On 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand attended a reception here shortly before he was assassinated nearby. The building later housed the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which burned after shelling in August 1992 during the Siege of Sarajevo, with the loss of much of its collection, including some 700 manuscripts and incunabula.
After a long restoration Vijećnica reopened in 2014. Today it hosts the offices of the mayor and city council as well as official events, concerts and exhibitions, and visitors come to admire its striped façade and richly decorated, colourful interior.
