 The museum in 2015 | |
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| Established | 8 February 1984; 41 years ago (1984-02-08) |
|---|---|
| Location | Sarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Coordinates | 43°51′28.46″N18°25′44.12″E / 43.8579056°N 18.4289222°E /43.8579056; 18.4289222 |
| Website | www.muzejsarajeva.ba |
TheMuseum of Sarajevo 1878–1918 (Bosnian,Croatian andSerbian:Muzej Sarajevo 1878–1918 / Музеј Сарајево 1878–1918) is located near theLatin Bridge in centralSarajevo, the capital ofBosnia and Herzegovina. The building had been Moritz Schiller's Delicatessen in 1914, the year thatFranz Ferdinand, theheir presumptive to the throne ofAustria-Hungary wasshot dead byGavrilo Princip from the street corner outside, triggering theJuly Crisis which led to the outbreak ofWorld War I.
The museum is part of theMuseum of Sarajevo.[1] The permanent exhibition holds a collection of items and photographs with which the museum presents a chronological history ofAustro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is divided into thematic units:
Given Princip's often widely differing perception to different parts of society (freedom fighter to many Serbs and pan-Yugoslavs, terroristforerunner ofKaradžić[2] to some Bosniaks), the museum tends to downplay the historic significance of the building despite its location being the main draw for many visitors.
To the disappointment of some visitors, the pistol on display in the museum is a replica, not Princip's original. Shortly after the assassination, his actual gun was given, along with the Archduke's bloody undershirt, toAnton Puntigam [de], aJesuit priest who was a close friend of the Archduke and had given the Archduke and his wife their last rites. The pistol and shirt remained in the possession of the Austrian Jesuits until they were offered on long-term loan to theMuseum of Military History inVienna in 2004. It is now part of the permanent exhibition there.[3]
As the corner outside the museum building marked the point from which Princip had launched his attack, it has been the site of several memorials to the event, most of them short-lived.[4] These include a pillar, erected in 1917, but destroyed the following year.[4] In the 1940s, a plaque appeared but that was removed when the German Army invaded.[4] AfterWorld War II, a new plaque was introduced along with 'footprints' set in the concrete of the pavement outside, very visually marking the point where Princip fired the fatal shots. These were bombed then torn out during theBosnian War of the 1990s during which time the museum collection was hidden for safe keeping, and the 'footprint set' now on display in the museum is a replica.[4]
To commemorate the centenary of the assassination, a new plaque was installed in 2014 insmall, deliberately neutral, grey[5] stating: "From this place on 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia."[4][6]
