Skenderija Centre opened in 1969: Can it regain its former glory

In the very center of Sarajevo, on the left bank of the Miljacka River, lies the "Skenderija" Centre, officially opened on November 29, 1969. The "Skenderija" Centre was named after the famous Bosnian Sandžak-bey Skender-paša, who in 1499 built a shopping center with 11 shops, a caravanserai, a palace, an imaret, and a dervish lodge in this area. His son Mustafa-beg Skenderpašić built the first domed mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina next to his father's lodge in 1518, reports the BH News Agency Patria.

Skenderija Centre premiered with the screening of the film "The Battle of the Neretva." Skenderija Centre is a unique architectural work by architects Živorad Janković, Halid Muhasinović, and Ognjen Malkin. In 1969, KSC Skenderija received the award from the magazine "BORBA," a general recognition for the best architectural work in Yugoslavia.

In 1969, the first sports event was held - the International Table Tennis Championship of Yugoslavia, and just four years later (1973), the World Table Tennis Championship - STENS and the Championship of the twelve best table tennis players in Europe. Then, Skenderija hosted the final of the European Champions Cup in basketball, the Balkan Women's Volleyball Championship, competitions for the 1970 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup of Basketball Champions. The International Handball Championship of Yugoslavia was also held, as well as numerous professional matches of boxing greats, the Parlov-Green boxing match, and many games hosted by the Basketball Club Bosna. In 1984, during the XIV Winter Olympic Games, Skenderija hosted numerous sports competitions in figure skating and ice hockey.

On an area of 70,000 square meters, there are multi-purpose halls where various sports, cultural, and fair events are organized throughout the year, as well as a modern shopping center "Privredni grad" with numerous shops, restaurants, and cafes. Although Privredni grad was once a place where you could spend hours just looking at the numerous shop windows, that is no longer the case. Only a few shops exist in the Commercial Centre.

Within the Skenderija complex is also the "Dom mladih" (Youth Centre), a cult gathering place for Sarajevo's youth. Numerous domestic and international competitions have been held in this Centre, which has given Skenderija and Sarajevo a worldwide reputation, most notably during the XIV Winter Olympic Games in 1984 when competitions in figure skating and ice hockey were held in Skenderija.