Repairing Cultural Bosnia

Bosnia’s National Museum was at the center of heavy fighting during the civil war. “The National Museum, a quadrangle of four Italian Renaissance buildings surrounding a quiet botanical garden, is wedged between what was the war’s front line and the broad avenue that became a target for snipers. But the staff that stayed on during the war stood guard at night. They hauled exhibitions to the basements and bulwarked bigger pieces with planks and sandbags. Ultimately, the museum was among the few cultural institutions in Bosnia to survive relatively intact. Now, more than seven years after the war’s end, the museum is struggling to reclaim its position as a showcase of Bosnia’s history.”