Status of monument -> National monument

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 1 to 4 December 2009 the Commission adopted a

D E C I S I O N

I

The historic monument of the Bank on the Obala [Embankment] (formerly a branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank) in Sarajevo 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. 2056, cadastral municipality Sarajevo XI (new survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 61, mahala XXXVIII, Sarajevo (old survey); Land Register entry no. XXXVIII/82, cadastral municipality Sarajevo, Municipality Stari Grad, Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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 the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) shall apply to the National Monument.

II

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation, restoration and presentation of 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

To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument on the area defined in Clause 1 para. 2 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:

-          research and conservation and restoration works, routine maintenance works, and works designed to display the monument, together with works required for the sustainable functioning of the property shall be permitted subject to the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);

-          the conservation and restoration project must be based on a methodological approach designed to preserve the historic value of the property;

-          the conservation and restoration of the sculptures from the top of the building and their return to their original position is permitted, subject to a project approved by the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;

-          the premises may be adapted to suit modern needs (installation of heating and other interior works), provided that the stylistic features of the building are preserved, subject to the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the prior agreement of the relevant bank authorities;

-          in the case of interior works that the bank’s security services consider to be of particular importance for security reasons, the bank shall submit a detailed description of the planned works to the relevant ministry along with the application for approval, but without the technical and other documentation;

-          all works that could endanger the National Monument are prohibited.

IV

All executive and area development planning acts are hereby revoked to the extent that they are not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.

V

Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation thereof.

VI

The Government of the Federation, the relevant ministry, the heritage protection authority, 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 to 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

This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of BiH.

This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Martin Cherry, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović and Ljiljana Ševo.

No. 02-2.2-40/2009-68

2 December 2009

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 issued a decision to add the Urban Townscape of Sarajevo to the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, numbered as 546.

The historic monument of the Bank on the Obala [Embankment] (formerly a branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank) lies within the urban townscape of Sarajevo, pursuant to which, and in accordance with 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.

Statement of Significance

The Austro-Hungarian Bank is one of very few buildings in which elements of the classical orders were applied to the architecture of a frontispiece in the Sarajevo Secessionist style.

The building is perfectly symmetrical in composition, with the projecting central section of the main front designed like that of an Antique temple. The ground floor forms the socle, upon which stand substantial columns rising to the entablature and tympanum at roof height. The rest of the building has the usual features of Secessionist architecture. It contains some fine examples of stained glass, the value of which is not only that they are original but also that they constitute a rare use of colour in the architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The building also has some fine sculptures. Work on the building began in 1912 and was completed in 1913.

II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE

In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:

-          Details of the location and ownership of the property (title deed and copy of cadastral plan)

-          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 historic Bank building on the Obala (formerly a branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank) is on the right bank of the river Miljacka, very close to the Drvenija Bridge, in Sarajevo.

It forms part of a succession of buildings dating from the Austro-Hungarian period. To the north is the historic building of the Officers’ Casino (Army Centre), to the west the Safvet-beg Bašagić primary school and First Grammar School, and to the east the historic building of the Ješua D. Salom mansion(1).

The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 2056, cadastral municipality Sarajevo XI (new survey), corresponding to c.p. no. 61, mahala XXXVIII, Sarajevo (old survey); Land Register entry no. XXXVIII/82, cadastral municipality Sarajevo, Municipality Stari Grad, Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Historical information

Twenty years elapsed between the advent of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 and the emergence of Secessionist stylistic features in the architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1898. Right from the start, the occupation authorities were obliged to set up certain centres of military and administrative rule. The construction of these administrative buildings was accompanied by that of schools, health care facilities, commercial facilities and religious edifices.

Most public buildings were erected during the second decade of Austro-Hungarian rule, when various historical styles were preferred: most public buildings were designed and executed in the neo-Renaissance, neo-Romanesque, neo-Gothic, neo-Byzantine or neo-Moorish style, leaving little room for the Secessionist style(2) in the design of public buildings.

Indeed, even after 1900, some public buildings were still going up in one or other historicist manner(3). A formal approach to the Secession, where outward effects were applied to create an architectural impression resembling the Secessionist style, first using various decorative elements(4) and then turning to the use of geometric elements as the Secessionist began to evolve into the Modern style, was taken by Vancaš, Pařik and Huber, and by a number of younger architects who would make their mark on a number of buildings of that period, prominent among them Rudolf Tönnies.

Among Tönnies’ many designs are the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan’s Palace, the Barracks at Bistrik, the public baths in Mostar, the mansion block at no 54 Tito Street (the Salom mansion block), and the town hall in Tuzla.

Following the annexation(5), building activity was stepped up, the result of the sense of administrative security now that Bosnia and Herzegovina belonged to Austria-Hungary.

On 1 January 1909 the authorities issued a governmental ruling granting “tax concessions for 20 years for all new buildings erected between 1 January 1909 and 31 December 1912.” It is clear from the dates of many of Sarajevo’s major buildings that the ruling affected both their number and their size.

The Bank on the Obala, designed by architect Rudolf Tönnies, was built in 1913. The site was chosen because of its proximity to the Officers’ Club and Centre and a bridge, making it a very busy one, as it remains to this day.

The number of storeys was dictated by the building regulations, the Bauordnung(6). On the right bank of the Miljacka, three-storey buildings only could be erected from the City Hall to the Drvenija Bridge, and only low two-storey buildings with a courtyard facing the river from the Drvenija to the Skenderija Bridge(7).

The building has been used as a bank since it was first built, initially as a branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank, after World War II housing the Investment Bank, and now occupied by the Bor Bank.

2. Description of the property

The long sides of the building lie north-south. The building has a footprint of 43.15 x 21.30 m, and consists of a basement, ground floor, two upper storeys and an attic storey.

The entrance is on the south side, through three wrought iron portals of about 2.5 m in width with double-valved doors(8), of which the central doorway is the main entrance. The sculptural features surmounting the three doorways, forming the keystones, are of portrait heads with ethnic features(9). They are substantial in size, in keeping with the architectural weight of the building, yet the sculptor has preserved the sculptural and psychological integrity of these portrait heads.

On the ground floor a vestibule of about 30 sq.m., which leads through a storm porch into a hall of about 80 sq.m. The vestibule, storm porch and hall have retained their original ceramic tiles in colours and designs evoking the geometric stylization of folk art (kilims).

The ground floor contains the following premises: the doorman’s booth, information desk, offices and other premises, and a toilet block(10).

Staircases set symmetrically to either side of the main triple flight staircase lead to the offices. The landings of both staircases each have a window with the original stained glass.

Stairs lead from the hall down to the basement. Until World War II there was a lift between the strongrooms in the basement, ground floor and first floor. The basement houses the service quarters: boiler room, cistern, caretaker’s office, air conditioning chamber and other storage quarters.

All the woodwork and door/window furniture, like the flooring, was replaced during the reconstruction of the building over the past ten years or so. In the basement, the original ceramic tiles have been replaced by new ones.

The triple flight staircase leads to the first floor. The west, north and east walls of the staircase each have a single stained-glass window(11). These are the original windows, but almost every stained-glass window has suffered some damage. The stair rail is of wrought iron, and the handrail of wood.

The hall on the first floor leads to the banking hall and offices to the west and east.

The banking hall, with an area of almost 250 sq.m., occupies the centre of the building. The flooring consists of oak parquet. To the west of the banking hall is a spiral steel staircase; to the east are offices. The banking hall still contains its original ceiling lights – brass chandeliers with crystal details.

This floor has its own toilet block, about seven offices, a conference room and a storeroom.

The second floor consists of a hall, thirteen offices, two toilet blocks and a kitchenette. The hall leads to the east and west balconies on the north side of the building(12). The hall flooring consists of the original ceramic tiles, but the tiles in the other areas on this floor have been replaced by new ones.

A double flight staircase leads up from the second-floor hall to the attic storey, which is used for storage.

The construction of the building consists of bearing walls about 50 cm thick and interstorey slabs of about 50 cm thick.

The outside walls are 45 cm thick, and the interior partition walls are 25 cm and 15 cm thick. The bearing structure of the triple-flight staircase consists of four 50 x 50 cm pillars. The roof timbers have been replaced by a new concrete structure. New roof windows have also been installed in parts of the roof. The ceiling of the attic storey is about 2.70 m high; those of the first and second floors are about 4.00 m high. The roof is clad with sheet metal.

Above the entrance doorways on the south façade are four substantial engaged columns, set on bases and surmounted by capitals, an architrave and a frieze of medallions and floral motifs, above which is a deep tympanum with a shield in the centre flanked by sculpted figures.

A particular feature of the south front is formed by the large windows between the columns at first-floor level, where the banking hall is located, over which at second-floor level are three shallow-projecting balconies and floral decorations. Medallions, wide floral motifs and vases with bouquets of flowers adorn the west and east side façades.

The upper register of the south front is decorated with sculptures on the parapets in the form of medallions, garlands and a frieze above the architrave, with the luxuriant foliate motifs and bold sculptural gestures typical of Tönnies. The sculptures in the tympanum have Secessionist features.

Old photographs show that there was a railing on the south side of the building, which was removed after World War II.

The west façade has four windows on each storey, those on the ground floor fitted with grilles. The first-floor windows are surmounted by medallions and floral motifs, while between the second-floor windows are vases with bouquets of flowers. This same façade, facing the primary school, bears a plaque in memory of Sarajevans killed during the 1992-1995 war.

The fenestration and decoration of the east façade are identical to those of the west façade.

The north façade is less elaborately decorated, with medallions and floral motifs in the central section, above the windows of the triple-flight staircase. The symmetrical flanks of the façade, separated by the central staircase section, each have two ground-floor windows and four at first- and second-floor level.

The building is surmounted by a pyramidal cupola topped by four large sculpture groups, which were removed when the roof was restored about ten years ago.

Description of the sculptural groups

The crowning glory of the beauty and monumentality of the former Austro-Hungarian Bank in Sarajevo was the sculptural group surmounting the building, set on a low plinth with a raised globe in the centre. Three slender women suggesting the three Graces (cf. the Three Graces Fountain at Chinon, France) stand with their backs turned to the globe so that they face the city from the top of the Bank. Their faces, with their modest smiles, retain their dignity and calm. Their simple dresses, sparely indicated with a few lines, fall lightly over their bodies. Drawing on examples from the art of Antiquity, the artist has given each woman an article to hold (a garland, a mushroom, a cornucopia, a bunch of grapes), each a familiar and widely-used symbol (the horn of plenty indicates general wellbeing, the mushroom longevity, the globe or sphere perfection). Individually and together, all four underline the strength, power and durability of the building and the institution occupying it.

When the cladding of the cupola was replaced in the 1980s, an inscription was found on the plinth, revealing the name of the company that produced the sculptural group: A and F Steiner of Budapest.

Unfortunately, when the cladding of the dome was replaced in the early 21st century, the sculptural group was removed and badly damaged. The remains are being kept in the studio of academic sculptor Enes Sivac.

A and F Steiner, Globe(13), 1912/1913, cast bronze, surviving part measuring 100 x 367 cm, now in the studio of Enes Sivac (originally on the Austro-Hungarian Bank building in Sarajevo).

A and F Steiner, Figure of a woman with cornucopia(14), 1912/1913, cast bronze, surviving part measuring 122 x 97 cm, now in the studio of Enes Sivac (originally on the Austro-Hungarian Bank building in Sarajevo).

A and F Steiner, Figure of a woman with a garland of flowers, 1912/1913, cast bronze, surviving part measuring 134 x 106 cm, now in the studio of Enes Sivac (originally on the Austro-Hungarian Bank building in Sarajevo).

A and F Steiner, Figure of a woman with a mushroom(15) and a bunch of grapes(16), 1912/1913, cast bronze, surviving part measuring 129 x 122 cm, now in the studio of Enes Sivac (originally on the Austro-Hungarian Bank building in Sarajevo).

After studying the stylistic features of this fine building, Professor Ibrahim Krzović concluded: “The investor’s ambitious plans were expressed in both the treatment of details and the fixtures and fittings [. . .] The surviving stained glass of the staircases – the finest examples of Secessionist art in glass – bears designs suggesting strongly stylized flowers transformed into bands of linked ellipses. The upper registers suggest a stylized starry sky. The value of these stained glass windows is not only that they are original examples of Secessionist art but also that they represent a rare use of colour in the architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina.” (17)  

3. Legal status to date

The building is on the Provisional List of National Monuments as part of the urban townscape of Sarajevo, under serial no. 546.

A letter from the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport(18) confirms that the Bank on the Obala (formerly a branch of Austro-Hungarian Bank) is listed under the heading Austro-Hungarian Bank branch building, corner of Obala Vojvode Stepe and Zmaj Jovina street, Sarajevo; Austro-Hungarian period, late Secession; and that the property was on the register of the cultural and natural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

4. Research and conservation-restoration works

There are no details of any research or conservation-restoration works during the 20th century. It is likely that minor building works were carried out, such as the replacement of installations and toilet blocks and the addition of partition walls.

During the 1992-1995 war the façade of the building was damaged and part of the roof was burned out.

Over the past ten years or so the building has been completely renovated, including the replacement of the roof structure and cladding and works on the façade and parts of the interior.

The interior has been refurbished, with the original flooring replaced in much of the building. The entire building has been repainted. The works were commissioned by the owner-occupier, Bor banka d.o.o.

5. Current condition of the property

The building is in stable structural condition. The comprehensive renovation works carried out on the building have eliminated problems such as damp in the basement and elsewhere.

Works being carried out on the building are compromising its authenticity: the replacement of original ceramic tiles; the replacement of woodwork and door and window furniture; damage to the railings.

The sculptural group from the top of the building is in very poor condition and requires urgent conservation-restoration works to preserve what still survives.

6. Specific risks

            Unsatisfactory building works.(19)  

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.i.       quality of workmanship

C.ii.      quality of materials

C.iii.      proportions

C.iv.      composition

C.v.       value of details

C.vi.      value of construction

D.         Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational value)

D.ii.      evidence of historical change

D.iv.      evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner

D.v.       evidence of a typical way of life at a specific period

F.         Townscape/ Landscape value

F.i.       relation to other elements of the site

F.ii.       meaning in the townscape

F.iii.      the building or group of buildings is part of a group or site

G.         Authenticity

G.i.       form and design

G.ii.      material and content

G.iii.     use and function

G.iv.      traditions and techniques

G.v.      location and setting

H.         Rarity and representativity

H.i.       unique or rare example of a certain type or style

H.ii.      outstanding work of art or architecture

H.iii.      work of a prominent artist, architect or craftsman

I.          Completeness

I.i.         physical coherence

I.ii.        homogeneity

I.iii.       completeness

I.iv.       undamaged condition

The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:

-          Copy of cadastral plan,

-          Copy of land register entry,

-          Drawing – site plan,

-          Photodocumentation – photographs taken during preparation of the Decision (September 2009).

Bibliography

During the procedure to designate the historic monument of the Bank on the Obala (formerly a branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank) as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the following works were consulted:

1974.    Besarović, Risto. Iz kulturnog života u Sarajevu pod austrougarskom upravom (Cultural life in Sarajevo under Austro-Hungarian Rule). Sarajevo: Veselin Masleša, 1974.

1988.    Kurto, E. Nedžad. Arhitektura secesije u Sarajevu – disertacija (Architecture of the Secession in Sarajevo – dissertation). Zagreb: University of Zagreb, 1988.

1992.    Prstojević, Miroslav. Zaboravljeno Sarajevo (Forgotten Sarajevo). Sarajevo: Ideja, 1992.

1995.    Koštović, Nijazija. Sarajevo između dobrotvorstva i zla (Sarajevo between good deeds and evil). Sarajevo: El-kalem, 1995.

1998.    Kurto, E. Nedžad. Arhitektura Bosne i Hercegovine - Razvoj bosanskog stila (Architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina – evolution of the Bosnian style). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, International Peace Centre, 1998.

1998.    Various authors. Bosna i Hercegovina od najstarijih vremena do kraja drugog svjetskog rata (Bosnia and Herzegovina from ancient times to the end of World War II). Sarajevo: Bosnian Cultural Centre, 1998.

1999.    Spasojević, Borislav. Arhitektura stambenih palata austrougarskog perioda u Sarajevu (Architecture of mansion blocks of the Austro-Hungarian period in Sarajevo). Sarajevo: Rabic, 1999.

2004.    Krzović, Ibrahim. Arhitektura secesije u Bosni i Hercegovini (Architecture of the Secession in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 2004.

http://www.ossbb.edu.ba/

http://www.ekapija.com/website/bih/page/159209

(2) Secession – the name given to a style originating in Vienna in the late 19th century under the influence of the international art movement. Its introduction in Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the start of a new phase in artistic influences in this part of the world. The architects of the day kept up with modern trends, which meant that the Secession was relatively rapidly taken up, but not to the extent of wholly rejecting traditional styles. Spasojević, Borislav, Arhitektura stambenih palata austrougarskog  perioda u Sarajevu (Sarajevo: Svjetlost, 1988), 22 

(3) Krzović, Ibrahim, Arhitektura secesije u Bosni i Hercegovini (Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 2004), 90

(4) Floral decorations, banded decorations, bas-relief arches, ceramics, various symbols, etc, Spasojević, Borislav, op.cit, Sarajevo, 1988, 22 

(5) 5 October 1908.

(6) On 14 May 1880 new building regulations, the Bauordnung, were issued and immediately entered into force in Sarajevo. With 82 articles, the Bauordnung covered in great detail everything to do with building and construction, residential and other buildings and everything associated with them. Spasojević, Borislav, op.cit., Sarajevo, 1988, 15

(7) Spasojević, Borislav, op.cit., Sarajevo, 1988, 17 

(8) The three great wrought-iron portals are perhaps the greatest work of their kind and the finest example of the Secession in this material. Krzović, Ibrahim, op.cit., Sarajevo, 2004, 103, 104

(9) The head in the middle is that of a Bosnian peasant with a turban, and the other two could be intended to personify the Austrian and Hungarian populations, as if the three figures symbolically represent the official policy of Trialism, which was a topical issue towards the end of the Austro-Hungarian period in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Krzović, Ibrahim: op.cit., Sarajevo, 2004, 103, 104

(10) The doors and flooring of some of the rooms have been replaced during comprehensive renovation works carried out over the past ten years or so. The original ceramic floor tiles in the corridors have been replaced by new ones.

(11) A single layer of glass created by joining different pieces of glass (usually stained or decorated) side by side for decorative purposes. The term stained glass is often also applied to glass painted with vitrified oil paint. [The Oxford English Dictionary on-line definition, which is perhaps clearer, reads: “transparent coloured glass, formed into decorative mosaics, used in windows (esp. of churches). Also, less correctly, glass which has been decorated with vitrified pigments.” Trans.]

(12) Both balconies were fitted with PVC windows during renovation.

(13) The symbolism of the sphere is the same as that of the circle: a circle amid bodies. These meanings are bestowed by its three-dimensionality, corresponding to our perceptions: the heavens and the earth as a whole are perfectly expressed in a pair of dice or spheres. The rounded form of the globe has a double meaning: the first is the geographical entity of this earth, the other the juridical dominance of absolute power. The latter is to be understood when the globe denotes a limited area under the rule of a certain person whose power is unlimited, which is what the globe indicates. J. Chevalier, A. Gheerbrant, Rječnik simbola (Banja Luka: Romanov, 2003), 166, 329. (original: Jean Chevalier, Alain Gheerbrant, Dictionnaire des symboles, 1908 –not available on the internet, so that this is a translation of a translation – Trans.)

(14) Over time the cornucopia or horn of plenty became an attribute rather than a symbol of generosity, general wellbeing, good fortune, industry and reason of which the product is abundance, hope and compassion, the annual harvest, justice and hospitality. J. Chevalier, A. Gheerbrant, op.cit., 2003, 565.

(15) The mushroom is a symbol of longevity, probably because it keeps for a long time once dried. J. Chevalier, A. Gheerbrant, op.cit, 2003, 166.

(16) In secular art grapes are the attribute of Bacchus, the god of wine, and of the personification of Autumn, one of the four seasons. James Hall [ed.], Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, 1974, 146).

(17) Ibrahim Krzović, op.cit., Sarajevo, 2004, 102-103.

(18) Letter ref. 07-40-4-3382-1/09 of 27.08.2009.

(19) Further degradation by removal of original elements – ceramic tiles; replacement of original woodwork and door/window furniture (while replacing the ceramic tiles on the small balconies on the south façade the balcony railing was cut through, damaging not only the building’s authenticity but also the façade by rust stains resulting from corrosion of the iron railings under constant exposure to the elements.