In celebration of 120 years since the Baron Johhan Apel officially opened the Sarajevo City Hall and handed it over to the City of Sarajevo for use, entrance to this most beautiful and most representative building of the city of Sarajevo from the Austro-Hungarian Period will be free today for all citizens, tourists and guests.
The City Hall first accommodated the city administration of the time. After the Second World War, until 1949 the City Hall was on service for the city administration, as the building of the County Court of Sarajevo and the headquarters of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Parliament, after which it became the City Library, i.e. The National and University Library of BiH.
During the siege of Sarajevo from 1992 until 1995, the City Hall was bombed several times. On August 25 and 26, the City Hall was burnt to the ground. The fire destroyed the Catalogue of The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, around 80 percent of the book fund and documents that testify to the history of BiH. The interior was almost entirely destroyed in the fire caused by the bombardment.
With the help of donations by the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Austria, the City Hall was reconstructed and officially opened on May 9, 2014.
On the occasion of the 120th anniversary, the Mayor of Sarajevo Ivo Komšoć will hold a press conference at the City Hall starting at 11 a.m.
(Source: klix.ba)
