Thanks to the City of Sarajevo, the renovation of the National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bistrik station is in the final phase, and the opening is expected at the end of the year – confirmed the assistant mayor of Sarajevo for urban planning, investments, housing and communal affairs Merima Arifhodzic.
The reconstruction began when the City of Sarajevo resolved the housing issue for seven families who had lived in this non-residential building for years. Work on the complete reconstruction and rehabilitation did not stop even during the pandemic.
“We are happy about that, and the City of Sarajevo will hire top architects in order to design the concept of the old Bistrik station in the best possible way, all in order to preserve the tradition of the only and important railway station from the Austro-Hungarian period. The interior and exterior works will be completed soon, as well as the horticultural arrangement,” said Arifhodzic.
She says that in one part of the Bistrik station there will be an exhibition space with the aim of recalling the long history of railways in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This representative building of great historical value, as she claims, will become a meeting place for cultural and social events important for the City of Sarajevo.
The building of the Bistrik railway station was built on the highest point of Bistrik and today it is the most impressive building in that area.
It was built after the Austro-Hungarian authorities connected Sarajevo with Slavonski Brod and Budapest by rail in 1882. Then, the need arose to connect the eastern parts of BiH with Sarajevo, where, along the border with Serbia, military garrisons were stationed.
This is how the idea of building the so-called Eastern railways, towards Visegrad, from where it was possible to travel further via Sharganska osmica, to Belgrade, Sofia, Thessaloniki and Istanbul. The commissioning of the railway in 1906 was made official by the opening of the Railway Station building in Bistrik
“The Bistrik station is a symbol of the city of Sarajevo, to which we are restoring its authentic appearance with this renovation. By preserving the building, we remind of our heritage and beautiful memories of generations and improve the tourist offer of Sarajevo,” said Arifhodzic.
