The Museum of Sarajevo 1878–1918 ( Bosnian, Croatian and

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

: ''Muzej Sarajevo 1878–1918'' / Музеј Срајево 1878–1918) is located near the

Latin Bridge Latin Bridge (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Latinska ćuprija'' / Латинска ћуприја, named ''Principov most'' / Принципов мост – "Princip's Bridge" in Yugoslavi ...

in central

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

, the capital of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. The building had been Moritz Schiller's Delicatessen in 1914, the year that

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. F ...

, the heir-presumptive of

Austria Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

was shot dead by

Gavrilo Princip Gavrilo Princip ( sr-Cyrl, Гаврило Принцип, ; 25 July 189428 April 1918) was a Bosnian Serb student who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. Prin ...

from the street corner outside, indirectly starting World War I.

Museum

The permanent exhibition holds a collection of items and photographs with which the museum presents a chronological history of

Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina fell under Austro-Hungarian rule in 1878, when the Congress of Berlin approved the occupation of the Bosnia Vilayet, which officially remained part of the Ottoman Empire. Three decades later, in 1908, Austria-Hungary pr ...

. It is divided into thematic units: * Resistance to occupation * Administration and cultural life * Cultural and religious-educational societies, printing houses and publishing * Industry and architecture * The effect of Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and the Bosnian Parliament * The Assassination of Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia leading to World War I. Given Princip's often widely differing perception to different parts of society (freedom fighter to many Serbs and pan-Yugoslavs, terrorist ''forerunner of Karadzic'' to some Bosniaks), the museum tends to downplay the historic significance of the building despite its location being the main draw for many visitors. Sarajevo – Latinska ćuprija (2007)

Princip's Gun

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, to Anton Puntigam, a Jesuit 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 the

Museum of Military History The Museum of Military History – Military History Institute (german: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum – Militärhistorisches Institut) in Vienna is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian ...

in Vienna in 2004. It is now part of the permanent exhibition there. 1908-10-07 - Moritz Schiller's Delicatessen

Princip's 'footsteps' and memorial plaques

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. These include a pillar, erected in 1917, but destroyed the following year. In the 1940s a plaque appeared but that was removed when the German Army invaded. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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 the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

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. To commemorate the centenary of the assassination, a new plaque was installed in 2014 in ''small, deliberately neutral, grey'' stating: "From this place on 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia."

References

External links

Museum Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Museum of Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museums in Sarajevo History museums in Bosnia and Herzegovina Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina Culture in Sarajevo