Skenderija was conceived in the second half of the 1960s as a building that would answer to the multifaceted urban deficiencies of Sarajevo in the face of the rise of the modern socialist society. It contains multifunctional Great Hall, two sports halls, Youth Cultural Center, Contemporary Arts museum, Art gallery and shopping centre. Its expressive, yet low-rise form, organised around an elevated spacious square, built in the central area of the city and at the intersection of its two longitudinal valleys is a monument to the public, a formal affirmation of the city’s geography and both symbolic and material capital belonging to the citizens.

The Centre is in poor material condition, it is being poorly managed and was taken into consideration for demolition by the Cantonal authorities in 2018. In 2012 the roof of the Ice Skaiting Hall collapsed. The raw concrete façade was painted white-beige in 2017 without any consideration for the historical and artistic value of the original texture. The location of the Centre is that attractive and the land surface covered by its sprawling, generous, open and closed public space so great that it will surely remain a target for both local authorities and private developers. Future unclear (last updated on February 20, 2025). 

Special thanks to Mejrema Zatrić, Asociation of Arhitects in B&H / Asocijacija Arhitekata u BiH