Krsmanović's House ( sr, Крсмановићева кућа), situated at 34 Terazije Street in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, was built in 1885 for a merchant. In 1918, it became the house of Alexander Karađorđević, Prince Regent of Yugoslavia and was used as a theatre before it became public property after World War II. It has served as the Protocol building of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. The

Academic art Academic art, or academicism or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie d ...

house is considered among the best designs of the architect

Jovan Ilkić Jovan may refer to: *Jovan (given name), a list of people with this given name *Jovan, Mawal, a village on the western coastal region of Maharashtra, India *Jōvan Musk, a cologne *Deli Jovan, a mountain in eastern Serbia *Róbert Jován (born 1967 ...

. It was registered as a cultural monument of Serbia in 1981 by the ''Zavoda za zaštitu spomenika spomenika kulture grada Beograda'', or Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. It was restored in 1987.

History

Architect Jovan Ilkić designed the Neo-Baroque or

-style house for Marko O. Marković, a merchant, and his family. Unable to afford the house due to Marković's debts, the house was surrendered and bought by Krsmanović brothers in 1898, and became the property of Aleksa Krsmanović, who lived in it until he died in 1914. The house and property were bequeathed to the Serbian people, through the A. Krsmanović endowment, with stipulation that his wife was to live in the house until her death. The Royal Palace was damaged during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and between 1918 and 1922, the house served as the residence of Aleksandar Karađorđević and the Court of the Kingdom of Serbia. On 1 December 1918, the document was signed that created the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, after which he gave a speech from the house to people of Belgrade. Then, the house was managed by an endowment to be used to generate for orphanages for children, because the Krsmanovićs had not had children. Portions of the building were used for several purposes by organizations and retailers—inhabitants included an "exclusive" oriental carpet retailer and an Automobile Club. After 1930, the "Claridge" occupied the house, and later on, for some time, the Theatre of Brana Cvetković. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Germans used the house as a canteen. After the war the house was nationalized. It was used as a youth center, bank and diplomatic club. For three decades, until 1979, it served as the Protocol building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today, several companies are headquartered in the building.

Architecture

The house was once described as "a small neo-baroque castle and one of the most beautiful monuments of this type in Serbia." It sits on a slope, with a base of 30 metres, with the street side of the building on high ground, and the back of the house is two floors, with the access to the garden. The courtyard facade was accentuated by a curved double flight of stairs descending from a semi-circular terrace. Based on the

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

composition, internal disposition, artistic shape and craftsmanship, it is among Ilkić's best works.

Gallery

file: Krsmanovićeva kuća u Beogradu - 002.JPG file: Krsmanovićeva kuća na Terazijama 2.JPG file: Krsmanovićeva kuća u Beogradu - 0025.JPG file: Krsmanovićeva kuća 2.JPG file: Krsmanovićeva kuća u Beogradu - 0019.JPG file: Krsmanovićeva kuća u Beogradu - 0027.JPG

See more

* Spisak spomenika kulture u Beogradu * Јоvan Ilkić

References

{{reflist Houses in Serbia Buildings and structures in Belgrade

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 – ...

Cultural Monuments of Great Importance (Serbia)