A family tree of Bosnia’s medieval king Kotromanic stands tall in a small museum in the Ambassadors’ Alley – a walking zone on the edge of Sarajevo’s Old Town, dedicated to foreign ambassadors who served in Bosnia.

It stands in Dzemal Surkovic’s little private museum, “Mali Muzej BiH”, and is supposed to remind the ambassadors that Bosnia existed long before the Dayton Peace Agreement, which was brokered by the United States and ended the 1992-95 war.

Covering an area of about 500 square meters, Šurković’s little museum contains replicas of the medieval tombstones, “stecci,” a replica of the 1189 Charter of Kulin Ban – the first document mentioning Bosnia as an established kingdom, a model of Sarajevo’s Ottoman-built water fountain, the Sebilj, and many other items that tell the tale of Bosnia’s rich history.

“Our problem is that we know little about ourselves, and even less about Bosnia and Herzegovina. Without tradition and culture, we are like a tree without roots,” Surkovic explained.

He collected and built these items for years.

“Two days ago a Bosnian living in Frankfurt (Germany) came here with his wife, his child and friends. At some point he started crying,” he said.

This is how Surkovic measures his success.

“He felt what it is that he left behind,” he added.

Surkovic plans to add more exhibitions and build an outside display so that people strolling down Ambassadors’ Alley can enjoy Bosnia’s history and tradition from there as well. And all of this – for free.