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Vijećnica, the National Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the building was built in 1892-1894 after plans by the Austrian architect Alexander Wittek as a Town Hall. It is considered one of the most important examples of the so-called pseudo Moorish style. The Austro Hungarian Archduke, Franz Ferdinand visited the City Hall of Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, between the first assassination attempt aimed at him and the second, fatal attack. Since 1947, the building was used as a national and University Library.
At the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war (1992-1995), the library was badly damaged in the night from 25 to 26 August 1992. More than 2 million books and documents were burned. Under the direction of architect Nedžad Mulaomerović, the building, with funding of the EU in 1996 was rebuilt and restored. Photos from private collections helped the reconstruction made of previous visitors. Other documents found in archives in Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade. In the Hungarian Zsolnay porcelain factory, which had made it the original tiles on the facade found whose original, hand painted templates. Also the new tiles were produced by Zsolnay. The reconstructed Vijećnica was opened in may 2014. She will accommodate future parts of the city administration, the National Library and a Café.
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