Bosnia Museum Defies Pressure to Re-open

The boss of Bosnia's National Museum says the embattled institution, which was shut because of its debts more than a year ago, will not reopen simply because the Federation entity government has promised it some money - but only when months of owed salaries are paid.

Adnan Busuladzic, director of the National Museum, on Tuesday said he would not instruct the wooden planks over the main door to be taken off under the current conditions.

“We did not close the museum out of arrogance, or because we don't love what we do, but because people will not work without salaries,” he said, adding that staff were owed around 30 salaries.

“No one can force us to open the museum,” he said. “The National Museum under these conditions will not be opened, nor will the planks over the entrance be removed.”

The Federation entity government recently agreed to assume temporary management of the museum and said it had ensured around 220,000 euro for the museum to resume working.

The museum closed in October 2012 after more than 120 years of existence. Wooden planks were nailed over the entrance over which it was written in red letters that the museum was closed.

The management said it took this step after years of struggles with financial problems. The museum is considered a state-level institution. But, as Bosnia has no culture ministry at state-level, the museum and several other similar institutions have had to rely on a variety of budgets.

There is still no agreement among the institutions at different levels of government about which one is obliged to finance cultural institutions such as the museum.

However, the Federation Culture Minister, Salmir Kaplan, recently asked the museum to re-open in...