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Who can protect Bosnia-Hercegovina’s cultural heritage?
Some of the most important museums and cultural institutions in Bosnia-Hercegovina face imminent closure due to political wrangling over which government department should finance them.
There are fears that ancient collections and artefacts - which survived the siege of Sarajevo - could be in jeopardy.
The National Museum is one of the key institutions affected.
The building survived the First World War, the Nazi invasion of the Second World War and, most recently, relentless shelling during the siege of Sarajevo.
Workers from the museum dodged sniper bullets and mortar fire to retrieve as many of the precious artefacts as possible.
The building was badly damaged during the four-year onslaught, yet the exhibits were saved and the museum was able to reopen as before.
In spite of its resilience in war-time, Museum Director Adnan Busuladzic fears he could be forced to close the doors within weeks.
Many of Sarajevo’s buildings still bear the scars of the 1992-96 siege
As it is, his staff haven’t been paid for six months, many have been forced to take on extra part-time jobs to survive, and he’s even struggling to pay the museum’s utility bills.
“We will have very big problems with the alarm system, security system, central heating and the conservation of our collections,” he says.
He is worried about the effect that turning off the electricity and heating systems will have on the artefacts.
“The process of damage is very possible.”
Among the priceless artefacts at the museum is the Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the oldest surviving Jewish texts in the world, thought to originate from Spain in the 1350s.
Pictured: The 14th century Sarajevo Haggadah has survived two world wars and the siege in the early 1990s
