Today, the Memorial Room dedicated to Vejsil Ćurčić - the first formally educated archaeologist from Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina was opened at the Brusa Bezistan. The exhibition was authored and curated by Indira Kučuk-Sorguč, museum advisor and director of the Museum of Sarajevo.
Alongside the Memorial Room, the exhibition “Archaeological Photo Traces of Vejsil Ćurčić” by Prof. Dr. Adnan Kaljanac was also opened.
The Vejsil Ćurčić Memorial Room presents an authentic environment reflecting the life and work of the first trained Bosnian-Herzegovinian archaeologist—a man who laid the foundations of archaeology, heritage protection, and scholarly reflection on the past in our country.
The exhibited items are part of the Ćurčić family legacy, donated to the Museum of Sarajevo. Thanks to this noble gesture, today we preserve not only objects, but also the spirit of an era.
Zahvaljujući toj plemenitoj gesti, danas ne čuvamo samo predmete već čuvamo i duh jednog vremena.
From March 31 until today, the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the University of Sarajevo – Faculty of Philosophy, the Museum of Sarajevo, and the relevant ministries—the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Sarajevo Canton and the Ministry for Science, Higher Education and Youth of the Sarajevo Canton—have jointly and synchronously participated in the realization of a program dedicated to Vejsil Ćurčić.
Vejsil Ćurčić was a pioneer in many fields: he was among the first to introduce photography into archaeological documentation, he researched stećak necropolises, and laid the foundations for their systematic scientific analysis of discovered finds and artifacts. His work was not only research, but also the creation of a methodology that endures to this day.
At the opening program of the Memorial Room and exhibition, the large audience was addressed by Academician Blagoje Govedarica, Minister Dušanka Bošković, Deputy Mayor Predrag Puharić, author of the monograph “Mene, domaćeg sina” and exhibition author Prof. Dr. Adnan Kaljanac, Director of the Museum of Sarajevo Indira Kučuk-Sorguč, as well as members of the Ćurčić family—his grandson Darimir Ćurčić and great-granddaughter Silvija Radić-Tošović.
In a spirit of gratitude and respect towards the descendants of Vejsil Ćurčić—without whom this story would not have been told—unique, artistically signed wooden certificates of appreciation by artist Velija Hasanbegović were awarded to Zrinka Jurišić, Dubravka Jurišić, Darimir Ćurčić, and Silvija Radić-Tošović.
The Vejsil Ćurčić Memorial Room reminds us that the greatest ideas are often born in silence—at a simple desk, by lamplight, in the meeting of curiosity and discipline.
It is a space where traces of the past were recorded, traces that became the foundation of our understanding of history.
The Vejsil Ćurčić Memorial Room is open every day except Sunday at the Brusa Bezistan, while the exhibition will remain open until April 15, 2026. Admission is free.
