Conceptual Design for Future 'Museum of Suffering of Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina' Presented

(Patria) - The conceptual design for the future "Museum of Suffering of Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina" was presented today in Sarajevo.

The project was presented at a meeting held in the Multimedia Hall of the Memorial Fund of Sarajevo Canton (KS) in the presence of representatives of associations of camp detainees and local authorities by the director of this public institution, Ahmed Kulanić, and his associates.

The museum will be located on the site of the former notorious camp "Kod Sonje" (Kon-Tiki boarding house) in Vogošća and will permanently bear witness to the suffering of forcibly detained male and female citizens of Vogošća, Sarajevo, Nahorevo, Sokolac, Ilijaš, and Visoko, as well as the torture they endured in Sonja and the "Bunker" camp located nearby.

The main building design has already been completed and submitted to the Vogošća Municipality. Funds have been secured, and the facility is planned to become operational by the end of next year, provided everything proceeds according to the planned schedule.

The director of the Memorial Fund stated that the future museum exhibition will be structured on three levels. The first level will serve visitors as an information point about the museum itself and the camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second part will address the types of violence and torture suffered by camp detainees, while the third part of the museum pertains to the authentic site of the bunker, i.e., the notorious camp 'Kod Sonje,' emphasizing that this is only one part of the complex.

In addition to the museum, the construction of a research and documentation center of the Memorial Fund is planned on the same site, which will be accessible to researchers.

Also, the construction of an archive building is planned within the same complex, where all documents and materials will be stored.

The goal of this museum is to convey as authentically as possible the suffering and pain endured by camp detainees in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The President of the Association of Camp Detainees of Vogošća Municipality, Almin Dželilović, highlighted the significance of this project and expressed hope that the future museum will become a place where the culture of remembrance of the wartime period and the horrors experienced by camp detainees will be nurtured.

The Mayor of Vogošća Municipality, Migdad Hasanović, attended the meeting and promised support to the Memorial Fund of Sarajevo Canton in the realization of this project.

Representatives of camp detainees also expressed support for the Fund so that the facility could be completed as soon as possible, enabling future generations to come and learn about what happened in this camp.

The President of the Association of Families of Missing Persons of Vogošća Municipality, Ema Čekić, expressed pride in this project and hope that it will be realized as envisioned.

The Assistant Director for Events, Museum Collections, Education, and Archival Affairs, Mirsad Delalić, thanked the representatives of camp detainee associations and local authorities for their support, emphasizing that the Fund faces an ambitious, demanding, and challenging project that had been stalled for years and has now been revived.