Visiting the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is a beautiful country, but one with a difficult recent past in which atrocities were committed. As a visitor, it’s important to understand, respect and learn from this history. For anyone wanting to learn more and understand this history, I would recommend a visit to the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide.

Where is it?

The Museum is located in Sarajevo, close to the Baščaršija. When we visited, it was open 7 days a week from 9am-9pm. Entry is paid.

What is it?

The Museum is fairly small, but is packed full of exhibits, artefacts and information about the war in BiH during the 1990s. It is very confronting, with graphic images included as part of the displays. The information was presented in Bosnian and English. It provided a mixture of personal stories, facts and broader information about atrocities committed during the war. It was sad, horrifying and moving, and provided a lot of context about BiH today.

Who should go?

I would strongly recommend everyone visiting Sarajevo visit the Museum. It provides an almost overwhelming amount of information about what happened in BiH. The Museum is not aimed at children – I would say it is appropriate for teenagers with an interest in history, noting there is some very graphic material included.

How long does it take?

We spent about an hour at the Museum. It’s not very big, but it contains a huge volume of information. We certainly didn’t read absolutely everything and you could spend longer visiting if you wished.