We bring to your attention material compiled from several programs of International Radio Serbia, Russian broadcasting, about the most interesting buildings in Belgrade associated with important historical events.
Royal Family of Serbia: From left to right - Prince Philip; pretender to the royal throne of Serbia, Crown Prince Alexander II (head of the royal house); Crown Princess Catherine; Princes Alexander and Peter.
And this is the summer palace complex in Dedina near Belgrade, which was returned to the ex-royal family several years ago.
The palaces in Dedin were built in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. From the outside, they were quite similar to the palaces of other enlightened monarchs of Europe at that time.
But the style of some of the chambers, designed then and surviving to this day, smelled of the long-gone Middle Ages.
Russian émigré architect Nikolai Krasnov, who worked for the Russian royal family before the revolution, at the request of the Yugoslav royal house, created some interiors in Dedina reminiscent of the ancient chambers of the Moscow Kremlin.
But the royal family of Yugoslavia did not want to live completely in the past in the new palace complex; the interiors of many rooms during construction were designed in a completely modern spirit. (Photos from the website of the Serbian royal family www.royalfamily.org).
Royal palaces …
So, first, about the royal palaces in the Dedine region, especially since for several years now the royal dynasty has returned to Belgrade, the capital of the republican state.
“At the beginning of April (2007) ... the two royal residences, located in the elite district of Belgrade, which is called Dedine, were opened to the general public. These palaces belonged and now, after almost 60 years of nationalization, again belong to one of the royal dynasties - the Karadjordjevic dynasty.
After power in Serbia passed into the hands of the democrats in 2000, the keys to the royal residences on Dedina were returned to the heirs of the royal Karadjordjevic dynasty. A descendant of King Alexander the First, Alexander the Second, Karageorgievich and his wife, the Greek princess Catherine, settled in the family estate. Thus, Belgrade joined the ranks of cities with a monarchical history and became more interesting to those tourists who are interested in it.
...Palaces in Dedino
- “Kraljevski dvor” and “Beli dvor”
The palace complex is located on the highest hill in Dedin, overlooking the city, the forests of Kosutnyak and Topchidera, Mount Avala, on a plot of 135 hectares. An older building, the Royal Palace, was built at the expense of King Alexander I, who lived here with Queen Mary and his son Peter, the father of the heir to the throne Alexander Karageorgievich, who now owns this house.
The palace complex occupies almost 130 hectares and consists of forest - 90 hectares, the rest is a park area around the residences. Once upon a time this land belonged to the Patriarchate, but the Karageorgievics bought it, and after marrying the Romanian Princess Mary, King Alexander in 1922... decided to build his summer residence there.
So it appeared "Old Palace"(called in Serbian “Kraljevski dvor”, part of the royal complex in Dedin, along with the “White Palace” “Beli dvor” - Website note) It was built by the architect Zivoin Nikolic, and the interior was designed and supervised by the Russian architect Nikolai Krasnov... The interiors of the palace are decorated Krasnov, modeled on the royal chambers of the Moscow Kremlin.
The construction of this two-story house in the Serbian-Byzantine style was completed in 1929. The facade cladding is made of the well-known white marble brought from the Adriatic island of Brac. The White House in Washington is also faced with the same marble. The old palace has several living rooms in the Renaissance and Baroque styles. The furniture has been preserved from that time and belongs to different eras. The walls are decorated with tapestries by French masters of the 17th century and earlier. Chinese porcelain is displayed in the windows. Both in the Old and White Palaces there are many paintings by Serbian artists, Venetian, Dutch and French masters. Some of them were for a long time considered to be paintings by Rembrandt, but later it was established that they were painted by his students. Before the Second World War, the library of the Old Palace contained almost 50 thousand valuable books. After the war, almost 35 thousand books were distributed to various libraries in Serbia. Now there are only seven thousand books left in the palace. In the library, fortunately, an ancient globe made by the famous 16th century cartographer Coroneli has been preserved.
Under the ground floor there are smoking lounges, a billiard room and one of the first cinema halls in Serbia. (As already mentioned), the Russian architect Nikolai Krasnov used the Old Russian style in the layout of these premises, in which the Kremlin chambers were built. Here you can see the only surviving sculpture of Queen Mary, who was not only a favorite of the Serbs, but also a talented artist.
The Royal Palace is connected by a colonnade to the palace chapel, dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle, the protector of this house, and it was built in the style of the church in Studenica, a monastery that was built three centuries before the discovery of America.
Another palace, which received the name "White", was built in the period 1934-37. King Alexander I Karageorgievich ordered its construction in 1934 on the five-year anniversary of his settlement in the neighboring Royal Palace, which was described above, for his sons - Peter, Tomislav and Andrei. Unfortunately, the king did not manage to live to see the completion of construction. He was killed in Marseille in 1934. (During his visit to France, this king was killed by a representative of the “Macedonian-Odrinian revolutionary organization that fought for the independence of Macedonia and Croatia. The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who accompanied the king, also died - Note site) The first tenant of Bely of the palace was Prince Pavle, appointed regent, who ruled the country until the tragic events of 1941 (Occupation of Yugoslavia by the German Reich in retaliation for the refusal of the Yugoslav royal government, made under popular pressure, to adhere to alliance agreements concluded with Nazi Germany - Note.. Born in London in 1945 Alexander II, heir to the throne, and at that time Comrade Tito moved into the White Palace, who ruled the country until his death in 1980. At that time, it was impossible for ordinary citizens to even approach the Dedinsky park, the palaces were strictly guarded by guards, but after the Karageorgievics returned to their homeland, at that time the cross was put up and the palaces opened their doors to visitors.
"White Palace" is a two-story white marble villa in the Serbian-Byzantine style, designed by architects Zivojin Nikolic and Nikolay Krasnov. The white marble for the facade was brought from the island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea. The White House in Washington is also lined with the same marble. The salons of the palace are designed in the Renaissance and Baroque style, the surviving furniture belongs to the styles of several eras, the walls are decorated with tapiseries by French masters of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the vaults in several rooms are painted with frescoes based on Serbian folk songs and copies of frescoes from the monasteries of Sopočani and Decani, which included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The central hall of the White Palace is decorated with a large portrait of King Alexander by the great Serbian artist Paja Jovanovic, as well as paintings by French painters of the first half of the 17th century. The dining room is furnished in Chippendale style. (The style is named after the English master Thomas Chippendale, who developed the style of carved furniture in the 18th century. Note website). There is also wonderful porcelain from Sèvres. In the large and small formal salons there is original furniture in the style of Louis XV, and Venetian chandeliers hang.”
Visitors can take a tour of the Karageogiević Palaces on weekends (Visiting only from April to November Note..
(Author Elena Gligoric. “International Radio Serbia”, Russian broadcasting - Two versions of this material, twice transmitted from Belgrade, have been combined: the original and expanded version, respectively, from 04/26/2007 and 04/28/2008).
Another attraction of Belgrade now bears the rather boring name “Museum of the History of Yugoslavia”. But it's not that simple. It is both a museum and a tomb. Radio Serbia International reported a few weeks ago:
Tito Memorial
In an illustration from the archive: “House of Flowers” in Belgrade - a memorial to Tito. Nowadays, the “House of Flowers” is part of the “Museum of the History of Yugoslavia.” The guard in the “House of Flowers” at Tito’s grave is depicted here.
“From the beginning of the year to mid-June, the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia was visited by 34.5 thousand people, which puts it in first place among all other museums in our country in terms of attendance.
The Museum of the History of Yugoslavia was created in 1996, when the Josip Broz Tito Memorial Center and the Museum of the Revolution were merged.
Currently, the museum has over 200 thousand exhibits telling about the history of Yugoslavia during the 20th century with a special emphasis on the life and work of the lifelong President of the SFRY Josip Broz Tito, who died in 1980. The Museum of the History of Yugoslavia also includes the 25 May Museum, the Old Museum and the House of Flowers.
The 25 May Museum was a gift from Belgrade for President Tito's seventieth birthday and was opened on 25 May 1961. Until 1982, this museum exhibited, stored and studied the gifts that President Tito received from citizens of his country and leaders of foreign countries during his many trips around the world. But the basis of the exhibition of this museum are the “relay batons” that Yugoslav youth presented to President Tito on his birthday, which was celebrated by the whole country on May 25. The relay race was traditional and the best, by the standards of that time, representatives of the youth carried it throughout the country and at the final rally in Belgrade they handed it over to the person for whom it was intended. In other words, this museum, like no other in our country, testifies to the respect, even turning into admiration, that the citizens of post-war Yugoslavia treated their president. Now the Museum on May 25th is hosting exhibitions and screenings of documentaries about the life and work of Tito.
The “House of Flowers”, with an area of 902 m2, was built in 1975 according to the design of the architect Stjepan Kral, as a winter garden in which President Tito could work and relax. It is located very close to the residence in which the president and his wife lived. The president was buried of his own free will in 1980 in the central part of the House of Flowers.
As we have already said, the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia also includes the Old Museum, built according to the design of the architect Branko Bon in 1964-65. Initially, it contained gifts received by Tito during his many trips around the country and abroad. There were so many of them that additional space was required. In 1987, part of the ethnographic collection of the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia was housed in the halls of the Old Museum. One of the most valuable exhibits of this collection is considered to be a “tanto” sword from the 14th century, a stone harp, and costumes of the inhabitants of Prizren in the second half of the 19th century. This is the oldest textile exhibit in the ethnographic collection of the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia. Around the museum there is a park with several dozen different plant species. It is decorated with sculptures by famous Yugoslav sculptors Antun Augustincic, Frano Krsinic, Stevan Bodnarov, Mira Jurisic, Vlad Petrich, Savva Sandic, Sreten Stojanovic.
Today, the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia is a modern cultural and tourist center, information about which can be found on the Internet. The exhibitions and permanent exhibitions organized in the museum are of interest to a wide range of visitors. The phenomenon of the museum is the collection of “relay batons”, which we told you about. All other museum exhibits are also interesting - archival documents, photographs and film material, sound recordings, books and everything else. (Author Slavka Sunajko. “International Radio of Serbia”, Russian broadcasting from 07/23/2009).
And now we return to the kings again. As is known, after the beginning of the process of liberation from the Ottomans and before the German occupation, and then the subsequent proclamation of a communist republic in 1945, two ruling dynasties ruled in succession in Belgrade - the Obrenovich and Karadjordjevic. The Obrenović Palace has also been preserved in Belgrade. It has an unoriginal name
"Old Palace" It houses the Belgrade City Hall. In some Russian sources, this palace is confused with the royal complex in Dedina, which also contains the “Old Palace” described above. So the “Old Palace” of the Obrenovichs - “Stari Dvor”.
Castle
Stari Dvor
“The old palace in Belgrade belonged to the royal Obrenović dynasty. It was built in two years (1882-84) according to the design of the architect Alexander Bugarsky, who was educated in Budapest. In Belgrade, several important buildings were built according to the designs of this architect, for example, the National Drama Theater of Opera and Ballet. The old palace was built in the academic style that was prevalent in Europe in the 19th century. And the second half of that century was for Serbia a time of liberation from centuries-old Turkish domination and all hopes for the further development of the country were connected with the latest European trends.
The first records about the Old Palace date back to the end of the 19th century and belong to the pen of the English traveler Herbert Vivien. The building delighted him. This is what he wrote. To the left of the main entrance is a superb ballroom, with lemon-colored walls and huge white Venetian glass chandeliers that sparkle pompously during special occasions. After passing the assembly hall, you find yourself in the banquet room, where everything sparkles, starting with the parquet flooring. In the center there is a large table made of carved Macagon wood, at which sixty people can sit. The chairs are upholstered in leather, the color of autumn leaves. It is impossible not to note the exquisite taste of the designers of this room, which is confirmed by every thing in it, be it functional furniture or decorative decorations.
Important political events during the reign of the Obrenović dynasty are associated with the Old Palace. By the time the palace building was built, Serbia had been proclaimed a kingdom. In 1889, King Milan abdicated power in favor of his son Alexander, who was killed in the same Old Palace in 1903 during the May coup. The Karageorgievic dynasty came to power and ruled until 1914. (Then they became the kings of Yugoslavia - website) The palace hosted meetings of the people's parliament, and until the start of the Second World War, palace receptions of distinguished foreign guests, balls and other entertainment for high society. During the war, the palace was badly damaged, and in 1947 its restoration began. After the war, the government was housed in the Old Palace building, and since 1961 it has become the seat of the Belgrade City Hall.
At the base of the Old Palace is a square with an area of 1600 m2. The facade looks impressive, but also very attractive, especially from the front entrance. A characteristic detail of the facade are the caryatids, smoothly turning into the palace colonnade. Like all palaces in the world, the Old Obrenovic Palace in Belgrade was filled with expensive household items and art...” (“International Radio of Serbia”, Russian broadcasting from 07/23/2009).
Building
parliament, which took a long time to build
In an illustration from the archive: The Serbian Parliament building, which previously housed the Yugoslav Parliament.
Another palace of modern Serbia used to house the authorities is the parliament building or, as they say in Serbia, “the house of the people’s assembly.” In 2007, this building celebrated one hundred years... since the start of construction. An employee of International Radio Serbia, Mirjana Otašević, then spoke about the history of this Serbian long-term construction project, which in the 2000s witnessed the revolutionary events that overthrew Milosevic. These events also unfolded in the square in front of parliament. Then still Yugoslav.
“(August 27, 2007) ... in the House of the People's Assembly ... the centenary of laying the foundation of the parliament building was celebrated ...
The building of the House of the People's Assembly in the center of Belgrade is one of the most beautiful and important architectural buildings in Serbia, a recognizable symbol of Belgrade. The cornerstone of the building on Nikola Pasic Square was laid in the presence of King Peter the Great Karadjordjevic. The House of the People's Assembly was built near the then Tashmajdan Park, the place where on November 30, 1830, the hatisherif (order - Note site) of the (Turkish) Sultan was read, by whom the Serbian people received the right to freedom, and Milos Obrenovic became the crown prince of the Serbian state.
The first law on the National Assembly of Serbia was adopted back in 1858, and on its basis the founding Assembly of St. Andrew was convened. Before the completion of the construction of the House, meetings were held in the People's Theater, the Kapitan Miša building (now the University of Notes - Note site), and some in the buildings of the People's Assembly in (the cities of) Kragujevac and Niš.
The construction of the building lasted almost three decades, and it was accompanied by turbulent events on the historical and political scene of Serbia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The first design was made by the architect Jovan Ilkic, but after the unification of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918 into a joint state, the structure of the representative body changed, which required a different design for the building. After the death of Jovan Ilkic, his son Pavel was entrusted with making adjustments to the project, so the work continued from 1920 to 1926.
Nikolai Krasnov was the main designer for the next stage of construction, which began in 1934, and he made a great contribution to the representativeness of the parliament building, especially in the interior design. The sculpture “Black Horses Pranced” by Toma Rosadić was installed at the entrance to the building in 1939, and gave a special imprint to this monumental object.
The construction of the House of the People's Assembly of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was completed in 1936, and on October 20 the first meeting was held there. During World War II, the building on Nikola Pasic Square housed the German Command, so it was spared destruction.
After 1945, Serbia becomes one of the six republics of the new socialist, federal Yugoslav state. The parliament building hosted meetings of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and then of the state community of Serbia and Montenegro. After the Montenegrin independence referendum in 2006, the building became the House of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Serbia...
The deputies will introduce innovations in the work, so that they will return the seats in the center of the hall, where ministers, the prime minister and the president of Serbia will sit when they are present at meetings, and the first rows will be occupied by representatives of all parties in proportion to the number of seats received in parliament" (International Radio Serbia , Russian broadcasting. 08/26/2007).
That's all the main palaces of modern Belgrade. We have not talked in detail about one more thing - the so-called. The “New Palace” - “Novi dvor”, which previously housed the royal family in winter, later housed the Yugoslav authorities, and now houses the President of Serbia.
Information
on the topic of attractions in Belgrade:
The symbol of Belgrade is the tower on Mount Avale
In an illustration from the website of the Russian broadcasting “International Radio Serbia”: The reconstruction of the TV tower on Mount Avala is nearing completion.
“The Eiffel Tower is a symbol of Paris, the Statue of Liberty is of New York, the Kremlin is of Moscow, and for several decades the symbol of Belgrade was the TV tower on Mount Avala. The TV tower was destroyed by several aerial bombs hitting it on April 29, 1999 during the NATO bombing of the FRY. Today, ten years later, the Serbian capital is once again adorned with a tower that will soon be inaugurated. Note by Elena Gligoric.
The TV tower on Mount Avala, whose height is 511 m above sea level, has been a landmark for travelers for many years, indicating that they are approaching the capital. The tower was built in 1965 according to the design of architects Ugleša Bogdanović and Slobodan Janjic. It was an architectural masterpiece, awarded in Paris as the most beautiful television tower in Europe. The height of the television tower was 203 meters, making it the tallest structure in the Balkans. It was also a unique object in the construction sense, since its cross section was an equilateral triangle.
Tower on Mount Avala in daylight and night lights. Since 2009, the tower is again the main transmitter of the Serbian domestic radio and television RTS for the whitecity region. You can find out more about Serbiancom radio and TV yesterday and today from other publications on our site. For more information about modern satellite broadcasts from the countries of the former Yugoslavia, see our website . And about the fascinating history of Yugoslav broadcasting abroad with archival audio recordings of the call signs “Radio Belgrade” in 1975 (English program) and “Radio Yugoslavia” in 1982 (Russian program) can be found in our publication .
The destruction of the TV tower in the NATO bombing of 1999 was extremely emotional for Belgrade residents, since for them it was more than just a tower. It was a sign that we were home, it was visible in all parts of Belgrade, and from the observation deck located on the TV tower, there was a view of the hilly and fertile Šumadija (historical region in central Serbia - Approx. site). That is why one could expect that one day the tower would be built again in Belgrade.
(It should be noted that NATO, during the bombing of Belgrade, took all possible measures to avoid casualties - even warning about upcoming bombing targets. As for the Serbian Radio and Television - RTS, it served as the mouthpiece of Milosevic's policy until the very end of the Milosevic regime , not allowing dissent. Later, RTS formally apologized to citizens for its activities under the Milosevic regime and now pursues a balanced editorial policy. Note website)
The initiator of the action to recreate the tower was the editor of RTS Milos Bata Milatovic and the Union of Journalists of Serbia, and about 8 million euros for the construction of the tower were raised by citizens, the city (city hall), and the republic (represented by the Serbian government). Work began in 2007. The new tower, which was built on the old site, is slightly higher than the previous one, and again the tallest in the Balkans. Its height is 204.68 m, the design is the same, but technically more modern. In the center of the structure there are two elevators that take visitors to the very top of the tower in less than a minute. At 122 meters there is an observation deck, and below it there is a restaurant. This is one of the levels of the tower dome, under which there is a television broadcast hall.
The structure will be unique in its seismic resistance - it will be able to withstand tremors with a force of 9.2 points on the 12-point Mercalli scale. About 4 thousand tons of reinforced concrete were used for it, and the materials used in construction are resistant to high temperatures. The designers calculated that the top of the tower under the blows of the Belgrade koshava (wind) would deviate by a maximum of 60 cm, while the amplitude of the antenna oscillations would reach 1 meter. As for the stability of the tower, it should be said that the three support legs are 9 meters deep into the ground.
The Avala Tower, a landmark and symbol of the city, shone over Belgrade again. Mount Avala, on which it rises, is located 15 km from the center of Belgrade. It is the watershed of two rivers flowing through Belgrade, the Danube and the Sava. It is rich in minerals, which were mined here by the ancient Romans. About 600 plant species grow on Avala. Belgrade residents like to relax here, having picnics, and lovers of hiking. Avala talks about the history of Serbia, about turbulent military events, which are reminded, in particular, by the monument to the Unknown Hero and the monument to Soviet military leaders.”
The review was prepared based on the programs of “International Radio Serbia”, Russian broadcasting, broadcast in 2007-2009).
Compilation and notes site
GIOLNew Palace(Serbian Novi dvor) is the royal residence of the dynasty and subsequent ones. Today it is a residence. The palace is located on Andrićev Venac in , Serbia, opposite the building.
Story
Construction of the palace
The New Palace building was erected as a new residence and the last of the buildings of the complex of palace buildings on Therasia. From an architectural and artistic point of view, it resists the assembly and creates a complex of the most significant buildings in . It was built in accordance with the original concept according to the ambitious design of the architect Alexander Bugarski (1880). The central place would be occupied by the royal palace, which was to be built on the site of the Old Residence (the former home of Stojan Simic). The old palace (g.) was intended as the left wing of the palace, the palace of the heir to the throne, built in the middle of the city for the heir to the throne, as the right wing. It is believed that the palace of the heir to the throne, Prince Michael, was built according to the design of the architect Kosta Šreplovich in the Romantic style, but some sources indicate that he only supervised the finishing work and the project was, in fact, developed by Jovan Frenzl and Josif Kasno, the most famous architects in the Main Bureau construction. The construction of this building already indicated a tendency to construct the palace complex as a three-part composition. However, Prince Mikhailo lived in the Old Residence, and the new building was intended for the Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs.
The idea to build the New Palace arose after the murder and demolition of the Old Residence a year later. The new king lived in the Old Residence, which in the previous period was used only for ceremonial receptions. Since the Old Palace was not a suitable home for a monarch, it seemed only natural to build a new residence.
The foundation stone for the New Palace for Alexander I Karageorgievich began according to the design of Stojan Titelbach (1877-1916), an outstanding Serbian architect from the beginning of the 20th century. The New Palace is his only known project, which he designed as an architect for the Ministry of Construction. The building of the New Palace was completed in the city. It suffered great damage and was carefully restored in 1919-1922. under the leadership of a special Commission, which simultaneously worked on the project of the Old Palace. Among the members of the commission, which took full care of the future palace and the marshal's main headquarters, were the artist and architects of the Ministry of Construction Petar Popović and Momir Korunović. The new palace became the official royal residence in June when Alexander I Karadjordjevic and his wife moved into the building.
Construction style
Modern view of the palace
The architecture of the New Palace reflected the idea of the historical integrity of the complex, emphasizing the tendency to complete, in a spatial and symbolic sense, the idea of the state. The building of the New Palace was built as an architectural analogue of the Old Palace. The three-story building was built in the academic style with elements taken mainly from Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The most representative façade faces the garden, and the corner risalit, standing on the corner of the building, is designed in the form of a dome similar to the architectural design of the Old Palace. In this way, the harmony of the palace complex and its symmetry were achieved. In the façade division system, the first and second floors occupy a central place as the only compositional solution; the ground floor is designed in a rustic style, while the third floor is designed independently and more modestly. The division of the main facade is emphasized by the side projections and the central projection, in the middle of which there is a main entrance with an oval canopy. In accordance with the purpose of the building, heraldic symbols occupied a special place on the facade. In the lunette of the central risalit there was the coat of arms of the royal Karageorgievich dynasty. The tallest and therefore dominant part of the New Palace is the cospired tower, on top of which there is a bronze double-headed eagle in flight, which represents the main element connecting the facades with views of the streets of Kraja Milana and Andriev Venac. Another important heraldic symbol existed under the dome of the corner tower: two identical, symmetrically arranged shields with a cross and four flints, that is, a segment of the coat of arms and later an integral segment of the coat of arms. The central motif of the facade overlooking Andriev Venats Street was an arched risalit, above which there was a monumental composition with a coat of arms in the center.
The layout of the premises of the New Palace was approved by the project from 1911 in accordance with the purpose of the building. The first floor was reserved for receptions and dining rooms, the part of the building overlooking Milan's edge was reserved for VIP guests, and the second and third floors were intended for the royal family. There was no room for a kitchen in the project, but nearby there was a house in the Shumadija style, connected by a tunnel to the first floor of the palace. The representative interior design and furnishing of the premises with expensive furniture were made by the French company Bezier. Particular attention was paid to the interior design of the lobby, assembly hall, dining room, rooms in Bosnian, Japanese and English styles, rooms intended for the residence of the king and queen.
The fence with gates and guard boxes, separating the buildings and garden from the streets of the edge of Milan, was an integral part of the palace complex and represented an element that connected the new and old palace. The building for the palace guard played a similar role. The architect Momir Korunovic carried out the expansion and reconstruction of the facade of this building (1919/1920) in such a way as to ensure uniformity in the styles of the New and Old Palaces. A gate in the form of a triumphal arch with relief plastic and heraldic symbols, an arched building for the palace guards, a garden with a fountain located between the palaces gave the ensemble of palace buildings a representative and solemn appearance.
Prince Paul Museum
The New Palace building was the official royal residence from 1922 to 1934. When the royal family moved to the new palace on Dedina, at the request of the king, this building became the Royal Museum of Prince Paul. (later renamed the Prince Paul Museum.) The museum was one of the most important cultural institutions in the kingdom, and according to contemporaries it belonged to a number of the most modern museums in Europe. The exhibition itself was unique and unusual. On the first floor prehistoric, ancient and medieval artifacts were exhibited, on the second floor there was a collection of monuments of national culture and Yugoslav art of the 19th century, the third floor was intended for modern European art, among which works of domestic masters occupied an important place. The Prince Paul Museum was located in the building of the New Palace until it received a new purpose during the change of government.
The changes look
New Palace, Belgrade
The reconstruction of the Old and New Palaces and the new purpose of these buildings after World War II turned the palace complex into the administrative center of the state and the republic. In order to connect the former palace complex with the building of the National Assembly, the fence and the palace guard building were demolished, and the garden was turned into Pioneer Park. According to the project of the architect Milan Mirnić (—), work was carried out on the reconstruction and expansion of the building of the former New Palace for the needs of the NDC Presidency. A large assembly hall with a vestibule was built, the facade overlooking the Old Palace received a completely new architectural solution, which was emphasized by a colonnade of Ionic columns, while the side lines and lines of the original architectural solution overlooking the streets of Milan and Andriev Venac were preserved. In accordance with the changes, on the eastern side of the New Palace there was an entrance opposite the Pioneer Park, and the heraldic symbols were replaced by the symbols of the new state. Particular attention is paid to the interior design of the annexed part, decorated with works of the most significant Yugoslav artists: Toma Rosadiћ, Milan Milunoviћ, Milica Zoriћ and others.
Since 1953, the New Palace building has been intended to house the highest government bodies. It housed the Executive Council of the LDCs, the Council of the LDCs, the Chairmanship of the SDC and, for a long period of time, the Chairmanship of the Republic of Serbia. The New Palace and its associated buildings are one of the most precious historical cores of Belgrade. Due to its historical, cultural, social and architectural value, it was declared a cultural heritage in 1983 (“Service list of the city of Beograd” br. 4/83).
Gallery
In Belgrade there is the Temple of St. Sava (the largest church in the Balkans), Kalemegdan with the Belgrade Fortress, cultural monuments and other cultural values, numerous archaeological sites with samples of material culture, testifying to a developed civilization and culture in the territory of Belgrade from prehistory to the present day.
The long period of Turkish rule left behind many buildings in Belgrade. However, the Turkish period was actively rejected by the collective identity of the Serbs after the creation of an independent Serbian state in the 19th century. This led to the fact that the Ottoman heritage was actively destroyed during the initial period of the creation of an independent state. Therefore, the main historical attractions of the Serbian capital can be called, first of all, the buildings that were erected after the creation of the Serbian state. These buildings, naturally, are not very ancient and, as a rule, are of a status character.
The four royal palaces left over from the Obrenović and Karađorđević dynasties that ruled the country after independence from the Ottoman Empire, as well as the building of the Assembly Parliament, can be considered the main attractions of Belgrade. Of the four royal palaces, two are located in the Belgrade suburb of Dedine. These are the palaces “Royal” (Serbian “Krajevski dvor”, “Kraljevski dvor”) and “White” (Serbian “Beli dvor”, “Beli dvor”). The residence in Dedina was built between 1922 and 1937. The Russian emigrant architect Nikolai Krasnov, who worked for the Russian royal family before the revolution in Russia, took an active part in the construction of the “Royal Palace”. The architect designed some rooms of the “Palace” in the style of the ancient Kremlin chambers in Moscow. The “Royal Palace” is also called “Old”, since it was built before the “White”. But in Belgrade there is another “Old Palace” - this is the palace of the Obrenović dynasty, which now houses the Belgrade City Hall. Another palace in Belgrade is the so-called. “New Palace” (Serbian: “Novi dvor”, “Novi dvor”), which currently houses the residence of the President of Serbia.
Belgrade Fortress is a kind of museum of Belgrade's past, a place where you can literally see the passage of time.
From the Belgrade Fortress there is an exceptional view of the mouth of the Sava to the Danube, New Belgrade and Zemun. The complex consists of the fortress itself, divided into the Upper Town (Despot's Gate, Sahat Kula (Clock Tower), Roman Well, Statue of the Victor), the Lower Town (Nebojsa Tower, Turkish Bath, Charles VI Gate) and Kalemegdan Park, in which There are busts of people who played a big role in the country's history, science and culture. In Kalemegdan Park there is a Pavilion named after Cvieta Zuzorich, the Grand Staircase, a zoological garden, a children's park and many more monuments and sculptures, several sports grounds. To the south of the Kalemegan fortress, Novi Grad grew up with spacious neighborhoods, parks, and boulevards. The most notable features here are the Church of St. Mark, the building of the People's Assembly, the complex of industrial fair buildings and others built in the Stalinist style.
Stari Grad is the oldest part of Belgrade, located next to the fortress. Museums, palaces, and restaurants are concentrated here. A visit to the old quarter of Skadarlije is a must; Palace of Princess Ljubica, built in the Balkan style with a collection of furniture; the house of Prince Milos, 19th century, striking in its splendor; Bayrakli-Jamil Mosque 17th century; Ada Siganlija Park; Temple of St. Sava; remains of Roman, Turkish, Serbian fortifications; Gallery of frescoes and many other historical and architectural monuments.
An important landmark of Belgrade is also the “House of Flowers” (Serbian: “Kuћa tsveћa”, “Ku?a cve?a”), in which the leader of post-war Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito is buried. The House of Flowers is part of the Museum of Yugoslav History museum complex.
A visit to Belgrade museums is a walk through entire eras, creating a picture of the history of the city and state. There are only 50 museums in Belgrade. Of these, we can highlight the Museum of Modern Art, created in 1945, the Museum of the Revolution, and the Ethnographic Museum, which contains national costumes of Serbia. National Museum 1844, which houses archaeological collections and collections of European painting. The rich collections of Belgrade museums arose during the 19th and 20th centuries. The private collections of wealthy families today represent a significant portion of the wealth housed in Belgrade's museums. An important place is occupied by the legacy of artists, collectors and those who, through their activities, left a mark on cultural, scientific and social life.
There are about 300 cultural monuments in Belgrade, among which 57 are of exceptional and great importance for the culture of Serbia and Belgrade. Particularly important are the Belgrade Fortress, the Cathedral Church, the Monument to the Unknown Hero on Avala, the Monument at the place of death of the despot Stefan Lazarevich (Crkvina near Mladenovac), the Cemetery of the Liberators of Belgrade, the late Roman tomb in Brestovik, the Log Church in Vranić, the home of the voivode Stjepa Stepanović, the Palace of the Princess Lyubitsy, Captain-Mishino building.
Belgrade is proud of its parks, greenery, and alleys. In the spring, Belgrade's parks become a place for respite and enjoyment, in the summer a refuge from the heat and bustle of the city, in the fall they are a calming place before winter, which is approaching. Even in winter, parks provide many Belgrade residents with a refuge from the bustle of the city. The first public park was established in 1860 at the intersection of Prince Milos and Nemanina streets and was called Financial Park. Today there are 65 public parks in Belgrade. The most famous are Kalemegdan Park, Tashmaydan Park, Friendship Park, Hyde Park and Pioneer Park. The city has 37 natural resources under its care, mainly long-lived and rare trees. Among them is the pedunculate oak of Melnice in the Sopot village of Nemanikucze, which is more than 230 years old. There is a group of nine oak trees near the Jazić hut in Obrenovac, which are about 180 years old, as well as a huge plane tree planted during the construction of the Palace of Prince Miloš Obrenović in 1834 and a hundred-year-old cedar planted by Joseph Pančić on Tolstoya Street on the Crown of Sava.
Preparations for the trip to Belgrade were short-lived. The trip turned out to be spontaneous. It was March, and I was already pretty tired of training. I really wanted to take part in the competition. The matter remains small. Buy tickets to a visa-free country and find suitable competitions. After searching the Internet, a suitable option was found - Serbia, Belgrade. Competitions right in the city. There is no need to go anywhere. I decided to go.
I immediately began preparing for the trip. I read articles, notes and took away the main idea from them. The Serbs are almost like brothers to us. Many understand and speak Russian. In general, feel at home.
I decided to devote the first day to the city center. I also found a tourist center at the airport. Interestingly, the brothers did not prepare information in their native language. I had to use a map of attractions and printouts from home preparation. Route map mapsengine.google.com Just as the theater begins with a hanger, so the city begins with the station. That's why I headed there. The station building resembles the station buildings of our provincial cities, just as small and with a minimum of amenities. It was built back in 1884. Cash desks are called reservations.
First impressions are usually the freshest and most accurate, until your eyes become blurred. Buildings in the Art Nouveau style stand side by side with block buildings from the times of socialism. In order to find interesting objects you have to climb up the hill.
The beginning was spiritual. The first thing on my way was the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, built in 1863 in the style of old Serbian monasteries. The first icons for the church were painted by Nikola Markovich in 1864.
Further along Knyaz Miloš Street we turn onto King Milan Street. Here it is worth special mentioning the names of Serbian streets. Since the founding of the city, streets, like ours, have often been renamed. The era changed, and the names of the streets also changed. But the most interesting thing is that now you can see all the names of a given street on the signs, and therefore trace its historical fate.
So, distracted by this feature, we reach the square, where two palaces stand opposite each other - the Old and the New.
The old one was built in 1822 by the Obrenovic family in the spirit of 19th-century academic architecture. The task for the builders was to surpass all the residences of Serbian rulers that existed before that time. The most elegant decoration of the facade faces the garden. The most impressive thing about it is the sculptures on the second floor level. They are also repeated on the façade towards the Via Rei Milano, and below them there is a row of Doric columns. Now the people's assembly and the mayor of the city meet in the palace.
Opposite stands the New Palace built in 1911. The building, with four floors and a distinctive corner dome, is the best that was built in the city immediately after the First World War. The New Palace was the official residence of King Alexander Karađorđević from 1922 to 1933, after which, at the request of the king, the Palace was transferred to the Museum of Prince Paul, who took up residence in these premises in June 1934. The museum's collections were located in the New Palace until 1948, when the building was transferred to the Serbian Assembly. Today the New Palace is the building of the President of the Republic of Serbia.
This microdistrict where I found myself can be called the center of the governing forces of Serbia. Opposite the Palaces, through the Pioneer Park, you can see another building where the highest ranks of the Serbian leadership meet. This is the House of the People's Assembly. It is located on Nikola Pasic Square. This sprawling square is the youngest in the city and was formed in 1953. Nikola Pasic Square
From the square through a small alley we get to another famous square, Terazije Square. Russian hotel and not only on Terazije Square
While I was exploring the square, I wanted to taste something and not just fill my stomach, but get pleasure from it. All information sources found recommend the Skadarlija area for these purposes. It is located very close to Terazije Square. Now this small street is the epicenter of tourist culinary life. In a small area there are a large number of restaurants serving Serbian cuisine. Here you can taste almost all specialties. For my meals, I chose the restaurant "Three Sheshira" ("Three Hats"). The historic restaurant helped me taste the local cutlet "Pljeskavice" and, for my money, enjoy the local ensemble playing melodies based on nationality. It is clear that “Moscow Evenings” were performed for me.
In addition, the street attracted the local creative elite. Many famous writers, actors, artists and journalists lived here. At the beginning of the street there is a guide post that shows the distance and direction to similar corners of different countries. Our Arbat is also here. Below is a map of restaurants.
After visiting, I conclude that a one-time visit to this place is enough and you need to look for restaurants where they cook delicious food. Which is what happened later. While I was eating, evening came, and with it twilight, in which I reached my hotel.
Palaces in Serbia were built from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century in a variety of styles - from Baroque to Classicism. They cannot boast of the luxury of Versailles, but they are interesting and beautiful in their own way. Most of the palaces are located in Vojvodina, and the most famous are the buildings built for the royal family in Belgrade. As befits such architectural monuments, almost each of them preserves its own legend. Today, the fate of Serbian palaces is different: some house government institutions and museums, others are privately owned. The largest number of palaces (about 85) are located in Vojvodina; in other regions of the country there are no more than 20. The presence of a large number of palaces in Vojvodina is explained by the fact that it was under the rule of Austria-Hungary for many years.
Dedine Palace Complex
The Dedine palace complex in Belgrade occupies an area of almost 130 hectares. Once upon a time this land belonged to the Patriarchate, but the Karađorđevićs bought it, and in 1922, after marrying the Romanian Princess Mary, King Alexander decided to build his summer residence here. This is how the Royal Palace (Kraljevdvor) appeared. It was built in 1929 by the architect Zivoin Nikolić, and the interiors were designed and supervised by the Russian architect Nikolai Krasnov. They are in many ways reminiscent of the chambers of the royal chambers of the Moscow Kremlin. The façade is faced with the well-known white marble brought from the Adriatic island of Brac. The White House in Washington is also faced with the same marble. The living rooms of the Royal Palace are decorated with furniture in Renaissance and Baroque styles. The walls are decorated with paintings by Serbian, French, Venetian and Dutch artists, as well as tapestries by French masters of the 17th and earlier centuries. Chinese porcelain is displayed in the windows. Before the Second World War, the palace library contained almost 50 thousand valuable books; now only seven thousand remain. Fortunately, an ancient globe made by the famous 16th-century cartographer Coronelli has been preserved. Under the ground floor there are smoking lounges, a billiard room and one of the first cinema halls in Serbia. The Royal Palace is connected by a colonnade to the palace chapel, dedicated to St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle, protector of the royal house.
White Palace
The White Palace (Belidvor) was built between 1934 and 1937. by order of Alexander I Karađorđevich. Unfortunately, the king did not live to see the completion of construction - he was killed in Marseille in 1934. The first occupant of the White Palace was Prince Paul, who was appointed regent, who ruled the country until the tragic events of 1941. When Alexander II, heir to the throne, was born in London in 1945, Comrade Tito moved into the White Palace. At that time, it was impossible for ordinary citizens to even approach Dedinsky Park, and the palaces were strictly guarded. The White Palace is a two-story white marble villa in the Serbian-Byzantine style, designed by architects Zivojin Nikolic and Nikolay Krasnov. The white marble for the façade was brought from the island of Brac. The palace's salons are designed in Renaissance and Baroque styles. The surviving furniture belongs to several eras. The walls are decorated with tapestries made by French masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. The vaults in several rooms are painted with frescoes based on Serbian folk songs and copies of frescoes from the monasteries of Sopocani and Decani, which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The central hall of the White Palace is decorated with a large portrait of King Alexander by the Serbian the artist Paya Jovanovic, as well as paintings by French painters of the first half of the 17th century. The dining room is furnished in Chippendale style. There is also wonderful porcelain from Sèvres. In the large and small formal salons there is original furniture in the style of Louis XV, and Venetian chandeliers hang.
Old Palace
The Old Palace (Stari Dvor) is now the City Hall of Belgrade. It was built in two years (1882-84) in the academic style according to the design of the architect Alexander Bugarski, who was educated in Budapest. Important political events during the reign of the Obrenović dynasty are associated with the Old Palace. By the time the palace building was built, Serbia had been proclaimed a kingdom. In 1889, King Milan abdicated power in favor of his son Alexander, who was killed in the same Old Palace in 1903 during the May coup. The Karađorđević dynasty came to power and ruled until 1914. The palace hosted meetings of the people's parliament, and until the outbreak of the Second World War, palace receptions of distinguished foreign guests, balls and other entertainments for high society. During the Second World War, the palace was badly damaged, so its restoration began in 1947. After the war, the government was housed in the Old Palace building, and since 1961 it has become the seat of the Belgrade City Hall.
New Palace
New Palace (Novi dvor) from 1922 to 1934 was the royal residence of the Karađorđević dynasty. Today it is the residence of the President of Serbia. The palace is located on Andrichev Crown, opposite the building of the Old Palace. Construction took place from 1911 to 1914. designed by Stojan Titelbach (1877-1916), an outstanding Serbian architect of the early twentieth century. During the First World War the building was badly damaged, but by 1922 it was completely restored. When the royal family moved to the new royal palace on Dedina, at the request of King Alexander, this building became the Royal Museum of Prince Paul. The museum was located in the New Palace building until 1948, when it was turned into the administrative center of the state and republic. In order to connect the former palace complex with the building of the National Assembly, the fence and the palace guards' quarters were demolished, and the garden was turned into Pioneer Park. Due to its historical, cultural, social and architectural value, the New Palace was declared a monument of cultural heritage of Serbia in 1983.
Palace Fantast
The Fantast Palace is located near the town of Becej, in the central part of Vojvodina. It was built in 1923 for the famous landowner Bogdan Dundjerski. One of the richest people of his time wanted to make his old dream of the best estate in the world come true. On an area of 65 hectares there is a palace, a chapel of St. George and a stable. The palace is a mixture of different forms and styles, atypical for these spaces. Now only the walls and doors have been preserved in their original form. Nothing remained of the luxurious interior and valuables - everything disappeared back in 1945. Bogdan Dundzhersky never married; he had three passions in life: women, wine and horses. It is not surprising that most of the estate was occupied by a stable, and a place of honor was given to the grave of a horse named Inquisitor. After the war, almost one and a half thousand purebred trotters were sold to Italians, and at slaughterhouse prices. They say that Djunjerski still cannot forgive his descendants for this. Once a year, on the night of August 19, his spirit saddles the shadow of the Inquisitor and travels around his former possessions. Fortunately, Bogdan’s grave is located right there, in the Chapel of St. George, painted by his close friend, the famous artist Uros Predic. But so far no one has suffered from the punishing hand of the owner and the hooves of his beloved horse. On the contrary, the Fantast Palace is one of the most visited tourist places in Vojvodina. There is a hotel here, the park has sports grounds and tennis courts, and paths for leisurely walks. Guests at the complex can take several horse riding lessons.
Kapetanovo Palace
Kapetanovo Palace is located near the town of Stari Lec, not far from the road Zrenjanin - Vršac. The Banat County Bela Botka ordered it to be built in 1904 in the image and likeness of the medieval castles of the Polish nobility. Two high pediments with battlements, a massive square tower and lancet windows perfectly convey the spirit of romantic historicism. On the ground floor of the palace there was a living room, a library, a dining room and a kitchen, and upstairs there were bedrooms. After World War I, an agrarian reform was carried out, as a result of which Bela lost almost all of his fortune and indulged in drunkenness and gambling. As a result, in the summer of 1938, the Kapetanovo Palace became one of the lots at the public auction. In despair, Botka's wife, the beautiful Emma, committed suicide: she set herself on fire on the palace tower. The new owner of the estate was the wealthy merchant Franz May, who bought it at auction as a dowry for his daughter. In honor of her husband, Milan Kapetanov, who owned the castle until the end of World War II, it received its current name. Until August 2006, Kapetanovo was owned by the state, and then sold as a hotel and completely restored. But the luxury hotel has not yet accepted a single guest. They say that the spirit of the beautiful Emma resists this.
Palace in Nowy Knezewiec
The palace in Nowy Kneževec was built in 1782 by order of the wealthy merchant Marko Serwijski. This is one of the most beautiful palaces in Vojvodina, built in the late Baroque style. Its characteristic feature, for example, is a terrace decorated with a wrought-iron fence and a central projection ending in an attic. The facade of the building is richly decorated with stucco, in the center there is an image of the coat of arms of the Servian family. Once upon a time, the building housed a rich library - more than three thousand books, a collection of hunting portraits and old trophy weapons. The interior was distinguished by expensive furniture, numerous silver and bronze jewelry, and elegant porcelain dishes. The palace building was surrounded by a beautiful park. Nowadays the court and administration of public utilities of the Novi Knezevac community are located here. This building has been declared a cultural monument of great importance.
Belimarkovic Palace
The Belimarković Palace was erected in Vrnjacka Banja according to the design of the Viennese architect Franz Winter with the participation of Pavel Denich in 1882-1887. It was intended for General Belimarković, the minister of the king Miloš Obrenović and the regent of the minor king Aleksandar Obrenović. The luxurious two-story building was built in the spirit of romanticism with elements of the Renaissance style, modeled on the villas of northern Italy. White marble from the general's personal quarry was used for construction. The symmetry of the building is emphasized by the central projection. A decorative wall was erected above the cornice crowning the palace. A wide staircase rises to the porch, and four pillars are installed here that support the second floor terrace. Belimarkovich's heirs lived here until the seventies of the last century, when the building was purchased by the state and restored. Currently it is called the “Castle of Culture”; a local history museum is located here, exhibitions, concerts, and presentations are held. The Belimarković Palace has been declared a monument of cultural heritage of Serbia of special significance.
