Located on a walking distance from the Old Town in a still partly war-damaged socialist-modernist building, The Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded on 13th November 1945. Since 1963 the museum is situated in a building specially built for such purpose.
Museum changed its name several times and cronologically expanded the borders of its research and collecting work towards past and present. In 1949 the museum was named Museum of National Revolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1967 Museum of Revolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally, by the Law on Museum activity, adopted in June 1993, museum was renamed to Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Thematic structure of museum, as a central institution for researching and l display of history of Bosnia and Herzegovina takes period from the coming of Slavs to the Balkan Peninsula, creating the first medieval South Slavic states, and in particular – the Medieval Bosnian State (Bosnia as a regional unit ruled by a ban, and Bosnia as a Kingdom), Bosnia under Otoman rule (1463-1878), period of Austro-Hungarian rule (1878-1918), Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1918-1945, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1945-1990, and particular area of researching and presentation is period Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1990 until present.
In the past 60 years, the museum produced 125 tematic exhibitions, 3 permanent museums displays, and numeruos permanent museum displays of memorial museums.
At the moment, there are two permanent thematic exhibition displayed: “Bosnia and Herzegovina through the centuries” and “Surrounded Sarajevo”.