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The Obrenović Villa ( sr, Вила Обреновића / ''Vila Obrenovića'') or Villa Zlatni Breg ( sr, Вила Златни брег / ''Vila Zlatni breg'') in
Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade. According to ...
,
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, was a summerhouse of the royal
Obrenović dynasty The House of Obrenović ( sr-Cyrl, Обрeновић, Obrenovići / Обреновићи, ) was a Serbian dynasty that ruled Serbia from 1815 to 1842, and again from 1858 to 1903. They came to power through the leadership of their progenitor ...
. The earliest structure originates from 1865 but was expanded and reconstructed several times since then. In 2009 it was declared a
cultural monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage regist ...
. As it is today owned by the state, it has been used for the state visits and in 2015 the venue was open for public. It is also colloquially known as the "Obrenović Summerhouse" or the "Royal Vineyard" and is the only surviving summerhouse of the dynasty which was overthrown in 1903.


Location

The villa is located on the northern slopes of the Plavinac hill, overseeing the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
from its right bank, and the
Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
lowlands across the river. It is situated above the Old Smederevo road, which connects the state capital
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 ...
with Smederevo, a starting section of the historical
Tsarigrad Road The Tsarigrad Road ( bg, Цариградски път, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Carigradski drum, separator=" / ", Цариградски друм, from Tsarigrad “City of the Tsar”, an old Slavic name of Istanbul), also called the Road to Istanbul, ...
. Today it is eastern part of the town of Smederevo, though the immediate surroundings is still not much urbanized. Above is the hill of ("Golden Hill") which gave one of the names of the building.


History


Obrenović Summerhouse


Prince Miloš

From 1827 to 1829, Serbian ruling prince
Miloš Obrenović Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian f ...
purchased the lots, with the total area of , on the Plavinac hill from a local Ottoman ''
sipahi ''Sipahi'' ( ota, سپاهی, translit=sipâhi, label=Persian, ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuk dynasty, Seljuks, and later the Ottoman Empire, including the land grant-holding (''timar'') provincial ''Timariots, timarli s ...
s''. The lots already had a planted vineyard, orchard, meadows, a house and
steam bath A steam bath is a steam-filled room for the purpose of relaxation and cleansing. It has a long history, going back to Greek and Roman times. History The origins of the steam bath come from the Roman bath, which began during the height of the R ...
. In 1831 the prince planted his own vineyards on the estate as the entire Smederevo area is well known for its grapes. The first object built was a wine cellar for the wine produced by the prince's vineyards which Miloš exported into Europe. The cellar and the neighboring '' konak'', with one room and a kitchen, were built in 1833. In March 1836 Miloš sent 500 seedlings of the best Smederevo varieties of grapes to be planted around the objects as a garden. Captain Jovanča Spasić was appointed by Prince Miloš to take care of the estate. In this period, the estate had an economic, wine producing function, rather than a leisure one. The vineyards were operation even during the 1842-58 period, when Obrenović family was dethroned and exiled.


Prince Michael

The original house was built in 1865, on the orders of Prince Michael, Miloš' son and heir. He planned it as the summer house for him and his wife, princess Júlia_Hunyady_de_Kéthely[Julia._It_was_a_simple,_one_floor_edifice_built_in_the_Swiss_style,_but_the_Serbian_press_referred_to_it_as_"palace"._The_summer_house_was_nicknamed_''Salon_(gathering).html" "title="ulia.html" ;"title="Júlia Hunyady de Kéthely[Julia">Júlia Hunyady de Kéthely[Julia. It was a simple, one floor edifice built in the Swiss style, but the Serbian press referred to it as "palace". The summer house was nicknamed ''Salon (gathering)">salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
''. Additionally, Prince Mihailo planted 2,000 vines of the French varieties and, as an avid equestrian, arranged the horse tracks around the house. The name of the architect is unknown, but he was probably from Vienna as the house was built in the Mitteleuropa, Mitteleuropean architectural style. The central part of the front façade is flanked by the entrance with the Vestibule (architecture), vestibule and double stairs. The entire house is set on the high stone foundation with a cellar which was entered from the front, between two forks of the staircase. The vestibule is an entryway into the salon's lobby which was glassed in with windows. The sides and the front were glassed with 4 large
French window A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...
s. Wooden, gable-shaped decorative elements above the vestibule are in the Swiss style. The windows of the ground level were decorated in the Classicistic style. Three windows on the northern side are framed with
chambranle In architecture and joinery, the chambranle is the border, frame, or ornament, made of stone or wood, that is a component of the three sides round chamber doors, large windows, and chimneys. When a chambranle is plain and without mouldings, it is ...
s. The
lintels A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of ...
above the ground floor windows had decorative plastics which resembles the open crown - above each window there was an arch made from the face bricks with small decorative
volutes A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an ...
in the corners and one large with an acorn in the central part. In 1865 Prince Michael ordered for the materials used for the construction of his summerhouse to be transferred to Belgrade, so that First Town Hospital can be built. It is not clear whether this was concerning the leftovers of the materials remaining after the construction was finished, or that he planned to build a larger edifice but stopped it at this point.


King Milan and Queen Natalie

The park which was formed around the summerhouse by 1878, was the first park in Smederevo. When Queen Natalie wanted to entertain a large number of guests in 1882, it had to be rescheduled as the building turned out to be "cracked a lot and prone to collapse". Apparently it hasn't been maintained well, but the vineyards were superbly cared for. During the reign of King Milan and Queen Natalie, the royal social life was established in the villa, apparently on queen's insistence. Milan introduced the wealth and servants, and the very first courts for tennis and cricket in Serbia were built next to the villa. Queen ordered the creation of the walking paths through the park and the forest on the hill above the villa. The declaration of Serbia into the kingdom in 1882 was announced here. It served as a venue for the royal parties and gatherings of the cultural and artistic elite. Among the visitors in this and later periods were poets and writers
Milan Rakić Milan Rakić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Ракић; 18 September 1876 – 30 June 1938) was a Serbian poet-diplomat and academic. He focused on dodecasyllable and hendecasyllable verse, which allowed him to achieve beautiful rhythm and rhyme ...
,
Laza Kostić Lazar "Laza" Kostić ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар "Лаза" Костић; 12 February 1841 – 27 November 1910) was a Serbian poet, prose writer, lawyer, aesthetician, journalist, publicist, and politician who is considered to be one of the greatest ...
,
Branislav Nušić Branislav Nušić ( sr-cyr, Бранислав Нушић, ;  – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil servant. Life Bra ...
,
Stevan Sremac Stevan Sremac ( sr-cyr, Стеван Сремац, ; 11 November 1855 – 13 August 1906) was a Serbian realist and comedy writer. He is considered one of the best truly humorous Serbian writers. Biography Stevan Sremac was born in Senta in ...
, Simo Matavulj and
Milovan Glišić Milovan Glišić (6 January 1847 – 20 January 1908) was a Serbian writer, dramatist, translator, and literary theorist. He is sometimes referred to as ''the Serbian Gogol''. Legacy Glišić is considered to be one of the best translator ...
, and painter
Paja Jovanović Pavle "Paja" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Павле "Паја" Јовановић; ; 16 June 1859 – 30 November 1957) was a Serbian painter who painted more than 1,100 works including: '' The Wounded Montenegrin'' (1882), '' Decorating of the Bride'' ...
. The
writing desk Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols. Writing systems do not themselves constitute h ...
where Rakić wrote his poems, his bed and library are still in the house. The royal couple spent so much time in the villa that it appeared as if the court moved out of Belgrade. After king and queen divorced in 1888, the summerhouse was left aside for a while and was again in the bad shape. Natalie was banished from Serbia so Milan, who abdicated in the meantime, remained the owner of the estate but transferred it to his only child, still minor King Alexander. In 1895 Alexander invited his mother back to Serbia and she began organizing parties in the venue again. Now a queen mother, Natalie hired architect Jovan Ilkić in 1897 to upgrade and expand the building into the proper royal summer residence, which she intended to turn into the summer court for her son. Ilkić added two side
avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...
and decorated the edifice with ornaments in the style of the Swiss villas. Natalie was personally involved in the adaptation, style, setting, park arrangements and interiors, to the most minute detail. Austrian traveler
Felix Philipp Kanitz Felix Philipp Kanitz ( he, פליקס פיליפ קאניץ. 2 August 1829 – 8 January 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, painter and author of travel notes, of Jewish heritage. Biography Kanit ...
, who visited the venue and described it as a "Swiss villa", depicted Natalie as a "tall lady, which had both the love of and the sense for comfortable". Later in 1897, opposing his son's relationship with her widowed
lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
Draga Mašin Draginja "Draga" Obrenović ( sr-cyr, Драгиња "Драга" Обреновић; 11 September 1867 – ), formerly Mašin (Машин), was the Queen consort of Serbia as the wife of King Aleksandar Obrenović. She was formerly a lady-in-wai ...
, Natalie left Serbia for good.


King Alexander and Queen Draga

King Alexander and Queen Draga often spent time in Plavinac, even more than the previous royal couple. As they grew more and more unpopular, this was a way to hide their private lives and the remove themselves from the capital city. As they mostly came via the Danube, the town of Smederevo decided to expand the port and the build a promenade and a park along the bank. During their stay in the house, parties, balls and feast were held almost every day. They began their relationship in the villa in 1895, as Draga used to be Queen Natalie's
lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...
. They spent their honeymoon here and organized celebration of their first anniversary with a reception for 400 guests. From here Queen Draga dispatched a false news about her pregnancy and here she secluded herself when the scandal broke out. The villa also continued to be used for public and state affairs so some of the constitutions were declared here and it was often a meeting place of the government ministers. Historians cite the house as one of the locations where the 1903 overthrow of the royal couple was planned. During this time, the villa had the most vibrant life. King often used villa for his official businesses - holding ministerial sessions, signing appointments and royal decrees, and, in time, receiving foreign envoys. Delegation from the Ottoman sultan
Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...
was the first recorded diplomatic visit to the villa. Other diplomats included Russian envoy , German envoy , Ottoman general
Hamdi Pasha Ahmed Hamdi Pasha was a Kurdish Ottoman minister of the Marine, Secretary General of the Society for the Elevation of Kurdistan from 1918-1920 and a General officer of the Ottoman army. A graduate of the Ottoman military academy, he rose to the ...
and head of the Russian secret police, Alexander Iosipovich Grabo.


Later history


Orešković family

After the king and queen were assassinated in 1903, Queen Natalie awarded the villa to Colonel . Antonije's sons, Borivoje and Milan significantly advanced the wine production. In 1909 they installed the
hail cannon A hail cannon is a shock wave generator claimed to disrupt the formation of hailstones in the atmosphere. These devices frequently engender conflict between farmers and neighbors when used, because they are repeatedly fired every 1 to 10 seco ...
s, among the first in Serbia. During
World War I 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 ...
the house was heavily damaged in the 1914 Battle of Smederevo between the invading Austro-Hungarian army and the Serbian forces. It was later further damaged in the frequent German bombardments. After the occupation, it was adapted into the military
infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambu ...
. The building was almost completely looted by 1918 when the war was over. It was described that only "empty rooms and 100 years old linden trees" remained. The Orešković family kept the villa open for visitors. 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 ...
, Germans set their local command in the building. They took with them some of the furniture and valuable artifacts.


Socialist period

After the war, it became the state property as it was confiscated from the Orešković family. It was first used by the Executive Council, a government during the Socialist period, specifically by the interior ministry, before becoming a representative object for the state protocol. President of
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
visited the venue for the first time in November 1953, in company of
Petar Stambolić Petar Stambolić (; 12 July 1912 – 21 September 2007) was a Serbian communist politician who served as the President of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia from 1963 to 1967 and as President of the Presidency from 1982 until 1983. Biog ...
and
Moma Marković Momčilo "Moma" Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Момчило Мома Марковић; 16 November 1912 – 7 August 1992) was a Serbian communist politician.''Narodni heroji Jugoslavije''. Belgrade: Mladost, 1975 He was awarded the Order of the P ...
. Tito preferred to visit via Danube, on his
yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
"Krajina". Longtime president, Tito often spent time in the villa with his foreign guests, starting with Ahmed Sukarno in 1956. By this time, the venue was already renamed to "Zlatni Breg". By the late 1950s there were concerns regarding the bad shape of the object and threat of the
mass wasting Mass wasting, also known as mass movement, is a general term for the movement of rock or soil down slopes under the force of gravity. It differs from other processes of erosion in that the debris transported by mass wasting is not entrained in ...
as it is located on the terrain prone to it. The first idea was to tear the object completely down and build a new, firmer one. This idea was abandoned and instead architect Bogdan Bogdanović and painters
Predrag Milosavljević Predrag Peđa Milosavljević (Lužani, Kragujevac, Kingdom of Serbia 1908 — Belgrade, Yugoslavia 1989) was painter, lawyer, diplomat and dramaturge and member of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He received the Grand Prix during the I ...
and
Miodrag B. Protić Miodrag B. Protić ( sr-cyr, Миодраг Б. Протић; 10 May 1922 – 20 December 2014) was a Serbian painter, art critic, theorist and historian of art of the 20th century. Biography Miodrag B. Protić was born in Vrnjačka Banja, on 10 M ...
were to inspect the building. They reported that the condition of the object is shameful, describing cracked walls, sagging roofs,
parapets A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Wher ...
made of reeds, etc. They also said that there is not one old, valuable item in the house and suggested that the venue should be restored and "brought to its epoch". The pre-adaptation works were done by architect Milan Antić. Reconstruction in earnest began in 1957, headed by Bogdanović. He completely reshaped the object, giving it the overall Classicistic look it has today. All wooden decoration was removed. The ground floor was enhanced with the locally quarried brown stones while the plateau in front of the entrance was paved with the granite slabs. Small but monumental entry with the gable was especially made prominent. Above every ground flood window a metallic ornament was placed which completely separated the visual of the front façade and the side wings as the lintels of the side windows remained intact. The floor of the great salon was paved with black and white marble in the chessboard pattern while the fireplace and the mirror frame were made from the white
Venčac Venčac (Serbian Cyrillic: Венчац) is a mountain in central Serbia, near the town of Aranđelovac. Its highest peak has an elevation of 659 meters above sea level. It is well known by its mine of white marble. Some parts of White House ...
marble. The interior was arranged by Milosavljević and Protić. The furniture and artifacts for the interior of the villa were purchased on auctions all over Europe or were bought off from the old Belgrade families (Rajačić, Drobnjak, Kumanudi, Rakić). In front of the entrance, the fountain was placed with the bronze sculpture
Leda and the Swan Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces or rapes Leda. According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the sa ...
, work of painter
Olja Ivanjicki Olja (Olga) Ivanjicki ( sr-cyr, Оља Ивањицки; 10 May 1931, in Pančevo – 24 June 2009, in Belgrade) was a Serbian painter, sculptor and poet. Life, work and awards Olga Ivanjicki, the daughter of Russian emigrants was born in Pan ...
. The park was also rearranged while the rose garden was planted behind the building. It was finished in 1961, for the First Summit of the Non-Aligned countries which was held in Belgrade, as planned. Protić later wrote: "In two years, the fashionable Obrenović summer residence was created". In 1964 an annex, which serves as a kitchen, was added to the back side of the building. It is a ground floor object with 5 French windows with wooden lids on each longer wall and with a square, polygonal spike-like pyramid on top. The renovation of the building's foundation and of the façade was done in 1982. In 1996/97 the furniture was restored. The venue was also unofficially called the " Executive Council's Villa". Tito and the first lady
Jovanka Broz Jovanka Broz (; sr-Cyrl, Јованка Броз, Будисављевић; 7 December 1924 – 20 October 2013) was the First Lady of Yugoslavia as the wife of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. She was a lieutenant colonel in the Yugoslav ...
stayed in the villa in 1970 with the leadership of the Serbian branch of the Communist party (
Dragoslav Marković Dragoslav "Draža" Marković (Serbian: Драгослав Дража Марковић; 28 June 1920 – 20 April 2005) was a Serbian communist politician, serving as President and Prime Minister of Serbia. Biography He was born on 28 June 1920 ...
,
Marko Nikezić Marko Nikezić (Serbian: Марко Никезић; 13 June 1921 – 6 January 1991) was a Serbian politician. He was a Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia and Chairman of the League of Communists of Serbia. He was dismissed in 1972 under t ...
,
Latinka Perović Latinka Perović ( sr-Cyrl, Латинка Перовић; 4 October 1933 – 12 December 2022) was a Yugoslav communist leader, historian and politician. During the existence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Perović was a secre ...
), on the occasion of Tito being declared an honorary citizen of Smederevo. Tito and Jovanka stayed in the villa for the last time in 1977. Other high state officials who often visited the villa were Stane Dolanc and Dragoslav Marković. In the 1990s, during the period of
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević (, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the president of Serbia within Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1997 (originally the Socialist Republic of Serbia, a constituent republic of ...
's rule, he never came to the villa but it was frequently visited by the lower officials of his party and government. It became a gathering place of the secret police which held meetings there headed by
Jovica Stanišić Jovan "Jovica" Stanišić ( sr-cyr, Јован "Јовица" Станишић; born 30 July 1950) is a Serbian former intelligence officer who served as the head of the State Security Service (SDB) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ser ...
.


Interior

Since 1996 the interior is set as an exhibition of the History Museum of Serbia. The villa includes the summer salon, winter salon, green salon, dining room, library and royal dorm. The arrangement of the interiors includes: Ground floor * Summer salon, actually, a glassed veranda; 1860 card table in the
Napoleon III style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...
; 1840s small chess table in the late
Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...
style; late 19th century Neoclassicistic style étagère-
music stand A music stand is a pedestal or elevated rack designed to hold sheets of music in position for reading. Most music stands for orchestral, chamber music or solo orchestra-family instruments (violin, oboe, trumpet, etc.) can be raised or lowered to ...
; 1815-20
Empire style The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...
table clock; mid-19th century late Biedermeier style musical
commode A commode is any of many pieces of furniture. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' has multiple meanings of "commode". The first relevant definition reads: "A piece of furniture with drawers and shelves; in the bedroom, a sort of elaborate chest ...
- automatophone; a small table for handwork; two small tables from the second quarter of the 18th century in the
Rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
style. * Winter (or great) salon; reproductions of the Obrenović dynasty family portraits: Prince Michael (by Johann Böss), Prince Miloš (by
Moritz Michael Daffinger Moritz Michael Daffinger (25 January 1790 – 21 August 1849) was an Austrian miniature painter and sculptor. Life Daffinger was born in Vienna, the son of Johann Daffinger (1748–1796), a painter at the local Vienna Porcelain Manuf ...
), King Milan and Queen Natalie (by
Stevan Todorović Stevan "Steva" Todorović ( sr-cyr, Стеван-Стева Тодоровић; Novi Sad, 1832–Belgrade, 1925) was a Serbian painter and the founder of modern fencing and Sokol movement in Yugoslavia. Biography Todorović was born in Novi Sad ...
) and King Alexander and Queen Draga (by
Vlaho Bukovac Vlaho Bukovac (french: Blaise Bukovac; it, Biagio Faggioni; 4 July 1855 – 23 April 1922) was a Croatian painter and academic. His life and work were eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed gre ...
); two salon type
settee A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, or chesterfield, is a cushioned item of furniture for seating multiple people (although it is not uncommon for a single person to use a couch alone). It is commonly found in the form of a bench with up ...
s in the
Louis XVI style Louis XVI style, also called ''Louis Seize'', is a style of architecture, furniture, decoration and art which developed in France during the 19-year reign of Louis XVI (1774–1793), just before the French Revolution. It saw the final phase of t ...
from c.1780; two ''lukijernas'' (
oil lamps An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. Th ...
) from the second half of the 19th century; fireplace with accessories (a holder for the tongs and the poker, a front for the fireplace,
bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtigh ...
or ''alarije''), all from the late 19th century; gold plated porcelain amphora from the 20th century. * Library; reproduction of the Prince Miloš' portrait with the
fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
(by
Pavel Đurković Pavle or Pavel Đurković (1772, Baja, Austria-Hungary – 1830, Odessa, Russia) was a Serbian painter, portraitist and iconographer who distinguished himself in the iconography of monasteries and portraits of great personalities (mostly Serbs). Hi ...
); 1815 combined wardrobe made in Vienna, in the early Biedermeier style - a rare and precious exhibit, a craftsmanship's masterpiece; two carpets, originating from the late 19th century, from the Asia Minor and Middle East. * Dining room; an original portrait of Queen Natalie, by Stevan Todorović; a dining table in the Louis XVI style; 1840-45 cabinet and sideboard in the
Neo-Rococo The Rococo Revival style emerged in Second Empire France and then was adapted in England. Revival of the rococo style was seen all throughout Europe during the 19th century within a variety of artistic modes and expression including decorative ...
style; a chandelier from the same period. First floor Left section is organized as a royal suite, which consists of the study room, salon, lobby and a dorm. Right section is adapted into the apartments. * Study room; reproduction of Paja Jovanović's painting The Takovo Uprising, commissioned by King Alexander in 1898; writing desk, made of
sycamore maple ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tol ...
, from the late 19th century; floor clock; library;
tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
; highly valuable cabinet from the early 17th century; carpet from the Central Asia from the 19th century;
Persian rug A Persian carpet ( fa, فرش ایرانی, translit=farš-e irâni ) or Persian rug ( fa, قالی ایرانی, translit=qâli-ye irâni ),Savory, R., ''Carpets'',(Encyclopaedia Iranica); accessed January 30, 2007. also known as Iranian ...
, made from 500.000 knots of camel hair, woven in the 1710s. * Empire salon; wall photos made by
Anastas Jovanović Anastas Jovanović ( sr-cyrl, Анастас Јовановић, bg, Анастас Йованович 1817 – 1 November 1899) was a Serbian photographer and author. Biography Jovanović, was of Bulgarian origin and during his life he alw ...
;
oleograph Chromolithography is a method for making multi-colour prints. This type of colour printing stemmed from the process of lithography, and includes all types of lithography that are printed in colour. When chromolithography is used to reproduce p ...
of Princess (later Queen) Natalie in folk costume;
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
mirror; Venetian chandelier made from the
Murano glass Venetian glass () is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techniques, as well as ...
. * Dorm;
dressing table Dressing commonly refers to: * Dressing (knot), the process of arranging a knot * Dressing (medical), a medical covering for a wound, usually made of cloth * Dressing, putting on clothing Dressing may also refer to: Food * Salad dressing, a typ ...
(''coiffeuse''); early 19th century Empire style bed; two smaller Persian rugs; three icons -
Coronation of the Virgin The Coronation of the Virgin or Coronation of Mary is a subject in Christian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century and beyond. Christ, sometimes accompanied by God th ...
(c.1780), Resurrection with the holidays of Jesus and Virgin Mary, and
Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
(mid 19th century). * Apartment 2; early 19th century Empire style bed; 1820 Biedermeier wardrobe; Neo-Baroque dressing table with the
rock crystal Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
mirror. * Apartment 3; 1785-90 English Classicistic style cabinet room (writing-
secretary desk A secretary desk or escritoire is made of a base of wide drawers topped by a desk with a hinged desktop surface, which is in turn topped by a bookcase usually closed with a pair of doors, often made of glass. The whole is usually a single, tall ...
, chair, library); c.1820 Biedermeier style sitting furniture set.


Today

The venue was used as a scenery for the movies and TV serials: The End of Obrenović Dynasty (1995), The Robbery of the Third Reich (2004), On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco (2004), The Fourth Man (2007), The Last Audience (2008). In 2009 it was declared a cultural monument, even though the process started back in 1997, under the name "The Obrenović Villa in Plavinac by Smederevo". It is the only surviving summerhouse of the Obrenović dynasty. Though constantly used in official capacity, it was in April 2011 that
President of Serbia The president of Serbia ( sr, Председник Србије, Predsednik Srbije), officially styled as the President of the Republic ( sr, Председник Републике, Predsednik Republike) is the head of state of Serbia. The curr ...
Boris Tadić Boris Tadić ( sr-cyr, Борис Тадић, ; born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology ...
publicly showed the use of the villa as an official state venue, when he organized a meeting there with the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia,
Jadranka Kosor Jadranka Kosor (; born 1 July 1953) is a Croatian politician and former journalist who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2009 to 2011, having taken office following the sudden resignation of her predecessor Ivo Sanader. Kosor was the fi ...
and
Borut Pahor Borut Pahor (; born 2 November 1963) is a Slovenian politician who served as President of Slovenia from 2012 to 2022. He previously served as Prime Minister of Slovenia from November 2008 to February 2012. A longtime member and former presid ...
, respectively. His successors, president
Tomislav Nikolić Tomislav Nikolić ( sr-Cyrl, Томислав Николић, ; born 15 February 1952) is a Serbian retired politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2012 to 2017. A former member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS), he d ...
and prime minister and later also president
Aleksandar Vučić Aleksandar Vučić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Вучић, ; born 5 March 1970) is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017, and as the president of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) since 2012. Vučić served ...
, continued occasionally to use the venue for official purposes. A meeting of 20 ambassadors with Vučić was held in September 2015, while Chinese president
Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...
and Slovenian prime minister
Miro Cerar Miroslav Cerar Jr. (, known as Miro Cerar ;) is a Slovenian law professor and politician. He was Prime Minister of Slovenia, leading the 12th Government. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 13th Government ...
stayed in the villa in June and October 2016, respectively. The villa was forbidden for the civilians for decades so it was nicknamed the "forbidden city" by the inhabitants of Smederevo. On 16 May 2015, during the
Long Night of Museums The Long Night of Museums (german: Lange Nacht der Museen), or the Night of Museums, and, since 2005, the European Night of Museums, is a cultural event in which museums and cultural institutions to remain open late into the night to introduce ...
, it was open for public for the first time. Since 2016 it has been open for organized visits with guides, from May to October. In 2016-17 the main entry stairwell was reconstructed and the new façade was done on the entire object. Today, the entire complex - park, vineyards, villa - is officially declared a "representative building of the use of state organs and officials" and is described by the reporters as the "one of the most representative owned by the state". It is surrounded by of parks and vineyards.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrenovic Villa Smederevo Protected Monuments of Culture Royal residences in Serbia Manor houses in Serbia Buildings and structures completed in 1865