ARCHIVES
OF
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina, member of
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ARCHIVES
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BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
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Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina, member of |
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THE ARCHIVES OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA The first modern archival institution in Bosnia-Herzegovina |
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The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovine, the first modern archival institution in Bosnia-Herzegovina is established 1947. by decission of The Government of Peoples Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina No. 1061 on December 12, 1947. Nowaday this date is known as Archives Day in Bosnia-Herzegovina. From 1965, by provision of Archives Act, name of this institution is changed into Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Today, in the independent state of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Archives works under this name. * * * Although archival service, as organised activity for preservation, protection and professional procession of archives in Bosnia-Herzegovina started in 1947, in Bosnia-Herzegovina there is significant tradition of preservation and keeping archives. In absence of archival institutions, a lot of archives have been kept by libraries, museums and other institutions, and also by particular persons. Many of B. H. Archives are raised from fonds of libraries and museums. Although the number of these institutions in past was small, and they did not pay attention on records today known as public archives, without these institutions many of archives would not been saved. Bosnian governors in Middle Age had a particular cancellors and treasurers on their courts; educated persons that made charters for them. On the oldest preserved, the charter of Kulin ban from 1189. that cancellors is supscribed as dijak. Kulin's successor, Matej Ninoslav, in 13. century, had gramatig as cancellor. With dijaks and gramatigs, on Middle Age charters there are also logotet. The development of old Bosnian administration had especially grown up with coronation of King Tvrtko. In their forms, producing and physicall character, old Bosnian charters have a lot of diplomatic, paleographic and sphragistic specifics. Texts are in Bosnian; not only in Latin; there are symbolic of red colour for seals wax as exclusively governors; there are consistency in writters signature, and some more characteristics in preparing parchment, writting and seal. Today, in Bosnia-Herzegovina just a few of charters from Middle Age are preserved. Zemaljski muzej in Sarajevo keep original of King Tvrtko's charter, issued to Hrvoje Vukčić on March 12, 1380. Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina keep charter of King Dabiša, issued in Moštri on April 26, 1395, charter of Stjepan Tomaš Ostojić issued in February 1459, and transcript of King Dabiša's charter from 16. century. Published collections of old charters (such as Miklošić's, Ljubić's, Thallóczy's, Brković's, also a well known Farlatti's Illiricum sacrum), have significant importance for history of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Middle Age.
A photo of King Dabiša's chart from year 1395 |
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Through the longest period of Ottoman rule in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1463-1878) the records of government have been kept in offices, arranged chronollogically and by their subjects. On particular way they kept catastral defters and registers, that always have been classified in cases. The institution of defter-emin, as treasurer of official catastral books and archives, in Sarajevo as center of Bosnian Sandžak appeared in 16. century. There are also significant institutions of tezkiredžija (writter of charters), divan-katib (writter), tevkiija or jazidžibaša (chief of writters). As there were in Ottoman administration court registers have been known as sidžils, and court office as mehkeme, there were institutions named mehkeme-emin.
Defters are the most interesting archives, because of their value and lot of data they contain.
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In the middle of 19. century, reforms in Ottoman Empire had a significant influence on administrative sistem, and in a such way on records management. After Act on Bosanski vilajet, on November 7, 1864, and its becaming into force, on June 9, 1865, in the central Vilajet's government was established office for keeping records. As the institution for administrative activities, with organised office for correspondence, in article 9 of Act on Bosanski vilajet was established mektubžija. This office had a special repository, administrated by particular employee (evrak müdürü). The records have been kept in rundled cases, that have been closed on the end of each year, with the note about subjects of records. In sandžaks, as lower administrative units, there were established offices with employees for correspondence, because the administration had not been so strictly centralised as earlier. With this reforms Bosnia-Herzegovina got a modern records management. There were protocols (records registers for correspondence between vilajets and sandžaks, for correspondence with Austrian consul and with Ministry of Finance; and also for registering orders from higher levels of administration, and for telegrams). In this protocols received and issued records were registered partially. Records were arranged per numbers, a protocols were closed on the end of each year. Taking example from actual European practice, records were registered in abstract, so there were not classic registers, than the evidence which have archival value by itself. * * * At the moment of establishing its rule in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1878, Austro-Hungarian Empire was a state with developed archival service and developed systems of records management. Just in 18. century there are known instructions about detaching current and non-current records; there are lot of organised repositories in public offices, but also organised archival institutions and buildings. In this 40 years long period in Bosnia-Herzegovina were two initiatives for establishing Zemaljski arhiv (Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina), in 1909. and 1914. |
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First page of document about selection and disposal of records 1909 |
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In 1909 initiative for establishing of Zemaljski arhiv raised from practical administrative needs, because within period of thirty years of Austrian rule there were already thirty millions of records, such there were not enough space in repositories. This initiative has been rejected, but Instruction for disposal of worthless records had been issued. Provisions of this Instruction regulated disposal in periods of five years, keeping in agencies of Government for twenty years, and after thirty years storage in Archives; it means after fifty years. In other words, besides removing worthless records, provisions of Instruction determined the records of continue value, for storage in Archives. One of the especially importance is rejecting a proposal of unique access in disposal, because of consciousness of variety of archives. Regularly disposals would result at the end in division all records in two parts: older and newer. Also, it was determined that all older archives must be transferred to Zemaljski muzej. Although the Archives in modern sense have not been established in Austro-Hungarian period, there have been organized activities on keeping archives. Besides, during this period, archives have been scientific processed and published. It is merit exclusively of Zemaljski muzej in Sarajevo, that has been kept the most valuable archives from Bosnian past, not only in that period, then in a period after year 1918. Zemaljski muzej was established in 1888. In next year it started its Glasnik [Bulletin], in which were published a lot of archives, as well as a lot of papers useful for learning of archival problematics. * * * In period between two World Wars on territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina has not been established Archives. Nor Project of State Archives of Yugoslavia, dated between 1931. i 1934., was not realised, and such in Bosnia-Herzegovina had not been establihed an Archives. In this period, there were issued few acts in records management. |
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ESTABLISHING AND ACTIVITY OF THE ARCHIVES OF BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA The efforts for establishing of the Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina was initiated by Milan Popović. In his letter to President of Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina, dated on July 9, 1947, he sent a Draft of Regulation of establishing of Archives.
Uredba o osnivanju Državnog arhiva NRBiH Regulation came into force on December 12, 1947. In accordance with its provisions, Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina collect, arrange and preserve archives and enable use of them. All administrative corporate bodies were obliged to transfer their archives created before year 1918. They were obliged to deliver lists of archives that they possess, and to inform Archives about all changes on records. On January 30, 1948, Popović was appointed as director, and Archives officially started with activity on February 2, 1948. At the moment of establishment of Archives of B.H., archives and records in country were in physically danger. So, primary task of institution was collecting, in same time intervention in direction on salvation of archives, and that is priority task for longer period of time. Archives demanded preservation of archives and realisation regulations of keeping of records. Archives had take over a lot of fonds from agencies. This activity Archives has done on whole territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina, because the first really archival net was established in 1953. and 1954, with establishing of five new Archives (in 1953. in Banja Luka, in 1954. in Doboj, Mostar, Travnik and Tuzla). The activity of physical salvation of lot of archives and their transfer to repositories in first period were main Archives' jobs. In first period, Archives had just one repository. The second main problem which appeares in Archives' activity, is lack of professional stuff. That situation was significant influenced on Archives' results.
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Article about 10 years of activity of Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina; «Oslobođenje», 2. IX 1957 |
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On other side, in that conditions of activity, for a long time was missed archival professional procession of archives, and also another archival activities: making of finding aids, conservation and restauration, publishing of archival sources. With arrangement and procession as main tasks in Archives, another activities, at first time marginalized, started in recent time. Bad condition of fonds, with less number of repositories (humidity, dust, physicall damages) additionally actualized significance of restauration and conservation of archives. In 1956. Archives got first materials, also a impregnator; and also there where a microfilming aparature to dispose, which was got a year before. In 1956. was started a project of Fontes for studying political, cultural and social-economic relations in Bosnia (19. and 20. century) [Građa za proučavanje političkih, kulturnih i socijalno-ekonomskih odnosa iz prošlosti BiH (XIX i XX vijek)], the project of edition of publishing of archives. Very soon the question of professional bulletin was moved, so Archives took a part in edition of Glasnik arhiva i Društva arhivskih radnika. 1956. Archives also worked in organisation of first «Week of Archives», from 16. to 30. September. For a long period, that was the most appropriate manifestation for wider action on cultural field of activity. 1956. Archives took part in organisation of Week of Archives, (16-30 September), the most convenient manifestation for wider action on cultural and schollarly area. Bigger development started in March 1962, when Archives' Act, one of the most important archival acts in Bosnia-Herzegovina, came into force. By provisions of this act, archives were protected regardless who ownes them, is it registered, and on same way act protected current records, that regularly being selected and disposed. Demanding obligation of archival service on whole territory of the Republic, provisions of act provided Republic Archives and regional archives. It has been determinated complex caracter of archival institutions as administrative, professional, scientific and cultural-scholarly institutions. |
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 Publication on 30 years of activity of Archives |
With new Archives' Act from 1965. archival service had significant progress. In provisions of this Act, as archives, first time strictly was pointed film materials; Act also defined current records, determinated the periods of transfer of records to Archives (at least 5, and the most 30 years after creation); it has been strictly said that archives are cultural heritage. In further period, Archives of B.H. achieved significant results in arrangement and procession of archival fonds. To 1968. in this Archives were near 80% of non-arranged fonds, in 1991. about 59% archival fonds and collections there were finding aids. In the end od 1970's and in the beginning 1980's Archives widened activities on preservation and procession of film archives. Although the film records became archival by provisions of Archives Act from 1965, just by provisions of Films Act from 1978. it has been determinated keeping film archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Archives of B.H. At the beginning, there were 600 titles in film fond. In the further period, good results were achieved in collection of materials (near 250 boxes of documents, 200 screenplay books, 150 placates, 7000 photos etc), what was noticed with exhibition «35 years of cinematography in Bosnia-Herzegovina», presented on film festival in Pula (Croatia) too. Informational-documentary service in archival institutions started to development in sixties. Already in 1962, this service in Archives of B.H. collected data about all archival institutions in country. That was a cornerstone to a center in the frame of central archives in country. This sector had a following tasks: |
In archives particularly part are documents in abroad. From the beginning, archival profession was conscious of importance of foreign archives which keep fonds relevant for history of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as addition to memory. On November 7, 1984. started a project of Complex Exploring of foreign archives, as first action of organized researching of foreign archives. 15 scientists and professionalists collected archives relevant for Bosnia-Herzegovina, since Middle Age to Second World War. |
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Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovine reside in building of Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Building project was prepared since December 5. 1883, and building officially began on March 19, 1884. by project of Josip Vancaš. This Croat had his office in Wien, and got a 16,000 forintas as a salary. Invited on this task, he moved his office in Sarajevo, where he built a lot of representative buildings in Center, which presented a significant part for beuaty and urbanism of this city. For building Sarajevo's Cathedrale and building of Presidency he was in 1889. decorated by Knights Cross of Franz Joseph I. In 1898. he was decorated by Knights Cross of St. George by Pope Leon XIII. On exhibitions in Paris, Budapest, Zagreb and Osijek he got a worth awards. In Sarajevo, he was official representative of civil architects, Chief of communal building committee, theacher of drawing. He is one of the establisher of Techical Club, establiser of singer society, and also representative in Parliament (Sabor). The building has been openned in November 1885. Since that, government bodies of Bosnia-Herzegovina have been resided here, and also here kept their archives, so that The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina was here
Page from register with list of all documents related to building of Archives, 1885. |
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In development of our archival service, special building has been ordinary one of the priorities. One of the proposals was archival object in the frame of building for National Library. Author of idea decesion was well known architect Ivan Štraus. This square should be call The Ivo Andrić's Forum. |
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Ivo Andrićs letter, stored in Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he a half of Nobel Prize money gives to libraries in Bosnia-Herzegovina, April 17, 1962. |
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Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina is an institution of Bosnia-Herzegovina that keep, protect, process and enable the use of archives and current records of state bodies, state and public institutions and enterprises, and corporate bodies, families and persons who perform their activities on whole territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina take over and protect, arrange, present and enable the use of public archives created until 1992, archives of institutions of Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and archives of institutions of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina:
The Archives Bosnia-Herzegovina: a) register archival fonds and collections in Bosnia-Herzegovina and care about archives of Bosnia-Herzegovina created since 1992, archives created through institutions of Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and institutions of Bosnia-Herzegovina; b) register archives in foreign archives relevant for Bosnia-Herzegovina; c) gives opinion to Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina on archival matters; d) represent interests of archival service of Bosnia-Herzegovina in international professional organisations and interstate relations; e) cooperate in professional tasks with other archives in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially in field of education of archival stuff; f) lead mutual projects and in cooperation with other archives realize tasks of modernisation of archival service of Bosnia-Herzegovina; |
