Omer Bey´s House (Omerbegovića Kuća), Jajce
The so-called Omer Bey´s House is situated in the very centre of Jajce old city core. It has the character of a typical Bosnian house with oriental architecture. The original part of the house comprise the ground floor in stone from the middle of the 17th century whereas the first floor is built in timber frame system with many small windows. It is one of the larger residential houses from this period. As the name tells this house once belonged to the family Omerbegović. After the 2nd World War they changed the function of the house and turned it into a restaurant. To make the building better suit it’s new purpose it was reconstructed and got a new interior design.
It suffered damages from neglect during the last civil war. The municipality contacted Tina Wik at CHwB with the question if they could undertake a restoration of the house. It was of high priority to them because of it’s great cultural value and bad present state, it’s central position in the city and because of their intention to change the function of the house to museum and exhibition hall in their aim to attract tourists to this important medieval town that has been the seat of several Bosnian kings.
As during the restoration project 2002 in Jajce of three residential houses, two mosques and one gate tower the aim of CHwB was to continue the cooperation with the Federal Institute for Protection of Cultural- Historical and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. Architect Robert Stergar was the colleague in charge from the Institute.
The aim of this project was to help in the preservation of an important cultural-historical monument with an important urban location and to contribute to the transfer of competence in restoration issues regarding this kind of a traditional Bosnian house. The aim was also to influence the direction of the extensive restoration works that is ongoing and will be carried out after the war in this area to focus on increased caution with regard to cultural-historical values.