The Top 10 Museums in Sarajevo, Bosnia

Sarajevo suffered the worst siege in modern history. For 1422 days between 1992 and 1995, Serb snipers surrounded the city. Anyone who tried to escape became targets.
The Tunnel of Hope offered a lifeline, stretching 800 metres (0.5 miles) from the besieged Dobrinja to the unoccupied Butmir, underneath the airport’s runway. Food, ammunition, and refugees passed through the 1.6 metre (5.2 feet) by 1-metre (3.2 feet) tunnel.
A section is open to the public now, showing archive footage, a minefield garden, and other exhibits. The Tunnel Museum is on the outskirts of Sarajevo and difficult to reach on public transport. Join a tour or take a taxi.

Opening hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm. Admission: 10KM ($6)

Bosnia went through almost 600 years of occupation, from the Ottomans to Tito’s Yugoslavia. After Bosnia’s independence and the fall of Yugoslavia, the museum stopped focusing on socialist propaganda. Exhibits now include everything from Constantine VII’s first written record of the country to the present day. More than 400,000 artifacts, photographs, and archives take you on a journey to understand more about the origins and evolution of Bosnia.

Opening hours: 9.00am to 7.00pm. Admission: 5KM ($3)

Graffiti on a crumbling wall in a Sarajevo suburb says ‘Never Forget Srebrenica’. On the 11th July 1995, the Srebrenica massacre (or genocide, depending on who you ask) took place in a so-called UN safe zone. Serb militia captured the Eastern Bosnian town and began to murder men and boys and raping women.
Srebrenica is said to be the greatest tragedy in Bosnia, and Galerija 10/07/95 commemorates the victims. Exhibits include the names of all 8372 victims, personal belongings from mass graves, and archival photographs. Videos and audio recordings also document the tragedy, giving visitors the chance to learn about the horrors of this heartbreaking event.
Trg Fra Grge Martića 2, Sarajevo 71000. Tel: +387 33 953-170.
Opening hours: 9.00am to 10.00pm. Admission: 12KM ($7).

8372 victims | © Lucignolobrescia/WikiCommons

The goal of this museum is to educate and try to get justice for the criminals involved in the Srebrenica Genocide. See photographs, videos, and rare documents from both the victims and perpetrators. Personal belongings and messages by victims are a harrowing sight and bring some visitors to tears. But, seeing the horrors are a necessary part of understanding what most people you see on the streets of Sarajevo lived through.
Ferhadija 17, Sarajevo. Tel: +387 62 467 764.
Opening hours: 9.00am to 7.00pm. Admission: 5KM ($3).

Exhibits at the National Museum include Middle Age archaeological displays, ethnographic sections, and sections on Ottoman Sarajevo. The Sarajevo Haggadah, the oldest Jewish document in the world dating back to 1350, is the most valuable item in the National Museum.

Opening hours: 10.00am to 7.00pm. Admission: 6KM ($3.50).

The library museum educates about Bosnian religious life. Five rooms display exhibits on Islamic art, daily life, education, ethnology, and the Bosnian war. Highlights include objects brought back from religious pilgrimages, hand-made globes, devices to calculate the exact time for the call to prayer and Islamic calligraphy.

Opening Hours: 8.00am to 6.00 pm. Admission: 3KM ($2).

A fifteenth-century Governor of Bosnia (1480-1541) commissioned several buildings, including the famous Gazi Husrev-Beg Mosque and Madrasa, or religious school. Housed inside the former Madrasa, eight sections display exhibits on his life and legacy, including belongings and documentary footage.
Gazi Husrev-begova 46, Sarajevo. Tel: +387 33 233 170.
Opening hours: 9.00am to 7.00pm. Admission: 2KM ($1.20).

Gazi Husrev Bey’s Mausoleum next to the mosque | © Bjoertvedt/WikiCommons

The Glodos, a wealthy Bosnian family in the 18th century, built this large traditional Ottoman-style house before fleeing Bosnia after disobeying the Governor. A convenient marriage gave the property to the Svrzo family, in whose possession it remained until City of Sarajevo bought the property in the 1960s.
Svrzo’s House shows the life of a wealthy Islamic family living in Ottoman Sarajevo. The beautiful courtyard and intricate carvings in the interior are highlights. Those with interest in the Ottomans will enjoy this cultural and historical museum.
Glođina 8, Sarajevo. Tel: +387 33 475-740.
Opening hours: 10.00 am to 4.00pm. Admission: 3KM ($2).

The Svrzo’s House Courtyard | © Jennifer Boyer/Flickr

The National Gallery displays art from local artists. In 1946, the gallery opened its doors, with 9000 pieces of art. More than 6000 are on permanent display.
Zelenih beretki 8, Sarajevo. Tel: +387 33 266-550.
Opening hours: 10.00am to 8.00pm. Admission: 5KM ($3).