In November 2014, Zmijanje embroidery was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, among 340 other intangible elements from all around the world.
This embroidery is the first inscribed intangible cultural element from the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since the mid 1800s until today it retained its ornamental form. Passed from one generation to the next, it has a strong symbolic meaning. Zmijanje embroidery promotes creativity, social equality and diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The embroidery is an example of a specific technique practiced by women of Zmijanje, a small village near Banjaluka. They made it using dark blue threads on a white background and it was used for decorating female clothing and household items.
The embroidery was inscribed on the list in March 2013 and the complete procedure, from the making of amendments to the Law on Museum Activity to the protection of the embroidery itself, was completed by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Museum of the Republic of Srpska.
Source: Vladars.net
