MonasterioYPalacioDelObispoCetinje--balkansfromwithi00wyonuoft

Biljarda ( Serbian and Montenegrin Cyrillic: Биљарда) is a (former) royal

residence A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside. Residence may more specifically refer to: * Domicile (law), a legal term for residence * Habitual residence, a civil law term dealing with the status ...

Cetinje Cetinje (, ) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (''prijestonica'' / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro ...

, the historic capital of

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. The palace is located in the historic center of Cetinje, near the

Cetinje Monastery The Cetinje Monastery ( sr, Цетињски манастир, Cetinjski manastir) is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. It is located in Cetinje and is the seat of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro. A center of historical ...

. Prince-Bishop

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš Petar II Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyrl, Петар II Петровић-Његош, ; – ), commonly referred to simply as Njegoš (), was a Prince-Bishop (''vladika'') of Montenegro, poet and philosopher whose works are widely considered ...

started the building of the palace on 29 March 1838. Initially, it was called the 'New House', but soon it got its new name 'Biljarda' (Billiard House) after the central room on the first floor which contained a billiard table, the prince-bishop's favorite game. Designed by the Russian Lieutenant Colonel Jakov Nikolaevich Ozeretskovsky, the Biljarda palace has the appearance of a medieval fortified feudal castle: a rectangular two-storied stone building, covered with lead, enclosed by a high stone wall with four defensive towers on the corners. At the time of its construction, it was an impressive building, over 70 metres in length and 7.5 metres wide. It contains eleven rooms on the ground floor and 14 rooms on the first floor. The palace was not only the home of the prince-bishop, but also provided accommodation to the Senate and other state authorities as well as being a guest house for important visitors. The palace served as a royal residence until 1867, when the Montenegrin royal family moved to

King Nikola's Palace The Cetinje Royal Palace is located in Cetinje, Montenegro, and for more than 50 years served as the seat of the Montenegrin Royal family. In 1926, it became a museum and from 1980, it was one of the departments in the National Museum of Mont ...

. At the start of the 20th century, it housed various ministries and the two world wars it was used by the military. Currently, it is part of the

National Museum of Montenegro The National Museum of Montenegro ( cnr, Народни музеј Црне Горе, Narodni muzej Crne Gore) is the largest museum in Montenegro. The museum was established in 1896 and is located in Cetinje, Montenegro. Departments The museum i ...

References

Bibliography

* Dušan D. Vuksan, »Biljarda vladike Rada«, ''Zapisi : glasnik Cetinjskog istorijskog društva'', knj. 25., 1-2, Cetinje, 1941., str. 15., * Risto J. Dragićević (6. rujna 1901. - 15. prosinca 1980.), »Njegoševa biljarda«, ''Istoriski zapisi : organ Istoriskog društva Narodne Republike Crne Gore'', God. I., br. 3. — 4., Cetinje, 1948., str. 113. — 138. * Jevto Milović, »Njegoševa „Biljarda”«, ''Istoriski zapisi : organ Istoriskog društva Narodne Republike Crne Gore'', , God. IV., knj. VII., br. 1–3, Cetinje, 1951., str. 1. – 15.,

External links

Biljarda on the official website of the National Museum of Montenegro
{{coord missing, Montenegro Cetinje Palaces in Montenegro Royal residences in Montenegro Petar II Petrović-Njegoš