Sarajevo’s City Hall – or Vijećnica, one of the most beautiful examples of pseudo-Moorish building. The style was introduced to Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austro-Hungarians, in an attempt to develop a “new Bosnian” identity. Vijećnica was completed in 1896 and served as the seat of the city government until the end of World War II, when it became the National Library. Vijećnica suffered a great deal of damage in the recent (1992-1995) war. Over 90% of the books housed there were completely destroyed. It is currently under construction and open to public only on certain occasions.
