National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in trouble: Basement rooms flooded, valuable exhibits at risk

Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Adil Osmanović received today the acting director of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mirsad Sijarić, as well as representatives of the Commission for the Preservation of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Institute for the Protection of Monuments of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and discussed with them possibilities for resolving priority infrastructure problems in the Museum after the storm that hit Sarajevo last week, the Patria agency reports.

- In the past month, the basement rooms have flooded three times, and an additional problem arose because fecal water appeared in the rooms where valuable exhibits are stored. The current situation is unsustainable, as it threatens to endanger both the exhibits and the Museum building itself - said Sijarić.

Minister Osmanović called on all competent institutions to engage in solving the problems of the National Museum, emphasizing that no institution can act independently, but comprehensive assistance to the Museum is needed.

It was also noted at the meeting that, for security reasons, the electrical network in the buildings of the National Museum needs to be reconstructed. It was concluded that, in cooperation with public companies, assessments of the condition of the water supply, sewage, and electrical networks should be carried out, and plans for permanent remediation should be made. After that, the search for financial resources and potential partners to solve the biggest infrastructure problems in the Museum would begin, and Minister Osmanović, bearing in mind the severity of the situation, called for urgent action.