Svrzo House Museum

The Svrzo House Museum at Glođina 8 in the old town of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, occupies an Ottoman-era residence from the 18th century that belonged to the Svrzo family. It is a branch of the Museum of Sarajevo and one of the best-preserved examples of a wealthy Muslim urban house in the city. The building is organised in the traditional manner into the haremluk, the private quarters used by the family and women, and the selamluk, the area used to receive male guests. A stone-paved courtyard with a well and a vine separates the two parts, and wooden galleries run around the upper floor. Windows face inward to the courtyard rather than the street, in keeping with Ottoman ideas of household privacy. The rooms are furnished with period items, including low divans, wooden ceilings and cupboards, embroidered textiles, carpets, brass coffee sets and kitchen utensils, and a kitchen with a hearth shows how food was prepared. The display is immersive, presenting the rooms as lived-in settings rather than through long labels, and guides often explain domestic customs such as hospitality and the separation of family and guest areas. The house was restored for museum use after damage over the 20th century and the 1992-1995 siege. Admission is about 5 KM, and reported hours are Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 15:00, with longer hours in summer, although sources differ, and visitors can phone +387 33 475 740 to check. A visit takes 30 to 45 minutes, and the house is close to the War Childhood Museum and Baščaršija.