Storybook neo-Moorish facades make the 1898 Vijećnica Sarajevo's most beautiful Austro-Hungarian–era building. Seriously damaged during the 1990s siege, it has been laboriously restored and reopened in 2014. As yet the only exhibits are a small collection of photos about the building's history but it's well worth the modest entry fee to enjoy the sheer grandeur of its colourful multi-arched interior and the stained-glass ceiling.
The building has had an eventful history. Franz Ferdinand was on his way back from here when shot by Princip in 1914, an event which eventually triggered WWI. From 1949 the building became the National Library but in August 1992 it was deliberately hit by a Serb incendiary shell. Around 90% of its irreplaceable collection of manuscripts and Bosnian books was destroyed. Those which survived should return here eventually, possibly adding the famous Sarajevo Haggadah from the currently closed National Museum .
