Sarajevo City Hall (Vijećnica)

The Vijećnica, Sarajevo's former City Hall, stands on Obala Kulina bana on the Miljacka River in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built between 1892 and 1896 during the Austro-Hungarian administration, designed first by Karel Pařík and then completed by Alexander Wittek and Ciril Iveković, in a Pseudo-Moorish style that borrowed from Cairo's architecture. The building is clad in alternating bands of orange and cream stone, with horseshoe arches, a fountain and ornate Moorish-inspired decoration. It served as the City Hall until 1949, when it became the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the siege of Sarajevo, the building was deliberately shelled and set on fire in the night of 25 to 26 August 1992, and an estimated 1.5 to 2 million volumes, along with rare manuscripts and periodicals, were lost. Restoration began in the 1990s and continued with international funding from the European Union, Austria, Spain and others, and the building reopened on 9 May 2014 as a city hall and cultural venue. The magnificent central atrium, covered by a stained glass roof, has been restored along with the painted ceilings, balustrades and the main staircase. Exhibition spaces and the basement display photographs, models and documents on the building's history, including the fire and the restoration. The building hosts official events, concerts and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition is chronological, tracing the original construction, the library era, the destruction and the recovery. Visitors usually combine the Vijećnica with the nearby Baščaršija bazaar and Latin Bridge. Photography is allowed in most public areas, and the grand atrium remains the highlight of any tour.