CATALOGUE BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The rich wealth of the cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists not only in the age and diversity of its monuments, with evidence of human occupation from the Palaeolithic period and including fortresses, mosques, churches, public buildings and vernacular ensembles, but in the use of all its aspects to enrich and inform the processes of economic, political, social and cultural development. The raising of awareness of the importance of the heritage among the general public, with particular emphasis on young people, has been strenuously promoted in recent years. There is a sophisticated view in the country of the role of an integrated heritage with an understanding that there is a shared responsibility to maintain and enhance the places where people live, an issue of particular pertinence in the current post-war situation in which it has been deemed desirable not only to conserve but also to reconstruct key monuments which have been destroyed in order to reinforce the senses of place and ownership which have been eroded by conflict. The built heritage is here seen as a key generator of social cohesion.

Investigations have shown that over 2700 built heritage properties were demolished wholly or partially, or damaged, during the war of 1992-96. Monuments from the 15th to the 19th centuries suffered the worst destruction, with the urban nuclei of 49 out of 60 historic centres seriously damaged. The survivng heritage remains at risk because of lack of maintenance, the technical difficulties in carrying out repairs and renovations and the absence of adequate documentation (including in some places the records of ownership), much of which was destroyed during the war.  At the legislative level, the forthcoming enactment of the substantial revision of the existing Law on the Protection and Preservation of the Cultural and Historical Heritage, in conformity with international standards, should strengthen the framework for protection, whose management will continue to be implemented through the Commission to Preserve National Monuments in association with the three regional governments - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brcko District - which should earmark funds for work on both private and state-owned monuments.  There has been considerable success throughout the country in accessing funds for restoration and rehabilitation within the regional governments, the municipalities, religious communities, private foundations and other European governmental and international donors.  These successes have occurred not least because of the strength of the institutional structure for heritage management. In the exceptional circumstances of the post-war situation the creation of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments has given unprecedented voice and high-level political weight to the management of the national heritage. 

The international recognition of the significance of key elements of the built heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been demonstrated not only by funding successes but also by the inclusion of two monuments of international historical, political and cultural significance on the World Monuments Watch List of endangered sites: the late nineteenth-century Old City Hall in Sarajevo, and the sixteenth-century Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad, immortalised in Ivo Andric’s epic novel The Bridge over the Drina and now inscribed as a World Heritage Site.

Hellenistic Town of Daorson, Stolac

This is one of the most important archaeological monuments in the country. Built on a Bronze Age site, with continuous occupation from the 17th century BC, the principal structures date from the 4th century BC (the cyclopean wall) until the 1st century BC when occupation ceased. The site comprises a central acropolis with terraces and residential and commercial areas below. It has suffered from serious long term neglect, degredation and theft, but now that the whole of the wider region has become the subject of a development plan, the considerable tourist potential of the site may be fully explored, with due consideration of site security, access and sign-posting, together with visitor facilities either on-site or in the nearby village of Osanici. Further research, analysis of excavations already carried out, conservation and restoration will be required in order to better understand, explain and enhance the site in order to create anew the conditions for sustainable development. The Stolac region was once one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most attractive tourist destinations for local and foreign visitors, readily accessible from such other important destinations as Mostar and Dubrovnik, and could become so again.

Site and Remains of the Aladza Mosque, Foca

The sixteenth-century Aladza Mosque, so named for its rich painted decoration, was mined and destroyed down to the level of the foundations in 1992. It was considered to be one of the most important monuments of its date in South East Europe. A single-spaced, domed mosque, built in the classical Ottoman style with an open portico, this was a symbol of the town and distinctive in both architecture and geometrical and floral decoration, with a slender minaret of virtuoso construction. Following the destruction of the mosque and its associated buildings, the remains were scattered over a suspected mass grave.

Full reconstruction of the mosque is proposed, reusing all available recoverable material, and taking full advantage of the detailed records which were made in the 1970s. The symbolic value of the mosque goes beyond national borders since this was one of the most important monuments of its time in the whole of the Balkans. Its reconstruction, together with the rehabilitation of adjacent war-damaged buildings,  will send a clear message that justice and human rights ultimately will prevail over destruction and crime. The rebuilding of the mosque has received widespread local support since it is seen as bringing life back into the area, enhancing the process of return and reconciliation and revitalising the community.

Town Hall (National Library), Sarajevo

This is a monument of outstanding significance and historical resonance, prominently located on the bank of the Miljacka River on the border of the commercial and business district of the city.  Built in 1892-6, to the design of Alexander Wittek, it is the largest and most representative building of the Austro-Hungarian period in Sarajevo, as well as the most beautiful and important example of the pseudo-Moorish style in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  This richly ornamented building served as Town Hall (and from 1910 also the seat of the Bosnian Assembly) until 1949 when it became the National and University Library, a function it fulfilled until it was shelled and set on fire during the war in 1992. 

The building has been stabilised, with new roof and concrete floors, and reconstruction is now intended with a view to restoring it to public use as the City Assembly (with ancillary offices), the home for the special collections of the National and University Library, and a museum of the siege of Sarajevo, with space for public events. The project is being led by the city administration with the support of the municipality and numerous national and international partners. The rehabilitation of this symbol of the city of Sarajevo will restore beneficial public use, create jobs and encourage tourism, enabling this fine building once again to play a crucial role in the celebration of city and national identity.