The Besieged Sarajevo exhibition is a story about the everyday life of citizens during the siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995. The exhibition speaks of the resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity of Sarajevans who lived without electricity, water, and heating during the siege. The exhibits show the flow of daily life in the city, where and how Sarajevans procured food and water, what the markets and streets looked like, how people communicated, how hospitals and schools operated, the importance of cultural life in the spirit of resistance… The exhibition was prepared by the curators of the Museum, but citizens of Sarajevo also participated in the creation process, donating war items to the Museum and sharing their war stories and memories. The story of the siege is told through photographs, documents and objects made by the citizens. The collection of handmade objects includes lamps, water carts, stoves made of cans, a war thermos bottle and many other improvised objects created in order to overcome the challenges of everyday life during the war.
“With this exhibition, we have tried to avoid giving final conclusions, ideological opinions and qualifications, which we leave to the study of history and the passing of time. We have primarily opted for being faithful witnesses of the time and events behind Sarajevo’s “closed doors”, with the authentic exhibits being, hopefully, documents that will be appreciated in the future.”