Reopening of the Woodcarving Museum in Konjic | pilot in BiH

The Woodcarving Museum in Konjic, dedicated to preserving and promoting Konjic woodcarving (a cultural heritage inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), officially reopened its doors on June 29, 2026, in a new, expanded, and enriched edition. Established in 2019, two years after Konjic woodcarving was inscribed on the UNESCO list, the Museum was founded with the mission to safeguard, document, and present the history, development, and contemporary life of this unique tradition. Since its inception, it has become one of the most significant cultural attractions of Konjic and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an internationally recognized example of successful preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

The Museum’s quality has been confirmed through major European museum awards. In 2022, the Woodcarving Museum won the Živa Award for Best Slavic Museum from the Forum of Slavic Cultures, and in the same year, it received the prestigious Luigi Micheletti Award, granted by the European Museum Academy in competition with museums across Europe. The jury emphasized that the Museum communicates UNESCO’s living heritage in the 21st century in an extraordinary way. “Winning these awards gave us an even greater responsibility to improve the Museum and remain true to the recognition we received. The fact that we are now at the reopening of the Museum speaks volumes about how alive this heritage is. The renewed exhibition provides visitors with a more complete insight into the story of Konjic woodcarving, its masters, the families who passed it down through generations, and its transformation into a contemporary creative expression,” said Orhan Nikšić, Director of the Woodcarving Museum.

Today, the Woodcarving Museum is not only about the past. It testifies to how heritage can remain alive, evolve, and create new value for the community through education, creativity, design, and international cooperation. This was also the shared message of all speakers at the opening ceremony, which featured addresses by Emil Balavac, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Environmental Protection of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC); Osman Ćatić, Mayor of Konjic; and Emir Tipura, Assistant Director of the Tourist Board of HNC. The renewed museum includes a small presentation woodcarving workshop, where visitors had the opportunity to watch master carvers at work, with plans to organize short woodcarving courses. Visitors also discovered a memorial corner dedicated to Besim Nikšić (1953–2024), master woodcarver, entrepreneur, and one of the most deserving individuals for the preservation, revitalization, and international recognition of Konjic woodcarving. His work and vision were crucial for the survival of the craft during its most challenging periods and for its transformation into a contemporary cultural and creative practice.

The original concept of the Museum was designed by Orhan Nikšić. The architectural solution of the initial exhibition was created by Emir Salkić of Normal Architecture studio, the graphic identity by Enes Huseinčehajić, and the authored texts by Ahmed Burić. The redesign of the 2026 exhibition was signed by the Sarajevo-based studio Mecolada. The production of the new exhibition, including the parametric wooden structure shaping the museum’s interior, was carried out by Zanat’s production team led by architect Adem Nikšić.

The redesign was realized with the support of the COMHERITOUR project, part of the Interreg Danube Region Programme funded by the European Union, implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Tourist Board of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and Rukotvorine d.o.o. (Zanat) from Konjic. The entire implementation of the renovation and new exhibition was financed by Zanat with its own resources.

The reopening was attended by a large number of guests, including representatives of cultural institutions, museums, international organizations, partners, media, and friends of the Museum.