 The façade prior to renovation | |
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| Established | 1949; 76 years ago (1949) |
|---|---|
| Location | Stari Grad,Belgrade,Serbia |
| Coordinates | 44°49′16″N20°27′32″E / 44.82111°N 20.45889°E /44.82111; 20.45889 |
| Type | Historic house museum |
| Director | Ljiljana Čubrić |
| Website | www.narodnimuzej.rs |
| Type | Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance |
| Designated | 10 August 1946 |
| Reference no. | SK 1[1] |
TheMuseum of Vuk and Dositej (Serbian:Музеј Вука и Доситеја / Muzej Vuka i Dositeja) is one of the most important memorial museums inBelgrade, the capital ofSerbia. Founded in 1949, it depicts the life, work and legacy ofVuk Stefanović Karadžić (1787–1864), the reformer of theSerbian language, andDositej Obradović (1742–1811), a writer who was the country's first Minister of Education. The museum is a crucial site for understanding the revival ofSerbian culture at the time of theFirst Serbian Uprising against theOttoman Empire. Since 1979, this institution has been governed by theNational Museum of Serbia.[2]
Established in 1949, the Museum of Vuk and Dositej is located in theOttoman-style building of the formerBelgrade Higher School, the first institution in Serbia providing higher education, founded in 1808 by Serbian key figure of theAge of EnlightenmentDositej Obradović during his mandate as Minister of Education, and the building is now also referred to asDositej's Lyceum.Vuk Stefanović Karadžić was one of the first students of this institution. Subsequently, the Higher School evolved into theUniversity of Belgrade.[3] The building was raised as a residence probably for the BelgradeDefterdar (head of the Ottoman provincial treasury). It is also believed that it used to be home to aharem.[4][5]
In time, city administration had several considerations regarding the future of the object. In 1939, a complete reconstruction of that part of the city was planned. As the building is located on the base line of theGospodar Jevremova street, the suggestions were to demolish it and to straighten the street or to construct the street to bend around the building. At that time, the street was leading to the open green market ofJovanova pijaca. Members of the cultural board thought that the building should be preserved, as an old Belgrade building. Members of other boards believed that the lyceum has no architectural importance and that it should be demolished. No conclusion was reached at the time, so the building survived.[6]
Under the nameArea around Dositej's Lyceum, the neighborhood surrounding the building was placed under the state protection as thespatial cultural-historical unit.[7]
Built in 1739, the structure is one of eight oldest preserved residential buildings in Belgrade today; it is fashioned after a typicalTurkish town house inBelgrade. It is an importantcultural historic monument of Belgrade and Southeastern Europe. The building consists of two floors and an attic. The museum's wooden floor construction was repaired in 2010.[8][9][5]
The upper floor of the building is dedicated toVuk Stefanović Karadžić. Vuk's collection was established in the late 19th century, when his daughterMina Karadžić-Vukomanović donated his legacy to the kingdom of Serbia.[10] Exhibits include objects that belonged to the writer (travel bags, glasses, stilt, rod, holster, smoking accessories), various documents transferred from theSerbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (diplomas, business cards, bills, vouchers), portraits, correspondence and a number of books from his personal library, including a copy ofJohn Bowring's English translation of Vuk Karadžić's poetry from 1827.[4][11]
The ground floor is devoted toDositej Obradović. The museum's library, some of his belongings and a large number of manuscripts are stored there.[12] Exhibits include a copy of the plaque that commemorates Obradović's 1784 residency inLondon at St. Clement's Court EC4.[11] Unfortunately, very few of his personal items are preserved, because they were destroyed in the 1813 bombing of Belgrade.[4]
The museum holds thematic exhibits, including presentation of items not presented within the regular exhibition. Some of them are included in the outreach program all overSerbia. The museum occasionally organizes lectures, with the participation of eminent scholars, writers and historians, as well as musical and dramatic artists.
Since 1958, the museum is publishing an annual publication, entitled "Small Case", which is composed of materials and contributions of bothDositej Obradović andVuk Karadžić, and their followers. This specialized journal was the first publication exclusively engaged on the study of Dositej Obradović and Vuk Karadžić. Besides the "Small Case" journal, the museum is distributing other publications, such as guides, monographs and catalogs of thematic exhibits, published both in Serbian and English.[9]
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