of the building by about 1.7 m and has decorative quoins with the horizontal joints painted white in imitation of stone facing. The portal consists of three double doors with fanlights.
The doors are rectangular, and the fanlights are round-arched. Above these is an elaborately decorate archivolt above which again is the roof cornice with a moulded frieze extending into the attic. There is a stylized clock in the central section of the attic. In both wings the doors are similar in treatment, but smaller in size, and on both side façades are large doorways with central entrances flanked by pilasters and overhanging archivolts and prominent keystones. The first floor windows are rectangular, with moulded window cornices above with a key stone, followed by the roof cornice with a moulded frieze that extends into the attic. All the windows have anodized metalwork and insulated glazing.
The guttering and downpipes, flashings and window sills are of sheet copper.
The floor of the entrance hall in the central section of the building is paved with stone, while the floors in the galleries are of parquet. The rooms on the first floor are carpeted.
3. Legal status to date
The old railway building (Art Gallery of Republika Srpska) in Banja Luka is on the Provisional List of National Monuments under serial no. 18.
4. Research and conservation and restoration works
In 1968, under the terms of a Regulatory Plan, the Banja Luka Town-Banja Luka Suburbs line was abolished, and the Banja Luka Suburbs station once again became Banja Luka station.
Following the relocation of the railway station from the town centre to the outskirts, the railway station in Banja Luka itself was converted to new use. An extension was built and the existing premises were converted into an entirely new bus station.
Following the 1969 earthquake that struck Banja Luka, the property was restored to good structural condition and part converted into business premises. The plain tiles were replaced by rebated tiles, and the pillars of the portico on the west façade were removed.
The Art Gallery of Banja Luka was established and allocated the old railway station building by decision of the Banja Luka Town Council, adopted on 13 January 1971.
In 1971 the old railway station was placed under state protection, which required the designer and contractor engaged in restoration to retain or restore the original, authentic appearance of all four façades and the interior, as far as was structurally possible.
In January 1980 the Buildings Institute of Banja Luka drew up the main project entitled Conversion of the Railway Station into an Art Gallery. The project provided for reconstruction, restoration and conversion works on the old railway station in Banja Luka to its new use as an art gallery.
Repairs to the railway station began on 22 April 1980. The project was drawn up by graduate architect Enes Kartal of Banja Luka, and the interior was designed by architect Božidar, also of Banja Luka.
There were no major interventions to the structural walls apart from walling up some of the openings and piercing others to suit the new use of the building. All the ceilings except in the basement were replaced by prefabricated slabs. The basement walls were given special treatment to protect them from rising damp. The exterior façade walls retained their original mouldings, with all the cornices, window lintels and parapets. New floor surfacing and flooring was laid in all the museum premises, with the main hall paved with stone and the galleries laid with parquet. On the first floor the floors were carpeted.
5. Current condition of the property
The property is in good structural condition.
6. Specific risks
There are no specific risks posing a structural threat to the property, but it is at risk from the construction and erection of temporary buildings and facilities, particularly in the south-west wing, where a temporary structure is preventing free access to the office premises of the museum.
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
C. Artistic and aesthetic value
C.iv. composition
C. v. value of details
F. Townscape/ Landscape value
F.ii. meaning in the townscape
G. Authenticity
G.v. location and setting
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Copy of cadastral plan;
- Copy of land register entry and proof of title;
- Photodocumentation, property of the Commission;
- Drawings.
Bibliography
During the procedure to designate the monument as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina the following works were consulted:
2006. Fevzija, Ajdin, Historija željeznica Bosne i Hercegovine (History of the Railways of Bosnia and Herzegovina), National & University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, 2006
2006. Od galerije do muzeja 1971-2006 (From Gallery to Museum, 1971-2006), Museum of Modern Art of Republika Srpska, Banja Luka, 2006.
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