Kulturarv utan Gränser
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Restoration of the National Museum of Sarajevo
Ever since the foundation of Cultural Heritage without Borders in 1996, the National Museum in Sarajevo, Zemaljski Muzej, has been one of the principal concerns, partly because of the importance of museum cooperation but also partly because of its extensive restoration needs.
One of the very first rescue missions was to renovate the museum’s pavilion of natural history, which had suffered the most damage from the shelling. However, the greatest threat did not arise from damage to the shelled parts of the façades, the sculptures, roof or display-cabinets but was incurred by all the snow, rain and damp that had seeped in through holes in the roof and walls. New roofing was laid and the parts damaged by damp were repaired. All the skylights were given new hardwearing, laminated glass.
The museum suffered extensive damage during the war 1992-95. Photo CHwB, December 2001.
When the façades were being restored special care was taken in choosing the appropriate materials and methods, which set a precedent for the work on restoring the rest of the buildings. Although none of the original documents were found concerning the colour, the original formula for the plaster was used, and silicate paint was eventually selected, after several trials were conducted in situ with a manufacturer from Croatia.
The reasons
Next was the pavilion of archaeology, which also housed the museum’s foyer, office and archaeological collections. Even here the façade, which looks out onto the main street, was badly damaged, but has now after its restoration greatly improved the whole appearance of the museum. Just as with the pavilion of natural history, this building was treated in the same way and given new plaster, new roofing and new glass in the skylights. The third pavilion restored houses the museum’s library and even a fourth pavilion accommodating the department of ethnology has been restored both internally and externally with financial assistance from EU following the same principles as the other buildings.
Here you can read more about the different restorations:
Pavilion of natural history
Pavilion of archaeology
Library Pavilion
Craftsman during the restoration work. Photo CHwB, September 2001.
Name Zemaljski Muzej
Type of building Museum
Construction date1908-13
Geographical location Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Joint partnersZemaljski Muzej, Heritage Institute of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo and building contractors Unigradnja in Sarajevo.
Project manager for the building conservation Tina Wik, CHwB
Local architect in charge Mirzah Foco, Heritage Institute of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Sarajevo
Museum advisor Per Kåks, National Museums of World Culture and committee member of Cultural Heritage without Borders.
FundingSida
Donors of equipment to Zemaljski Muzej
Electrolux drying- and insecticide-machines
Anticimex a six-month loan of 10 commercial dehumidifiers used to reduce the high humidity in the buildings
National Heritage Board preservatives
Swedish Museum of Natural History instruments
Swedish Archaeological Society several boxes of archaeological literature
Zoological Museum at the University of Lund
Fristads AB overalls
Arbesko, Kumla protective shoes
Sodhexo AB, Gothenburg cleaning equipment
Luna, Alingsås industrial machines and tools
Ludvig Svensson, Kinna curtain material
Sveriges Verkstadsindustrier, Gothenburg computers
Knapp-Carlsson, Göteborg wool and cotton
Papyrus AB, Mölndal photocopying paper
Studium Nordost, Angered second-hand computers
National Museums of World Culture, Gothenburg furniture, display cabinets, lighting equipment, screens, shelves
TG Instrument-Trading, Mölndal medical instruments
Föreningen Reningsborg, Gothenburg protective clothing, sewing-machines, bicycles, yarn furniture
Tandverket, Gothenburg probes
ET Team ET AB, Billdal packing material
