National Library (Vijećnica)

The Vijećnica (National Library) is the most architecturally spectacular building in Sarajevo — a Moorish Revival fantasy built by the Austro-Hungarians in 1896 that stands on the banks of the Miljacka at the edge of Baščaršija. Its horseshoe arches, decorative facades, and multi-coloured stonework were designed as a deliberate visual statement: the most exotic building the Viennese architects could manage, placed at the spot where the Ottoman city and the European city met.

During the siege, Serbian artillery deliberately set it on fire, destroying over 1.5 million books and manuscripts. The building has been painstakingly restored (completed 2014) and now functions again as the city's main library and cultural venue. The interior — rebuilt to the original 19th-century design — is extraordinary, with a multi-story atrium, galleries, and the original decorative ironwork. Worth visiting even outside of events.

things to do sight architecture historic
A story
On the night of 25–26 August 1992, Serb artillery fire deliberately targeted the National Library. The building burned for three days; Sarajevo residents formed human chains to save books and manuscripts. Some 1.5 million volumes were destroyed — including irreplaceable Ottoman manuscripts and the largest collection of Bosnian periodicals in existence. The Sarajevo Haggadah survived because it had already been moved to the National Museum for safekeeping.