Sarajevo Wartime Memorials and Museums

October 29, 2026

Between 5 April 1992 and 29 February 1996 Sarajevo lived through the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare, and much of what the city now shows visitors is shaped by it. This page groups the museums and memorials by where they are and how long they take, so you can plan a day without rushing through places that deserve quiet. Prices are in convertible marks (BAM). Several ticket desks take cash only, so carry notes.

Inside the old town, about two hours

War Childhood Museum, Logavina 32. The collection is made of ordinary objects given by people who were children during the war: toys, diaries, letters, a pair of shoes, each paired with a short written memory. It is personal rather than graphic. The museum opens daily from 11:00 to 19:00 with last entry at 18:30. Adults pay 15 BAM, university students 12 BAM, ages 6 to 17 pay 7 BAM, and children aged 5 and under enter free. A family pass costs 35 BAM. Entry is free on the last Thursday of each month from 17:00 to 19:00, and the museum closes on 1 January, 1 March, 1 May and 25 November. Details are at warchildhood.org .

Galerija 11/07/95, Trg Fra Grge Martića 2/III. The gallery is a memorial to the victims of the genocide at Srebrenica in July 1995, when more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed. It shows photographs and survivor testimony, and visitors are expected to be silent. Opening hours are daily from 09:00 to 21:00 (galerija110795.ba ). The official site gives no price; a ticket of around 12 BAM with a guide has been reported, so settle it at the door.

On the main boulevard

Zmaja od Bosne, the long road west from the centre, was known as Sniper Alley because gunmen on the hills could see along it. Trams run there today. In pavements around the centre you will find Sarajevo Roses, red resin poured into the scars of mortar blasts that killed civilians. They mark where people died. Walk around them, and do not pose on them.

At the airport edge, about half a day

Tunnel Museum, Butmir. In 1993 a tunnel was dug by hand beneath the airport runway, and for a time it was the besieged city’s only link to the outside world, carrying food, fuel and the wounded. The museum occupies the family house at its entrance, about 12 km west of Baščaršija. You see the shell-damaged facade, short films, tools and uniforms, and you can walk a preserved section of roughly 20 to 25 metres.

Adults pay about 20 BAM and students about 8 BAM, in cash only; an audio guide costs extra. Reported hours are roughly 08:30 to 17:30 from April to October and 09:00 to 16:00 from November to March, but the official site did not load at last check, so confirm before you travel. Take tram 3 to Ilidža and then bus 32, or a taxi for the last stretch.

A museum without the siege: the National Museum

For a break from the war story, the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, founded in 1888, is a set of Neo-Renaissance pavilions around a botanical garden. Tickets are about 20 BAM for adults, 10 BAM for students and 2 BAM for ages 6 to 18. It is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 19:00 and weekends 10:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays. The Sarajevo Haggadah, a 14th-century Jewish manuscript, is kept in its own room and shown on a limited schedule, so ask the museum for current viewing times. Museum staff, including director Jozo Petrović and librarian Derviš Korkut, protected the book during the Second World War.

Choosing a guide

The memorial sites above are best visited at your own pace. If you want a general guided introduction to the city’s architecture and museums instead, a search such as Sarajevo city tours lists what is currently offered.