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Astrida (Krasny) Bugarski was an outdoor enthusiast her whole life and devoted her career to collecting, researching, exhibiting, and documenting the traditional architecture and housing culture of the rural population of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Born in Mostar in 1937, she completed her primary and secondary education in Zagreb and Sarajevo. She studied geography with anthropogeography and graduated in 1961 from the Faculty of Science and Mathematics in Sarajevo.
She spent her entire working life, more than 40 years, in the Department of Ethnology of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, where she worked as a museum ethnologist. https://zemaljskimuzej.ba/en/ethnology
Astrida began her career as a curator-intern, and over the years she advanced to higher museum positions – from curator and senior curator to museum advisor. She also served as head of the ethnology department on several occasions and served as deputy director of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Astrida left her mark in Entire Bosnia and Hercegovina. She participated in long-standing scientific research activities throughout the country. She presented the results of her field research and scientific work in over thirty papers published in the Herald of the National Museum in Sarajevo, also numerous publications in Wissenschaftliche Mitteilungen des Bosnisch-Herzegowinischen Landesmuseums, the art and science magazine Croatian Thought Sarajevo, the yearbook for the cultural and historical heritage of Herzegovina in Mostar, as well as in other scientific and professional publications. Additionally, she published 4 books.
She set up a permanent Ethnographic exhibition in the museum of the Franciscan monastery Rama-Šćit in 2007. https://www.rama.co.ba/stranice/etnografski-muzej
Monastery of St. Francis Luke in Jajce engaged Astrida with renovation of the museum and setting up a permanent ethnological exhibition in the museum. It was completed in 2018.
Astrida passed away peacefully in April 2025 at the age of 89. Forever remembered by: her beloved son Aleksandar, her cherished daughter Aleksandra, her dear grandchildren Luka, Megan, and Shane, daughter-in-law Tanja, son-in-law Matthew, her brother Mladen, her nephew Ladislav, the Krasny, Krasni, Krcum, and McMullen families, along with many other relatives, friends, co-workers and neighbors.
She was highly respected and recognized among her work colleagues. She had a special gift to listen carefully to each presenter of information, to bake wonderful cakes and pies, to be a good mother and wife and grandmother, to be modest, dignified, quiet but recognizable, reliable, very beautiful inside and out and so much more. She will be missed.
Memorial donation fund has been set up in her name to create lasting legacy item in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Monasteries where her exhibitions are displayed and to publish one of her books in English language.
Thank you very much for contributing!