Aggressor set fire to the City Hall 33 years ago; priceless documents testifying to the history of BiH disappeared in the flames

(Patria) - The City Hall, a symbol of the city and probably one of the most representative and most beautiful buildings from the Austro-Hungarian period, was shelled multiple times during the siege of Sarajevo.

On the night of August 25 to 26, 1992, shells fired from Serbian aggressor positions caused a large fire in which the interior of the building was completely burned.

Before the aggression on our country, the City Hall served as the National and University Library of BiH and was a gathering place for students and all people eager for knowledge.

On this day 33 years ago, it burned down in just a few hours, and with it, the written treasure of our country was irretrievably destroyed.

According to data, nearly 80 percent of the library's holdings were destroyed in the fire, including two million books, journals, and manuscripts of priceless value that testify to the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although citizens and employees tried to save a certain part of the holdings, the fire that engulfed the City Hall was almost impossible to control, and an additional problem was the constant sniper fire from the positions of the Army of Republika Srpska from the hills around Sarajevo.

Many citizens who witnessed the events at the time have repeatedly spoken about the day the City Hall was set on fire, and many claimed that papers, parts of books, and other publications that disappeared in the fire could be found on the streets of surrounding settlements.

On Europe Day and Victory over Fascism Day, May 9, 2014, the City Hall was reborn. After 18 years of reconstruction, this world symbol of the meeting of civilizations rose from the ashes, defiantly upright, in its authentic, lavish edition. It was a victory for the city of Sarajevo and the state of BiH.

All parts of the City Hall were made according to documents and photographs of the appearance of the old City Hall found in the Chapter Archive in Zagreb, so today the City Council room has wooden benches and a podium, and all the ornaments on the walls and ceiling are authentic and hand-painted.

Many things inside this beauty are specific. The edges of the gold-colored walls are actually real gold. Made using a special technique, they were coated with gold leaf immersed in paint, using a special brush made of camel hair.

Although everything in it is new, the City Hall still exudes the period in which it was built. It now houses books and manuscripts of exceptional value and rarities, and represents a multimedia center of culture, art, and economy for the city of Sarajevo and the state of BiH.

Concerts, literary evenings, exhibitions, presentations, conferences, congresses, symposiums, receptions, anniversary celebrations, and weddings are held there. As befits, the Day of Sarajevo, Independence Day, and Statehood Day of BiH are celebrated in the City Hall.