National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina
national library
The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Nacionalna i univerzitetska biblioteka Bosne i Hercegovine / Национална и универзитетска библиотека Босне и Херцеговине, NUBBiH) is the national library of Bosnia and Herzegovina based in Sarajevo. During the Bosnian War, during the siege of Sarajevo, in the night from 25th to 26th August 1992, members of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) shelled Vijećnica, Sarajevo's City Hall, where the library was located at that time. As a result, many of its archival and library holdings were destroyed, along with the flame on top of it being put out. Current location of NUBBiH is in the Campus of the University of Sarajevo.
History
The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina was established by the Regulation on the National Library of the Yugoslav republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed by the then Minister of Education Ante Babić, which was published in the Official Gazette of the People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 31 October 1945.
The introductory part of the document reads: "On the basis of the authority of the National Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 9 October 1945. The Ministry of Education stipulates the following Decree on the National Library of the Peoples Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
In the first article of this legal act of stands: "It shall be established in Sarajevo National library of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It comes under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. The National library is the central library for the Federal republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, its activity covers the whole territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
The mission for which this institution was founded as highlighted in Article 2 of the said Regulation:
"The National Library in Sarajevo has the task: to its readers and provide comprehensive knowledge of the life and culture of our peoples, especially the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to enable individuals and institutions and work in the field of science and art; to promote the establishment and improvement of library in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and by agreement with the Ministry of Education of the Peoples Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina."
Thanks to its successful development, this institution has received a university function, which proved to be justified, because today the majority of its users are scholars, professors, and students of Bosnian-Herzegovinian universities.
The archives of historian, Hamdija Kapidžić, are in the library's special collections.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina” as national library. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as national library. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q22780. VIAF identifies the subject as 133113499. The Library of Congress control number is no97043768. Authority coordinates are 43.859, 18.433. 5 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 3 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1992 and 1945.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina primary sources, National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina archive and National research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.