Obsolete Cultural Heritage in Post-Conflict Environments. The Case of AVNOJ Museum in Jajce, Bosnia Herzegovina

This paper asks the question what happens with places of history and material cultural heritage of central importance for people's identities when political circumstances suddenly change. The case of the AVNOJ museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina is used to show the destiny of a site that was once the main cultural heritage in Yugoslavia as it was the birthplace of the state, only to suddenly become obsolete and irrelevant in the 1990s. After a period of neglect that followed, the museum is now being rebuilt with a different main message. The study shows how such sites can survive if there is support of the state, local initiatives and changes of the meaning of the site to better fit a new political reality.