One of the most beautiful and representative buildings from the Austro-Hungarian period in Bosnia and a symbol of Sarajevo - the City Hall, was set on fire 30 years ago today.

The Sarajevo City Hall was opened on April 20, 1896, and since then it has witnessed all the events in the BiH capital. Since then, the symbol of the city of Sarajevo has witnessed all the events that have befallen Sarajevo for more than a century.

It was originally the building of the then City Administration of Sarajevo. After the Second World War, until 1949, it served the City Administration, as the building of the District Court of Sarajevo and the seat of the Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After that, it became the City Library, that is, the National and University Library of BiH.

During the siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995, the City Hall was shelled several times by the Bosnian Serb forces. On the night of August 25-26, 1992, it was set on fire, and the Catalog of the National and University Library of BiH, around 90 percent of the book collection and documents testifying to the history of the country disappeared in flames.

Its interior was almost completely destroyed in the fire that followed the shelling. The reconstruction began in 1996, and it was renovated and officially reopened on May 9, 2014.

During the renovation, old parts of the building that “survived” the fire were built into each room of the City Hall.

All parts of the City Hall were made according to documents and photographs of the appearance of the old City Hall found in the Chapter Archive in Zagreb, so the City Council room today has wooden benches and a lectern, and all the ornaments on the walls and ceiling are authentic and hand-painted.

Today, this symbol of Sarajevo is used for many other activities of the BiH National University Library, but also as a meeting place for numerous dignitaries from different segments of society, such as politics and culture.

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