The Vijećnica in Sarajevo is the former town hall and the seat of the National Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the most famous buildings in the city.
The first design was made in 1891 by the Czech architect Karel Pařík, but after criticism from the governor Benjámin Kállay he ended the project. The building was then built as a town hall from 1892–1894 according to plans by the Austrian architect Alexander Wittek. It is considered one of the most important examples of the so-called pseudo-Moorish style. The Austro-Hungarian Archduke and heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand visited the Sarajevo City Hall on June 28, 1914 between the first attempt on him, which failed, and the second, fatal attempt. The building has been used as a national and university library since 1947.
During the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War (1992–1995), the library was badly damaged by shelling from Serbian besiegers on the night of August 25-26, 1992. More than 2 million books and documents were burned. Under the direction of the architect Nedžad Mulaomerović, the building was rebuilt and restored from 1996, also with EU funding. Photos taken by previous visitors from private collections helped with the reconstruction. Further documents were found in archives in Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade. In the Hungarian Zsolnay porcelain factory in Pécs, which had already made the original tiles on the outer facade, their original, hand-painted templates were found. The new tiles were also made by Zsolnay. The rebuilt Vijećnica was opened on May 9, 2014. In the future, it will house parts of the city administration, the national library and a café, as well as an exhibition on the city's history in the basement. [