Sarajevo Travelblog - part 6: Museum Visits, Off the Beaten Path

Museum Visits
On Sunday I continued my walk, heading towards the National and Historical museums. Near the museums was the bright yellow Holiday Inn, a recognizable structure during the city siege and headquarters of foreign journalists. The main road here was known as Sniper Alley, directly under fire from the hills. Several buildings next to the hotel still bore deep scars of the turmoil. Nearby was a modern structure, rebuilt on top of one that was destroyed. Its blue windows and modern look contrasted sharply with the rest of the city, but I guess the developers were more interested in displaying a progressive look.

My first museum of the day was the Historical Museum. The outside of the museum was grey and shabby, and I wondered if the museum was even open. Prepared to see some graphic images of the war, I was disappointed to find out that most of the exhibits were closed. Wanting to get my admissions money out of it, I took my time looking through the historical documents, photographs, and artifacts outlining the region through the years. The other exhibition highlighted the Roma (gypsies) of the region and told a bit about the concentration camps in Eastern Europe. Curiously, it barely mentioned the large number of Serbians who died in the concentration camps.

Next door was the National Museum. Starting in the archaeology room, I saw tombs, memorials, vases, sculptures, and other artifacts dating back to Roman times. Quite a number of items had Christian symbols, indicating the presence Christianity once had in the region. Another room contained a large collection of ancient jewelry, coins, and other small items. In an adjacent room, fragments of Roman mosaics were displayed – nice, but not nearly as impressive as what I saw in Tunisia.
My favorite building at the museum was the Ethnographic section. On the lower floor was an exhibit of klims, traditional weavings highlighted from different regions around Bosnia and Herzegovina. A special exhibit displayed women’s long shirts, showing examples from around the country and differences between rural and urban styles. Walking upstairs, the museum was transformed into a home of a Sarajevo family during Turkish times. In addition to the period furnishings, the rooms also contained mannequins wearing traditional clothing. A display case showed a model of a typical Bosnian village. Had I not read the caption, I could have easily mistaken it for being located in the Zlatibor region of Serbia. Another reminder of how similar the people of the neighboring countries actually were. Will the bitterness for atrocities carried out by both sides ever be reconciled?

Walking through the courtyard – the museums’ botanical gardens - was tranquil, but I was hungry and decided to hurry through the last building – the Natural History section. Here one could find taxidermy-stuffed wild animals of the country, including bears, huge wild boars, a variety of birds, and small mammals. One room was dedicated to mounted insects of the region.

Near the museums was the Academy of Fine Arts, a beautiful domed building that was once an Evagelical Church.

Off the Beaten Path
Although I found the heavily visited areas such as Baščaršija to be wonderful places to visit and while away the hours, I also wanted to explore streets off the beaten path. With no particular destination in mind, I began my ascent up the steep streets into the residential neighborhood, hoping to see some traditional architecture or other interesting items worthy of photographing. Here, the streets became more irregular and angular, with a number of dead ends.

Once in a while I did spot a Turkish-style building, with its characteristic white walls and wooden slatted windowed section overhanging the narrow streets. Some were in excellent state of repair and others needed attention. I took several photos of the old metal doorknockers, casting their shadows onto the weathered wooden doors. In a few places, I could see the layers of construction of these old buildings: first a layer of wood, then a reed-like material, covered with plaster. The different colors and textures made an interesting composition. One Turkish building looked quite new, as if it had been recently constructed in the old style. Somehow the fancy car parked out in front just didn’t match.


Satisfied with my wanderings, I headed back down the hill to the Sebilj square, where I had an ice cream cone with the elderly man I met the first day. A short while later I once again met the Turkish young man. Taking a pizza from a well-known restaurant he knew, we ate it at the park overlooking the Latin Bridge. The riverside buildings and Miljacka river were cast with a pink glow of the setting summer sun. The child’s train ride next to us closed down for the night and the air became chilly. Knowing that I had to get up early the next morning to catch the 6:30 flight to Belgrade, I bade my friend goodnight and headed back to the hotel.

Perhaps there is something in the Sebilj fountain legend – those coming to visit Sarajevo will feel compelled to return.

See more photos of Sarajevo on Melissa's website

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