The Museum of Yugoslavia ( sr, Музеј Југославије, Muzej Jugoslavije) is a public

history museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It chronicles the period of

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

and

Socialist Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugo ...

as well as the life of Josip Broz Tito. Tito's grave is located in one of the museum buildings (the House of Flowers). With 120,000 visitors annually, it is the most visited museum in Serbia.

History

"Josip Broz Tito" Memorial Centre

Josip Broz Tito's desk in the Museum of Yugoslavia, Belgrade

All three buildings that make up the Museum of Yugoslavia were previously part of the "Josip Broz Tito" Memorial Centre. The 25 May Museum was opened on 25 May 1962. It was built by the City of Belgrade as a present to Josip Broz Tito, the president of Yugoslavia, for his 70th birthday. This museum was used to display presents that Tito have received up until 1962. A special collection of Relay of Youth batons were on display in this museum. On 16 November 1982, the "Josip Broz Tito" Memorial Centre was founded and the 25 May Museum became part of the centre. Memorial centre included several buildings and institutions located mainly in Belgrade, but also in other parts of Yugoslavia (Tito's birth house in

Kumrovec Kumrovec () is a village in the northern part Croatia, part of Krapina-Zagorje County. It sits on the Sutla River, along the Croatian-Slovenian border. The Kumrovec municipality has 1,413 residents (2021), but the village itself has only 267 peop ...

was part of the centre). The House of Flowers where Tito was buried was also the part of the Memorial Centre. Most buildings that made up the Memorial Centre were located in the same park in the Dedinje district of Belgrade. In 1984, the Memorial Collection Building was opened as the annex of the 25 May Museum building. The Memorial Collection displayed Tito's medals and decorations and his personal belongings.Erceg-Sarajčić, G. (1989). Memorijalni centar "Josip Broz Tito" : muzejsko-memorijalni sadržaji. Informatica museologica, 20(3-4), 13-16. Retrieved from http://hrcak.srce.hr/144946 The Old Museum building was named so after the 25 May Museum (new museum) was opened. It displays museum piece that chronicle the culture, ethnography of Yugoslavia. After his death on 4 May 1980, Josip Broz Tito was buried in the House of Flowers, set in the Memorial Centre grounds. The centre had a collection of more than 75,000 items that illustrate the history of Yugoslavia throughout the 20th century, with the special accent on the life and work of Tito himself. It also kept an extensive collection of the gifts Tito received during his many visits with foreign dignitaries during his presidency. The exhibits further included works of many world-notable artists like Jan Griggier,

Claude Joseph Vernet Claude-Joseph Vernet (14 August 17143 December 1789) was a French painter. His son, Antoine Charles Horace Vernet, was also a painter. Life and work Vernet was born in Avignon. When only fourteen years of age he aided his father, Antoine Vernet ...

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (; 15 January 1793 – 23 August 1865) was an Austrian painter and writer. Waldmüller was one of the most important Austrian painters of the Biedermeier period. Career In 1807, Waldmüller attended the Academy o ...

, including original prints of '' Los Caprichos'' by

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

Gerbrand van den Eeckhout Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (19 August 1621 – 29 September 1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and a favourite student of Rembrandt. He was also an etcher, an amateur poet, a collector and an adviser on art. Biography Gerbrand was born i ...

''Giving the Tenth'', and many others. For almost a decade after the breakup of the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

, the entire complex (the tomb and the museum) was closed to the public and the military guards were permanently removed. The complex is now again a major tourist attraction. Many people visit the place as a

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

to "better times", especially on 25 May (Josip Broz Tito's official birth date).

Museum of the Revolution of Yugoslav Peoples

The Museum of the Revolution of Yugoslav Peoples was founded in 1959 by the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. The construction of the museum building started only in 1978 in

New Belgrade New Belgrade ( sr, / , ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. It is a planned city, built since 1948 in a previously uninhabited area on the left bank of the Sava river, opposite old Belgrade. In recent years, it has become the central bu ...

between the Palace of Serbia and the Ušće Tower. It was planned to open the building in 1981 at the 40th anniversary of the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, but it was never finished. The unfinished structure stands abandoned and is occupied by several dozen of homeless people.

Museum of History of Yugoslavia

The museum was founded in 1996 by the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia to replace two previous institutions: the "Josip Broz Tito" Memorial Centre and the Museum of the Revolution of Yugoslav Peoples. The newly founded museum contained collections from both the "Josip Broz Tito" Memorial Centre and the Museum of the Revolution of Yugoslav Peoples.

Museum of Yugoslavia

The museum changed its name in 2016, from Museum of the History of Yugoslavia to Museum of Yugoslavia. The museum complex comprises three buildings with a total surface of 5253 m², set in a 3.2-hectare park: * 25 May Museum * House of Flowers * Old Museum

References

External links

* {{Authority control Museum of Yugoslavia Museums in Belgrade Museums established in 1996 Museum of Yugoslavia Savski Venac