Jajce—The Guardian of Royal Treasures

JAJCE

of Royal Treasures

SYMBOLICALLY UNDERSTOOD, THE MOST PRECIOUS TREASURE FROM THE PERIOD OF THE KINGDOM OF BOSNIA IS KEPT IN THE VERY PLACE WHERE THE KINGDOM DREW ITS LAST BREATHS.

THE FRANCISCAN MUSEUM —THE GUARDIAN OF BOSNIA’S TREASURES

Jajce carries the label of a royal city with pride today. Everything within the city is a testimony of that ancient period. In it you can still “see its king” or, rather, his earthly remains if you visit the Franciscan Museum in Jajce, which operates at the Franciscan Monastery of Saint Luke. The construction of the monastery began in 1877 and was completed in 1885. The museum at the monastery officially began operating in 1905 and was one of the most recognizable cultural institutions in Jajce until the early 1990s. In its rooms, the museum displays showpieces from prehistoric times till this day, including the sword of the Mošunj type from the 9th century BC as well as other items from the time of Roman emperors and deities but also the period of Bosnian kings. The museum also preserves parts of the Church of St. Mary as well as Sultan Sulejman’s Mosque - Fethija. Three years ago, this faithful guardian of the true treasures of Bosnia and Herzegovina opened three new museum exhibits (ethnological, archeological, and sacral), and the construction of arranging the entire interior was completed in October this year. The setup of the interior design of the museum was awarded by the Collegium artisticum of Sarajevo and the Ljubljana Institute of Architecture, Big SEE.

DE ADMINISTRANDO IMPERIO

The history of medieval Bosnia since Bosnia’s first mention in the 10th century in the work De administrando imperio (written by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus) has been told through the setup of this part of the museum. A kingdom emerged over time from the small country of Bosnia in the tenth century and came to an end in the middle of the fifteenth century (1463). In addition to the museum collection about medieval Bosnia,

the Franciscan Museum is preparing a guide that will talk about the rich history of medieval Bosnia and its people of that time.

560 YEARS SINCE THE CORONATION OF THE LAST KING

The most important part of the Franciscan Museum is definitely the King’s Room, a space where the sarcophagus of the last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević is located. Stjepan came to power after his father’s death on July 10, 1461. He was crowned king in Jajce in November of that same year in the Church of St. Mary. He was the only king of Bosnia crowned with a crown from the Vatican, wherefrom he sought support before the upcoming Ottoman invasion. He was executed in Jajce upon their arrival. His remains were found under a stećak and excavated in 1888 by historian Ćiro Truhelka and have been preserved in the Franciscan monastery in Jajce ever since. The skeleton was removed from the grave and assembled in as much detail as possible before being stored in a glass coffin in the monastery church in Jajce, which is the most interesting location for visitors of the Franciscan Museum today. His memory is still alive today; many people go on a pilgrimage to the King’s tomb on the hill of Hum above Jajce by using a well-maintained hiking trail.

A VIRTUAL TOUR THROUGH THE MUSEUM

You can also walk through the rooms of the Franciscan Museum Jajce virtually because of a new multimedia technology that presents the museum to viewers online and enables three-dimensional move-

EDIN HOZAN, the Mayor of the Municipality of Jajce

“This year was much better than 2020. However, indicators show that our advancements this year could not compete with those of 2019, but they came very close. This could be seen and felt this summer in our city, which was visited by many foreign and domestic tourists. Therefore, we are sure that tourism and life as it was are returning to normal. We did everything possible to instigate development in that direction and have joined all existing programs in B&H in order to be recognized as a tourist destination. The organization of events has contributed to the return of tourists to Jajce, and we participated in the Sarajevo Film Festival, after which we were shown a number of films and two concerts. We will continue our efforts in the upcoming period. This next year will present a new challenge. ”

ment of the recorded space, thus providing a real experience of the presented destination and content. Virtual tours through museums and galleries are a new approach to exhibiting heritage around the world, which became especially popular during the pandemic.