EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS 2017

Historical Museum of Serbia

Nikola Pašić Square, The Residence of Prince Miloš in Topčider

The Historical Museum of Serbia is one of the participants in the “European Heritage Days” in Serbia for 2017, which takes place from September 15 to October 2.

The Residence of Prince Miloš

The Historical Museum of Serbia is one of the participants in the “European Heritage Days” in Serbia for 2017, which takes place from September 15 to October 2. This year’s edition is organized under the common theme “Heritage and Nature: A Landscape of Possibilities”.

The opening ceremony of the “European Heritage Days” took place on Friday, September 15, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., on the plateau in front of the Residence of Prince Miloš in Topčider. What is being celebrated in this year’s EHD programme is the intrinsic relationship between people and nature. Emphasis is placed on the heritage values embodied in nature. The goal is to educate visitors about the history of Belgrade and its hospitality, through our dedication to the positive values of life. This is an opportunity to learn more about Belgrade in the past, as well as about aikido, a Japanese martial art, the old dances of Europe and the exotic trees which were brought here to the Balkans. “Heritage and Nature” have no limits when affected by people who contribute to the well-being of all and who cherish traditional values, adjust them to contemporary changes and ensure their duration by conveying life-enhancing experiences that spread friendship and cooperation amid diversity.

Our cultural heritage helps emphasize the extent to which the environment has shaped our lifestyle, as well as to what extent it has brought together different cultures in the Balkans.

The rest of the programme at the opening ceremony included:

The story about the Platanus (plane) tree near the Residence of Prince Miloš – a monument of nature.
A demonstration of aikido, a martial art: The word “aikido” is formed of three kanji (logographic Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese writing system): ai, ki and do. They are often translated as harmony, energy, and path, meaning “the path of harmony through energy”.
The poems of famous poets.
A lecture on the Residence of Prince Miloš.
A short history of the waltz and a demonstration of the waltz.

The organizer of the programme was the Geodetic Technical School, supported by the Historical Museum of Serbia, Snežana Antonijević, organizer for the protected natural heritage, and Jasmina Trifunović, B.Sc., organizer for the protected natural heritage, PE “Zelenilo”, Zoran Mićić, from “Novi Beograd” Aikido Club, and Olivera Vojinović, Ivana Vranić and Vladimir Vranić from “Artdance” Dance Club.

The workshop for the youngest members of the audience “Horoscope of Plants” took place on Sunday, September 17, at 11 a.m., on the plateau in front of the Residence of Prince Miloš, and included a sightseeing tour of Topčider Park. The participants heard a wonderful story about the Druids: who were they and why they glorified trees, attributing human characteristics to them; in addition, they learned about the connection between the “horoscope of plants” and the Obrenović family. To better understand the stories, the kids were accompanied by a teacher dressed as Ljutmila (“Grumpy Lady”). In the park, they learned about the environment, tree species, watercourses, park flowers, ecological consciousness and many other interesting things. At the end of the workshop, the participants visited the place where Prince Michael Obrenović was assassinated in Košutnjak.

The organizers were the Historical Museum of Serbia and the “Open Air Workshop” Cultural and Educational Centre.

Nikola Pašić Square

Exhibitions at Nikola Pašić Square 11, free of charge between September 27 and October 1, from 12 a.m. to 8 p.m.

An exclusive exhibition of paintings by Caspar (Gaspar) van Wittel, the Dutch painter, which are part of the unique art collection of the Intesa Sanpaolo banking group, provides a great opportunity to get acquainted with works which have not been exhibited in Serbia until now. Gaspar van Wittel was born in Holland in 1652/53, but spent most of his life in Italy, which is why he is also known as Gaspare Vanvitelli. Appreciated as one of Rome’s most famous landscapists, Gaspar van Wittel played a pivotal role in the development of the genre of topographical painting known as “veduta”. Two of his best known works of art from the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries, executed in oil on canvas, “View of Rome – Piazza Navona” and “View of Rome – Piazza del Popolo”, will be displayed. Sponsored by the Intesa Sanpaolo banking group, the exhibition is open until November 3, 2017.

Nikola Pašić Square 11, “The Legacy of Olja Ivanjicki” exhibition

The most comprehensive cross-section of her opus so far, which presents her diverse artistic creativity in the fields of painting, sculpture, fashion design, architecture and poetry. The exhibition includes almost 200 paintings, sculptures and drawings from all periods of her work, as well as personal belongings (photos, sound recordings, furniture, a collection of glasses and candlesticks, etc.), which were not only part of her everyday life, but also an inexhaustible source of inspiration for her. Among the works of art exhibited, the following are of particular importance: ‘The Cosmic Cycle’, ‘The Recycled Art History’, which includes portraits of famous artists who had influenced Olja’s work, and ‘The 20^th Century’ triptych – a series of portraits of personalities who, according to the artist, marked the last century. In addition, visitors can also enjoy parts of the collections that Olja Ivanjicki designed for the ‘Mona’ Fashion Company (the ‘Tesla’, ‘Njegoš’ and ‘Empire’ collections). Certain segments of Olja’s visionary artistic work are presented through an interactive application, designed by Borjan Pobrić. It allows visitors to learn more about certain works on display, and about the artist’s life and the ‘story behind the art’. The author of the exhibition is Tijana Jovanović Češka, Suzana Spasić was an associate. The exhibition was designed by Izabela Martinov Tomović.

The exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, and by Division Visual Solutions, DDOR Novi Sad and the ‘Mona’ Fashion Company.

For the visitors to the “European Heritage Days”, the Historical Museum of Serbia has extended the exhibition with the reprints of her works depicting the world of fauna. The wellknown artist had felt the connection with nature throughout her entire life. By painting animals, she was giving her artistic support to their protection. She painted them chronologically, from the oldest species of reptiles, via shells and salamanders, to cats and tigers, camels, fish and birds, thus experiencing the animal world of sea, land and sky as the inexhaustible content of the planet, in accordance to which is the individual, everyday world of all of us.

On Friday, September 29, at 5 p.m., a guided tour with special emphasis on Olja Ivanjicki’s works representing nature and their symbolism will be given by Suzana Spasić.

Nikol Pašić Square 11, the exhibition “Serbia in 1915–1916”, by Dr. Dušica Bojić and Nebojša Damnjanović

Through archivalia, artifacts and photographs which have not been on display until now, the multimedia interactive exhibition “Serbia 1915–1916” strives to present in detail the suffering of the Serbian army and civilians and the importance of this period of Serbian history.
The exhibition presents the events during 1915 and 1916, when, after the great victories achieved at the battles of Cer, Drina and Kolubara in 1914, and having proclaimed the liberation and unification of all unliberated Serbian and Slav peoples as her war goal, Serbia was not only faced with the typhus pandemic that spread across the country, but also with the diplomatic pressure from the Allies to give up her war goal, and eventually, from the beginning of October 1915, with a new attack from the numerous and technically superior enemy.
Offering fierce resistance, especially in the defense of Belgrade, the Serbian Army, accompanied by tens of thousands of civilians, was ordered by the Government and Supreme Command to retreat southwards and westwards to the Adriatic coast, to meet up with the allies. This order was followed by an exhausting march across the craggy mountains of Montenegro and Albania, where many soldiers and civilians died from starvation and freezing. From there, after a series of appeals from the Serbian state leadership and at the request of the Russian Emperor, they were transported by Allied ships to the Greek island of Corfu, as well as to other European and African countries.

The interactive installations that are part of the exhibition represent a modern approach to the suffering and heroism of the Serbian army and people in their resistance against the Central Powers. The exhibition is open until November 2017.

On Saturday, September 30t, at 1 p.m., there is a guided tour by Nebojša Damnjanović, with a special focus on the encounter of man and nature during the withdrawal of the Serbian army and civilians in the winter of 1915/16. From September 27 to October 1, one term per day is scheduled for students of elementary and secondary schools. Groups should number up to 35 students. Group visits are advised to arrange scheduling via 060/33 98 018.