The History Museum of BiH collects, preserves, researches, presents, and promotes the cultural and historical heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From its establishment in 1945 until 1993, the museum focused thematically on the history of World War II and the development of socialist values. The museum's name changed several times.
The History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a place for dialogue about the past, critical thinking, learning, and encounters. Through continuous research into numerous topics from the turbulent history of the 20th century, the museum opens up to a diverse domestic and international audience. The History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the process of preserving and presenting the heritage of World War II, socialist Yugoslavia, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the siege of Sarajevo, often speaks from the perspective of the common person. The museum contributes to the development of culture and memory through cooperation with the local community. With a policy of openness to society and active participation in sustainable peacebuilding, the museum acts as a dynamic platform for overcoming important social problems. A museum for all, all with the museum!
The only exhibit that spans two floors of the museum is the mosaic Bosnia. This work by Mladen Srbinović from 1966 serves as an introduction to the stories about Bosnian history that will be told through the museum's exhibitions. This decorative and symbolic mosaic speaks of various alternating stages of history. The red line, or red arabesque as the artist calls it, is a force that aids eternal renewal and creation from nothingness. It represents recovery, blossoming, desire, and possibility. Elements of various sacred architecture are visible in the mosaic, serving as a reminder of all the ethnic diversities that have always intertwined in Bosnia.
Do you know which item from the museum's collection has become so dominant that it is closely associated with the museum's identity? It is the exhibit that greets every museum visitor: the stained-glass window Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People. Voja Dimitrijević's stained-glass window was created in 1966 and speaks of different layers of Bosnian-Herzegovinian history, as well as the history of the museum itself. The stained-glass window was specifically made for the Museum of the Revolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its central part is filled with the slogan "Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People" which promotes the ideas of anti-fascism and the values of the socialist state of Yugoslavia.
The inner courtyard of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is open to all visitors. In the courtyard, you can take a break during your visit and see some of the museum's outdoor exhibits. The garden is connected to Café Tito and the main pedestrian zone in the city, Vilsonovo šetalište. Every object in the garden tells a story about the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina – but also about the museum's past. World War II artifacts are the most numerous. Among them, the skeleton of the DFS 230 glider stands out. This type of glider was among the first models used in actual combat action.
The work Uprising by Nandor Glid was part of the permanent exhibition of the Museum of the Revolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nandor Glid is an artist of Jewish descent whose family was killed in World War II. He joined the partisans, and in 1945, he began his artistic education. The Holocaust is a recurring theme in many of Nandor Glid's works. He is the author of monuments in Yugoslavia – and is known for his monuments in the Mauthausen and Dachau concentration camps. The work Uprising was created in 1966. The installation is made of various weapons and tools – and the composition has, over time, become one of the museum's symbols.
