Architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Bosnia and Herzegovina is largely influenced by 4 major periods where political and social changes influenced the creation of distinct cultural and architectural habits of the population. Each period made its authentic influence on the overall picture and contributed to a greater diversity of cultures and architectural language in this region.
Medieval period
Medieval period in Bosnia lasted until the invasion of Ottoman empire. The social organization of Bosnia of that time developed into what was called Zadruga. It was the community organized by few families of common interests situated usually in a cluster housing formation. Leaders of the community were selected according to their age and high ethical standards. Zadruga was primarily a rural, agrarian community greatly dependent on natural resources. As the community grew segments of families would collectively move to another area forming a new cluster or a village. Soon these multiple nuclei were linked stimulating trade and economy. Families lived in what was called a Dinaric house. It was a simple structure build of natural materials usually timber and wickerwork. Interior was organized around the hearth in family room with secluded private men’s and woman’s quarters.Ottoman period
In 15 century Ottoman Empire came to the Balkans. They addressed the need to develop urban areas and cities started emerging which basic form and organization is still distinctive today. Dušan Grabrijan, an architectural theoretician defined the primary organization of typical Bosnian cities. He recognized that cities had five authentic components defined by a set of "unwritten laws": surrounding hills defined the form of the city, the main road is the spine, “Čarsija” is the heart, vegetation are lungs, river is the spirit. Juraj Neidhard another theoretician described a typical Bosnian city in one of his books as following:
What is the charm of the Orient that starts in Sarajevo and which Westerners can’t resist? Here there are no planned actions that would come from rational thinking, it is all a matter of improvisation, the result of ad hoc ideas and temporary needs. Here you cannot find a clear axis and absolute symmetry. Here you can’t even find construction systems being built properly. Here everything displays the need to please humans. Composition, in the West, thought and built according to logic and plan, here becomes an agglomeration of parts, every time a result of different needs and every time improvised differently; but always in relation to the senses.
The fact that people used river as a main element of urban life led to construction of Stari most in 1566 in Mostar in Herzegovina. At the time it was built it was the longest single span arch stone bridge in the world. Its meaning had however rather more profound power. It symbolized the connection between eastern and western civilization. In addition to Urban planning, architecture of Bosnia has emerged with a bit clearer architectural vocabulary. Architecture however was organized around a set of unwritten architectural laws including: human scale, unobstructed views, geometry, open and flexible spaces, simple furniture, spatial links to nature and use of local materials and traditional building techniques. In addition design philosophy favored heterogeneity of materials. In other words each material had a particular intrinsic function given to it by social perception of the people involved in the architectural process. Juraj Neidhard described this perception as following:”
The point is that Bosnian man has his style. He makes his pottery, space, city, according to himself, in human scale, he is not a mystic, but a realist and that is the source of all this realistic architecture, which is at the same time comfortable, humble and democratic. All roofs and doors of these houses are almost the same, we could call them homes for anyone, all of them [houses] in the human scale, all almost grown out of the land, all the decoration brought from their construction and structure - architecture built of the natural and the local.
Hence foundations were built out of stone, ground floor out of clay, unburnt brick and wooden ties, first floor out of wooden frame and roof almost always out of wood. Organizationally, a typical Bosnian residence from 17th century consists of five main elements: fence that faced and defined the street that clearly differentiated private from public, courtyard usually built of pebble stone pattern for easier maintenance, Šadrvan – or fountain as a main element of hygiene as one entered the house, Hajat – or lower level Semi-public private space where family would gather and Divanhan – or upper level semi private, private space used for relaxation and enjoyment of framed views of Čarsija or scenic landscape.
Sezession and Pseudo-Moorish period
In 1878 Bosnia was up for another cultural diversification as Austro-Hungarian Empire (Austrian Empire) annexed the country. In the short time that Austrian Empire ruled Bosnia they had an immense influence in future urban planning and architecture. Some of the changes introduced by Austrian influence included introduction of new building code regulations such as, required building permits, life safety and fire protection requirements, regulated wall thickness and building heights. Some changes in urban planning involved classification of street types and consequent building regulations, requirement for harmonious design with immediate surroundings and compliance with overall regulation plan. There were also changes in a general design philosophy which emerged into two clear architectural styles: Sezession Architecture and Pseudo-Moorish style. Sezession Architecture emerged as political currents tended to secede Bosnian culture from its prior affiliations and assimilate it into a European mainstream.
Pseudo Moorish architecture took rather different stand. It drew its influence from Moorish architecture during its presence in Spain. This included application of ornamentations and other Moorish design strategies neither of which had much to do with prior architectural direction of indigenous Bosnian architecture. Both architectural languages added to diversity of already complex urban composition in Bosnian cities. These and other changes caused certain other consequences in Bosnia. For example building life safety was improved however local building contractors and architects become obsolete due to new regulations and construction methodologies. This caused immigration of skilled labor from Western Europe that further doubled and diversified the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina which in the turn stimulated the economy. Finally, cities began changing its character. Majority of projects during the time of Austrian influence dealt with administrative building designs. Post office in Sarajevo for example follows distinct formal characteristics of design like clarity of form, symmetry, and proportion while the interior followed the same doctrine. Library in Sarajevo is an example of Pseudo Moorish architectural language using decorations and pointed arches while still integrating other formal elements into the design.
Communist period
At the end of World War II Bosnia and Herzegovina become a republic in Yugoslavian Federation. Political currents in Yugoslavia favored industrialization that required an emphasis on development of public housing to serve migration of population from rural to urban areas. To overcome cultural conflicts anti-historicism with modern architectural vocabulary became a prevalent design strategy for the majority of architectural projects. Hence homogeneity of materials replaced traditional heterogeneity and concrete became a material of choice for construction. Such practices, however, caused several problems. Industrialization caused pollution of cities but more importantly it caused flight from rural areas that further caused discrepancies in production, which damaged the economy. There was insufficiency of infrastructure, electricity, water and central heating to sustain new public housing development due to poor planning while residential skyscrapers inappropriately intermingled with existing architectural context. Poor construction methods and lack of quality due to lack of resources caused unhealthy living environments. All these issues led to diminishing cultural identity of Bosnia and Herzegovina while draining its natural and human resources. On the other hand there were few architectural projects that attempted to address issues of cultural diversity. Residential House “Dino” in Sarajevo built in 1987 by Amir Vuk and Mirko Maric was one of those attempts. It is the duplex residential house where one follows the oriental architectural vocabulary while the other has rather western European philosophy of the façade organization while they share a common entrance. Another example is Holliday Inn Hotel built in 1983 and “Unis” Twin Towers built in Sarajevo in 1986 and designed by Ivan Štraus. Twin towers, built of concrete frame and glass curtain walls, were commonly named in the city Momo (Serbian name) and Uzeir (Bosniak name). It was a common understanding that no one in the city really knew which tower is carried Serbian and which Bosnian name. This ambiguity of meaning accentuated the cultural equality as its primary architectural quality.
Architecture during Bosnian war
In 1992 army of Republika Srpska besieged Sarajevo shelled both of the Ivan Štraus' twin towers until they both burned to its basic structure. During Bosnian War from 1992-1995 over 2000 mosques, Islamic and Catholic monasteries, and churches were destroyed. Among those are Ferhadija mosque built in 1578 in Banja Luka and destroyed 1993 and Stari most built in 1566 in Mostar mentioned earlier which is today ironically, divided to eastern part of the city controlled by Bosniak population, western part controlled by Croats.
Recent architectural directions
Cultural preservation is under way in Bosnia and Herzegovina which can be seen with the most recent reconstruction of Stari most in Mostar and many other structures of cultural and historical significance damaged or destroyed in the recent war. Others are still stiffled by political disputes and lack of funds such as reconstruction of Ferhadija mosque.The doctrine that is generally followed in preservation was summarized by Italo C. Angle:
- The preservation of the city image, which includes preservation of specificity created by the overall relations between the natural and the constructed, colors, scents, sounds, forms, movements, overlapping of historical specificities, and the like;
- The preservation of the city form, conducted through preservation of the built values of individual buildings and wholes;
- and the preservation of the city structure, conducted through the preservation of the urban pattern and preservation of the specific distribution of meanings in the city.
Since 2006 excavations have taken place on and near the hill Visočica located some 30km north of Sarajevo for what is believed to be a man made pyramid of collosal size. So called Bosnian pyramids is believed to be over 12,000 years old which would make it one of the oldest man made constructions and the very first pyramid ever constructed. Controversial theory is still ongoing research while facing scepticism by some local and European archeologists.
See also
- Constructions and reconstructions in Sarajevo after war
- Ferhadija
- Stari most
- Sites of interest in Sarajevo
- Vienna Secession
- Sezession
External links
- ["Principles and Methodological Procedure for Reconsolidation of Ferhat-Pasha Mosque in Banja Luka"]- School of Architecture - Design and Research Center, Sarajevo
References
- Grabrijan, Dušan – "The Bosnian Oriental Architecture in Sarajevo - Architecture of Bosnia and the way [towards] modernity"
- Kurto, Nedžad - "Arhitektura Bosne i Hercegovine - Razvoj Bosanskog Stila (Architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Development of Bosnian Style)"
- Štraus, Ivan – "Architecture of Bosnia and Herzegovina 1945-1995"
- Ravlić, Aleksandar – "Banjalučka Ferhadija – Ljepotica koju su ubili (Ferhadija of Banja Luka – A Destroyed Beauty)"
- Hadžimuhamedović, Amra - "Transnational Meaning of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian Architectural Heritage and its Post-War Reconstruction - Integrality of the Bosnia-Herzegovinian Architectural Heritage System"
- Alić, Dijana - "From Ottoman house to Bosnian style: Neidhardt’s design for workers’ housing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1939 to 1942)"
- Grabrijan, Dušan and Neidhardt, Juraj - "Arhitektura Bosne i Put u Suvremeno (Architecture of Bosnia and the way [towards] modernity)"
- Pozderac, Damir - "Eco-cultural Approach Towards Sustainable Architecture and Urban Planning in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Case study on Integral Architecture"
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