One year after opening its doors, the Türkiye-backed Srebrenica Genocide Museum has become one of the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center’s most significant spaces for remembrance and education, preserving the memory of more than 8,000 Bosniak victims through authentic artefacts, survivor testimonies, and multimedia exhibits.
The museum is located inside the former battery factory in Potocari, where thousands of Bosniaks sought refuge after the fall of the UN-declared safe area in July 1995. It presents a chronological account of the genocide through victims’ personal belongings, archival documents, photographs, audiovisual testimonies, and immersive installations.
Opened to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the museum is the result of years of collecting historical records and artefacts.
Its permanent exhibition traces the events leading up to the genocide, the fall of Srebrenica, mass executions, the search for the missing, and the decades-long struggle of families to recover and bury the remains of their loved ones with dignity.
Each year on July 11, Bosnia and Herzegovina commemorates the Srebrenica genocide with a collective funeral at the Potocari Memorial Center, where newly identified victims are laid to rest.
This year, the remains of 10 newly identified victims will be buried during ceremonies expected to draw thousands of visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries.
In 2024, the UN General Assembly designated July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, further strengthening international efforts to preserve the memory of the victims.
Artefacts that speak beyond words
Among the museum’s most striking exhibits is a collection of worn shoes that their owners repeatedly repaired during the war, offering visitors a powerful glimpse into everyday life under siege.
“Sometimes it is enough for people to see those shoes to understand part of the suffering endured by the people of Srebrenica. Details like these often speak louder than words,” Azir Osmanovic, curator of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, told Anadolu.
According to Osmanovic, establishing the museum marked one of the memorial center’s most important milestones.
