The Old Bistrik Station, a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been returned to residents of Sarajevo. Namely, the City of Sarajevo has completed the resolution of property-legal relations, entered into possession and created the preconditions for the beginning of the reconstruction of this devastated but representative building, which is a kind of symbol of the City of Sarajevo.
As part of these activities, the City of Sarajevo has resolved a housing issue for seven families who have lived in this property for years. “This project has three very important dimensions, cultural, social and developmental. By restoring and preserving this station, we defend our heritage, the memories of generations and our valuable tradition. Next, we address the housing issue for seven families. You could see in what conditions they lived. This was never meant to be a residential property. And finally, the development aspect. Bistrik Station will be a strong contribution as a tourist attraction and multifunctional facility that will be fully self-sustaining,” said Mayor Skaka.
The station on Bistrik was built back in 1906, and it is considerably damaged by the time, and only ruins are left from one part of the building. It was declared as the national monument in 2006, and the Mayor of Sarajevo Abdulah Skaka noted that several levels of government will be included in the process of its reconstruction, but also that a good communication was achieved with potential donors and partners.
The building of the railway station on Bistrik was constructed after the Austro-Hungarian authorities connected Sarajevo with Slavonski Brod and Budapest by the railroad back in 1882. The need to connect the eastern parts of BiH with Sarajevo appeared then, and military garrisons were stationed along the border with Serbia.
It became one of the symbols of the city on Miljacka River, and it found a special place on postcards of Sarajevo.
This building was also featured in several films about partisans, and the most famous scene is from the movie Walter Defends Sarajevo, which made it famous.
