Negatives collection by Cirilo Cira Raic, City of Mostar, architectural ensemble of the Church of Sv. Vasilije Ostroski in Gornje Vrbno, City of Trebinje, Jewish cemetery at Meterizi site, City of Zvornik, have been designated as Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH’s) National Monuments.
The decision to designate the aforementioned property as BiH National Monuments was made by the chairman and members of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH – Goran Milojevic, Radoje Vidovic and Amir Pasic at a session held on Thursday in Sarajevo.
At the same time, the Commission members adopted amendments to the decision to designate Church in Klepci, Capljina, historic buildings – the remains of the Old Stone Bridge (vakuf Haseći Ali-aga Kolaković) in Konjic, the historical monument – Kozija ćuprija in Sarajevo and the architectural ensemble – Svrzo’s House in Sarajevo.
Svrzo’s House represents the lifestyle of an urban Muslim family in the late 18th and throughout the 19th century.
The house was built by a prominent Sarajevo family, the Glođos, a member of which was kadi – Islamic judge-administrator – Munib effendi Glođo, famous for his involvement in Bosnia’s struggle for autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. The family failed for want of a male heir, and the property passed by marriage to another prominent Sarajevo family, Svrzo. Svrzo’s House is a typical example of the architecture of that period, with its division into the selamluk or public quarters and the haremluk or private, family quarters. It was purchased from the Svrzo family, refurbished and opened to the public in the 1960s.
Following the siege of Sarajevo, the house was renovated and again opened to the public in 1997. Further major renovations were carried out on the house in 2005, when the roof was repaired, the cobbles were relaid, obsolete service installations were replaced, and the painted decoration on the musandera (built-in range of cupboards) in the main halvat (drawing-room), which had faded over the years, was restored.
