Bosnia reopens Sarajevo library destroyed during war over two decades ago.

Cellist Vedran Smailović plays in the rubble of the National Library of Bosnia

The war in Bosnia lasted from 1992 until 1995. In its wake, nearly 100,000 soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict died, hundreds of thousands were injured and maimed, and a history and culture largely wiped out from the destruction.

Included in that destruction was the famed Bosnian National Library, originally built 118 years ago, which was largely shelled into oblivion in 1992 during the Siege of Sarajevo. (Curiously enough, it sustained severe damage during World War II as well. It's a library that just can't catch a break.) During the siege starting in 1992, locals and librarians alike tried to save manuscripts within the library, even under sniper fire, but were generally unsuccessful. The library caught fire at one point, and most everything was lost. The building was in rubble, and that rubble was scorched further from flames.

Over twenty years later, the National Library finds itself reborn after intensive work to rebuild it in the likeness of its former glory. Architects used documents and photos to painfully reconstruct the building, which included repainting over 21,000 square feet of arabesques on walls and ceilings, among other architectural details, at a cost of over $22 million. To commemorate the opening, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra played at the library's opening.

And for a day--for a week, for a month--art and knowledge triumphs over war.