Sarajevo Travelblog - part 2: Svrzo's House

Svrzo’s House
Up one of Sarajevo’s hills is the museum known as Svrzo’s House, a typical Turkish Bosnian house of the urban elite. This 18th century house is one of the best examples of Ottoman architecture in Sarajevo. Walls (interior and exterior) were painted white, with ceilings, interior and exterior woodwork in dark, rich tones.


One section was the selamluk, place for domestic help and male guests. The other was the haremluk, for private and family life. In many of these homes, a hamamdžik is built, a place for washing before prayer. Large ceramic fireplaces were found in most every room. Each room in the Svrzo house was decorated with typical furnishings of the period – embroidered curtains, decorative metal lamps/chandeliers, ornate carpets, low tables, and elaborately carved closets. Lattice wood screens and shutters on the windows provided privacy and filtered out some mid-day heat. A sofa-like structure graced three walls of the rooms. On the ground floor was a kitchen with a large hearth and another room that looked like a stable. Balconies overlooked the central cobblestone courtyard.


Although I enjoyed wandering through the house and admiring the fine craftsmanship of period furnishings, I wish a guide or explanations would have enabled me to better understand and appreciate what I was seeing.

See more photos of Sarajevo on Melissa's website

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