Garbage and stray dogs at the entrance to Alija Đerzelez's house!

The house of Alija Đerzelez in Sarajevo, a national hero declared a national monument in 2005, is buried under garbage being rummaged through by stray dogs, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

This house is located on Alije Đerzeleza Street in the Vrbanjuša neighborhood, and the Commission for the Preservation of National Monuments clearly stated in its decision that a protective zone is established, encompassing neighboring plots bounded by Golobrdica, Sagrdžije, Alije Đerzeleza, and Logavina streets.

As stated in the decision, measures are applied, including a ban on waste disposal. However, it is obvious that no one is adhering to this decision, as a container has been placed right at the entrance to the house.

Incidentally, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to provide legal, scientific, technical, administrative, and financial measures for the protection, conservation, and presentation of the national monument.

Furthermore, the house of Alija Đerzelez represents one of the few preserved and one of the most representative examples of residential architecture from the Ottoman period in Sarajevo. The form of the building, as well as the composition of the whole, is still contemporary today, which makes the negligence of the authorities in thusly disrupting the appearance of the old part of Sarajevo all the more surprising.

Alija Đerzelez was also written about by Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić, and he is celebrated in numerous songs as a protector of justice, faith, and the oppressed. Legends about him are found throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.