War Childhood Museum

This museum is truly worth visiting. From the moment you enter, you are invited into a space that is thoughtful, respectful, and deeply meaningful. What makes this museum special is that it does not focus on one side, nationality, or group. Instead, it tells the personal stories of children who experienced war, allowing each voice to be heard. Every story feels honest, powerful, and deeply human. At the beginning of the exhibition, there is an interactive part where you are invited to reflect on your own childhood and share thoughts with other visitors. It was very meaningful to see what others had written before me and to feel connected through shared memories. This part was especially strong on a psychological level. It helps you understand your own experiences and reflect on how your childhood has shaped you. It reminds you that we have all been children, and it creates a deep sense of empathy. The exhibition is emotional, thoughtful, and beautifully presented. It gives you a better understanding of history through personal stories rather than statistics. One small tip for visitors: the museum is a bit hidden. If you are walking uphill, stay on the right side. There is a small shop, and next to it you will see an alley leading to the museum. When I visited, there was a large delivery truck parked in front of the shop, unloading goods, which made the entrance harder to see and the alley feel narrower than it actually is. Because of that, I walked a little wrong at first. But once you know where to look, it’s easy to find. I highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting Sarajevo. It is moving, important, and unforgettable.

A heartbreaking and fulfilling museum. When you first enter, you're shown into a hall that asks you questions about your own childhood. Once you reflect on that, you're brought into an exhibit containing the objects cherished by children at war, and seeing the difference in your own peaceful childhood to that of these children was heartbreaking. But it's also beautiful to see how children maintained hope during war. The exhibit changed every year but when I went they also had the stories of Palestinian and Ukrainian children. It's a beautifully poignant museum and my favorite in Sarajevo. If you can only go to one of the many museums in the city, I highly recommend this one. The museum was based on a book written by its founder that has all these stories, so I recommend buying it as a souvenir.

Simply profound! Took my 7 year old and they have some interactive exhibits in entrance, greatly helpful staff that helped us in English, and the exhibits were powerful. There is a nook for coloring and reading books so we were able to sit there after the museum and read and color! Very much worth a trip!

The collection is small (they only have 50 items on display at any given time) but incredibly moving. Each exhibit carries an immense weight of suffering, or of hope. Must visit for anyone interested in a non academic POV of the war.

A different experience to feel the war from the point of view of a children. If you read all the stories you can spend more than one hour. Good experience to go with people that you don't really know, because at the first part of the museum you can express and vote different topics about your childhood.

The museum was established based on a book in which the author asked people how they recalled their time during the war. You can also purchase the book in several languages directly at the museum. Lockers for larger bags and toilets are available which is great to make you feel comfy. The items in the exhibition are always accompanied by a story that needs to be read, so take your time. As it is a living exhibition, you will also find stories from the war in Ukraine (not current) and Palestine. The exhibition includes a game that allows you to revisit the times of your childhood.

Excellent museum collecting personal belongings and stories of children who grew up in war - mostly from the 1990s Bosnian War but also some from Ukraine (and they also have a lot of different countries which they curate a different selection each year). Really heavy stuff to digest, as a perspective of how the impact of war carries on, especially for a long time in the children who had to go through it.

I have never been really interested in museums, but I couldn't hold back my tears when I visited the "War Childhood Museum" in Sarajevo. I couldn't imagine how hard it was for the children to survive during the war. Then, I realized how grateful I was for not having a war in my country