In May, we opened three international exhibitions, marked important commemorative dates, presented our video game at Europe’s leading games conference, and celebrated new milestones in research, leadership, and youth engagement. Read more about our activities this month.
Educational Programs and Visits
Last month, we welcomed 34 educational visits from groups across Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as from Norway, Italy, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Croatia, the United States, Poland, and Germany.
Educational activities also continued through the PEACESTORY project, with peer educators delivering workshops to their peers—reaching over 6,000 students throughout the country.
Exhibitions
In May, the War Childhood Museum opened two major international exhibitions: Listen in Sweden and War Childhood: The Experiences of World War II in Ukraine. Both exhibitions highlight personal stories of children affected by war—across generations and geographies.
Opened on May 10 at the Swedish Air Force Museum in Linköping, Listen presents objects and testimonies from children impacted by conflict, including those from Finland, Bosnia, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Ukraine. A special space invites visitors to reflect and contribute their own memories.
👉 Read one of the stories featured in the exhibition here and get a glimpse at the atmosphere from the opening night here.
The Museum also joined the International Book Arsenal Festival in Kyiv with a pop-up exhibition titled Books That Walk With You Through War, presenting 12 stories of Ukrainian children and the books that helped them cope with war. Visitors to the exhibition shared their own favorite books as well — nearly 1,600 people left sticky notes on the wall with titles of the books that have supported them.
👉 Take a look at some photos from the Festival here.
Marking Special Days
International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
On June 4, we mark the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression — a United Nations observance established in 1982 to recognize the suffering of children affected by war.
The War Childhood Museum’s collection includes over 6,000 personal stories of children whose lives have been shaped by armed conflict. These testimonies show the many sides of growing up in war — from loss and displacement to resilience and recovery.
👉 You can read some of their stories at the link.
International Museum Day
On May 18, we joined museums around the world in celebrating International Museum Day, dedicated this year to “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities.” To mark the occasion, we organized a panel on peace education, offered free entry to all visitors, and held a youth workshop on peacebuilding — reaffirming our commitment to museums as spaces of learning, inclusion, and social change.
Day of Remembrance for the Children Killed During the Siege of Sarajevo
On May 5, we marked the Day of Remembrance for the Children Killed During the Siege of Sarajevo by sharing a story from our collection in which Belma remembers her sister Nina, who was killed during the war. Their story is a reminder of the lives lost and the enduring impact of violence on families. 👉 Read the story here.
Special Events and News
Amina Krvavac Appointed Chair of the European Museum Forum
In June, War Childhood Museum Director Amina Krvavac was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees of the European Museum Forum (EMF), becoming the first person from Bosnia and Herzegovina to hold this position. Her appointment was announced at the EMYA 2025 conference in Poland, where she also presented the European Museum of the Year Award in her ongoing role as Chair of the EMYA Judging Panel.
War Childhood Museum at Nordic Game 25
We presented our upcoming video game We Grew Up in War at Europe’s leading games conference, Nordic Game. Developed in collaboration with Charles Games, the game is based on real-life testimonies from our collection. Visitors praised its visual style, storytelling, and emotional depth. The game will be released for mobile and PC in 2026. See what the atmosphere was like in this short video.
“Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić” Scholarship Awarded
This year’s scholarship was awarded to Amer Maslo, a PhD candidate at the University of Sarajevo, for his research on childhood during the 1875–1878 uprising in Herzegovina and Bosnia. The announcement was made during International Museum Day programming. The scholarship supports research in social sciences and is named in memory of a beloved Museum researcher.
IMBALANCE Project Continues
The IMBALANCE Contemporary Art and Documentation Lab is entering its final phase. Participants are currently preparing for their own exhibition, opening this summer in Kyiv. The project is implemented by War Childhood Museum Ukraine with support from forumZFD and the Ukrainian-Danish Youth House.
Media Mentions
The War Childhood Museum is regularly featured in both Bosnian and international media. Here, you can find a selection of articles covering the Museum from the past month.
