Paskulina Brick Factory was named after Emerih Paskolo, one of the wealthiest residents of Banja Luka during the interwar period. He also owned the Bosna Hotel and the family villa known as Vila Paskolo.
After World War II, in 1947, most of the properties were nationalized by the communists and placed under democratic control of the workers. The villa remained in the Paskolo family’s ownership and was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2010, though it is currently in a state of disrepair.
Following the 1969 earthquake, the Brick Factory was demolished. Later, barracks were constructed on its site to house various enterprises and institutions. The area also became home to worker clubs and associations, such as the “Nikola Tesla” radio club, the “Kosmos” computer club, and the Association of Aviation Mechanics. In the 1980s, the premises of “Narodna Tehnika” hosted the first computer courses in Banja Luka.
After the war in the 1990s, most of these enterprises collapsed during the privatization process, but a few companies still remained in the barracks. Vila Paskolo housed the British Consulate after the signing of the Dayton Agreement. However, it was destroyed during protests against NATO’s bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and has not been restored since.
Today, the area hosts new residential buildings and a café named “Ciglana”. Plans are underway to redevelop the site, but it is still unclear what will be built there.
