National Museum of Sarajevo
Founded in 1888, the National Museum is the oldest modern western-type cultural and scientific institution in the country. The first idea of establishing a museum dates back to the mid-19th century, while the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina – as a Bosnian pashaluk – belonged to the Ottoman Empire. However, the idea was realized almost four decades later with the arrival of the new government. Austria-Hungary occupied the Bosnian Pashaluk in 1878, bringing new political and social goals, customs and values. They also included the promotion of science through research, academic and institutional development.
As one of the still unexplored countries of the Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina attracted the interest of many scientists, especially those from Austria-Hungary, but also the attention of pseudoscientists and treasure hunters. Already in the first years of the occupation, this resulted in the removal of cultural monuments from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such a state of affairs accelerated the realization of the idea of founding a museum: first the Museum Society was founded, and then the National Museum on February 1, 1888. The National Government, as the founder of the institution, appointed the director of the Museum the government advisor Kosta Hörmann.
The space in which the Museum was originally located – in the then city center – soon became too cramped and unsuitable for a growing collection, so in 1909 the construction of a new museum complex of four pavilions and a Botanical Garden began, which was completed and opened in 1913. For a long time it was the only purpose-built museum complex in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is still located today.