Osnovan je 1888. godine, za vrijeme Austrougarske monarhije. Zgrada Muzeja izgrađena je 1909. godine, u neorenesansnom stilu, po projektu češkog arhitekte Karla Paržika. Jedina je zgrada muzeja na prostoru bivše Jugoslavije, koja je namjenski građena za tu svrhu. U muzeju se nalazi veliki broj eksponata koji se odnose na kulturno naslijeđe Bosne i Hercegovine. Najpoznatiji eksponat Zemaljskog muzeja je sarajevska Hagada, tradicionalna jevrejska knjiga koju su Sefardi donijeli u Sarajevo, nakon njihovog progona iz Španije. U sastavu kompeksa muzeja, nalazi se Botanički vrt, kojeg je osnovao austrijski botaničar Karl Franz Josef Maly.
It was founded in 1888, during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The museum building was built in 1909 in neo-Renaissance style, designed by the Czech architect Karl Paržik. It is the only purpose-built museum building from the former Yugoslavia. In the museum there is a large number of exhibitsrelated to the cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The museum is closed for visitors. The most famous exhibit of the National Museum of the Sarajevo is the Haggadah, a traditional Hebrew book that the Sephardim brought to Sarajevo after their expulsion from Spain. The Botanical Garden is within the complex of museum is, founded by Austrian botanist Karl Franz Josef Maly.
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