When I first saw Residence of Princess Ljubica in Belgrade, I admired the Ottoman-style architecture, but I mistook it for a small school. In my defense, however, the 19th-century structure, the home of a notable woman in Serbian history, was a school for twelve years in the early 1900s. In other times during the house’s history, it was a modern art museum, a church museum, an appeals court and, in the years before it was finally restored as the current museum, was the home for the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia.
If I asked you to close your eyes and imagine what a princess’ house might look like, I suspect your mind’s eye would conjure a fairytale image, possibly a medieval castle with banners flowing in the breeze and a moat for good measure. The Residence of Princess Ljubica is far from that stereotype. The simple white exterior isn’t lavishly decorated, and the house today feels almost lost in the surrounding city. But the museum offers an interesting glimpse to how Serbia’s elite lived in a long-gone era.
The Princess Ljubica in Belgrade was originally built for Ljubica’s husband, Prince Miloš, a hot-tempered, stubborn, and impulsive man who gained a reputation for courage during the two Serbian uprisings against the Ottomans. Prince Miloš ruled Serbia twice, between 1815 and 1839 then again between 1858 and 1860.
While the two-story house might seem unassuming by today’s standards, it was a first for the city, as Prince Miloš, who oversaw every detail in the construction, insisted the structure be made of brick despite the lack of such factories in the city. Therefore, the building material needed to be shipped in from the Austrian empire.
To motivate the builders, it’s said the prince had a wooden post installed next to the construction site to hang workers if the job wasn’t done right, micromanagement at its most blunt.
Princess Ljubica was described as modest, frugal and, like her husband, courageous, skilled at handling horses and weapons. While her husband was described as brash, the princess is said to have acted with firmness and dignity.
Prince Miloš opted to build a new house for himself away from the city center in what is still a beautiful area in Belgrade with lush parks, parkways and upscale homes.
Visitors to today’s Residence of Princess Ljubica and the Prince Miloš Residence are treated to an interesting display of domestic life during the late 1800s and the compelling history of the two Serbian uprisings.
A pleasant surprise awaited Corie and me in the Residence of Princess Ljubica's cellar; a string quintet practicing for an upcoming recital. The cellar, where Prince Miloš is said to have stashed his money, is now an art gallery and music venue with mesmerizing acoustics.
On our way out, Corie and I chatted with one of the docents, who told us about the Prince Miloš Residence. Luck was on our side as the heat wave took a break two days later, making the perfect day for Corie and me to make the hour-and-a-half walk to the Miloš house.
Both residences are architecturally similar to what would have been found in Istanbul at the time, but with European influences. One of my favorite features in both houses was the divanhane, a rounded sitting room that connected the house with the outdoors through curved bay windows protruding out of the second story. While the divanhane at the princess’ residence overlooked the city, the windows at the prince’s residence overlooked the leafy shade trees throughout the adjacent park, giving the room a meditative feel.
Our time in Belgrade was drawing to a close, and Corie and I, along with our cats Sassy and Gremlin, would be back home in Timișoara for a few days before our next trip to Milan, where Corie and I spent several days with longtime friends. Next week, I’ll take you with us to our first unexpected surprise in Italy.
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