SARAJEVO HERITAGE FLASHBACK: Modernizing Trends in Architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Beginning of the 20th Century

Year 2022, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 1 - 36, 25.11.2022

Selma Harrington , Dr. Adi Corovic , Ahmed Obralic

Abstract

This paper brings to light some more recent and previously inaccessible documents from the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, focusing on the selection of buildings listed as national heritage which signal the early modernism in the first decades of the 20th century, bridging across historic periods of significant political and administrative changeover. Cross-referencing the previous studies of architectural developments, the paper contributes to holistic understanding of the unique and elusive regionalist vocabulary, culture of building and treatment of heritage, seen as vitally relevant to today’s planning and development of the city. It advances the critical heritage discourse in examination of the architectural synergies among the European styles implanted within the older Ottoman heritage and the modernizing trends expressed in the works of the first indigenous architects in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the beginning of the 20th century. Mindful of the pressures and complexity of the international and local investment in a post-conflict country, often oblivious to the long-term environmental impact, the paper highlights the trends from the past which are relevant for today. It argues for the holistic and cross-disciplinary approach within architecture and urban planning professions in charge of care for heritage, leading to the culture of building with a quality approach to assumptions, interpretations and expressions of local spatial identity, in the shadow of the mainstream European trends. Within the limit of architectural appraisal, the investigation points to a poor physical condition of many of the historic buildings, often aggravated by the complicated ownership issues or unattended war damage, as well as limited scope of protection and rehabilitation under the Commission’s remit. The paper points to the areas of potential engagement by professionals, academia and civil society in Bosnia through study, customized architectural heritage tours and preservation campaigns, which in the past succeeded in raising the awareness and documenting heritage.

Keywords

Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, critical heritage discourse, modernizing trends, Sarajevo, post-conflict.

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