The present essay deals with the restitution process after the end of the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Restitution of illegally seized property during the war represents one of the key obstacles which posed a threat to the success of the post-war reconstruction of Bosnia.
Regardless of the nationalists' attempt to maintain status quo in ethnically cleansed territories, the international community pushed through new property laws which minimised the opposition of local elites.The essay analyses the extent of true success of the restitution process and how much the optimistic interpretation of its results influenced common attitude of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina.