Description

Sarajevo Wartime Cigarettes:

The Sarajevo Tobacco Factory was founded in 1880, two years after the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. It was one of the first four industrial enterprises in the country. It has produced cigarettes ever since 1882.

Over the years the company faced production challenges, including hardships encountered during world War I and World War II. Despite setbacks, it kept increasing the plant’s capacity and even built new facilities in 1960.

The facility continued to grow until civil war broke out in 1992. The plant was less than a mile from the front lines of the conflict. Furthermore, electricity was a scarce commodity inside the city limits.

In spite of the obstacles, the factory continued to produce cigarettes. These were considered a priority item by the Bosnian government. As quoted in a New York Times articles in 1993: “Smoking is one luxury we enjoy, but for most people it’s more necessary than food,” said a 30-year-old Bosnian soldier named Izet.

Unfortunately, the factory was only able to produce 20 percent of its pre-war output of 20 million packs per month. It was able to provide that amount because, prior to the war, the company had large stocks of filters, paper, and tons of tobacco in its warehouse. The government also made the factory a priority recipient of electricity.

The two packs of cigarettes in the collection are notable because they are contained in wrappers made from local newspaper. The paper normally used to contain the pack was no longer available.