Princess Ljubica’s Residence

The Residence of Princess Ljubica is located at the corner of Knez Sime Markovića, and Kralja Petra Street.  In accordance with Prince Miloš Obrenović's idea, the Residence had been built as a home for his family, Princess Ljubica and their sons Milan and Mihailo, but also as the Serbian court.

It was built in accordance with the ideas, and under the supervision, of Hadži Nikola Živković, the first builder of the restored Serbia. The excavation of the foundation began in July 1829, and the Residence had been completed in November 1830.

The wife of Prince Miloš, Princess Ljubica (1785–1843), who lived there with their sons, used the building as her private residence until the change of the ruling dynasty in 1842. After Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević had risen to the throne, the members of the Obrenović family were forced to leave Serbia and the Residence was deprived of its original function.

The new residence was meant to be a symbol of the improved economic strength and established power of Miloš Obrenović after the Sultan’s edict from 1830. Until the end of the first government of Prince Miloš (1830-1839), the Residence was also the main State Treasury. Prince Milan Obrenović passed away on July 8, 1839.

Until the return of Prince Mihailo Obrenović to Serbia in March 1840, the Principal Regency held its sessions in the Residence, and the Prince lived there until he had left Serbia, in 1842. Over the following 130 years the building was used by various public institutions. In 1980 it was put under the auspices of the Belgrade City Museum.

The permanent exhibition “Interiors of Belgrade Homes in the 19th Century” was set up at that time. The development of the modern Serbian state and Belgrade’s transformation from an Oriental city to a modern European town can be traced in the transitions of interior decoration styles in the homes of sovereigns and prominent 19th-century Belgrade families.

With its furniture and other household stuff typical of the early 19th-century houses in Belgrade, like benches, the dinner table (sofra), a low round table (sini), a brazier (mangal), and Oriental cookware, the room of Princess Ljubica reflects the earliest stage in that process. It is flanked by the Little Hamam and the Great Hamam (Turkish baths), built in 1836.

The small hammam is the only room in the Konak where the original painted decoration has been preserved to this day. The other interiors presented within the permanent exhibition show the features of various Western and Central European decoration styles that came into use in Serbia throughout the 19th century: Biedermeier, the Second Empire style, Baroque Revival, Rococo, Alt Deutsch, etc.

The permanent exhibition also presents 18th- and 19th-century engravings of Belgrade and Serbia, as well as numerous portraits of Serbia’s 19th-century rulers and prominent citizens. During the period from 1971 to 1979, conservation and restoration works were carried out, by the means of rehabilitation of the building, and reconstruction of the facade and interior.

During the reconstruction, the Residence of Princess Ljubica, has been adapted into a space fit for a representative museum setting. The Residence of Princess Ljubica had been recognized, in 1979, as a cultural monument of exceptional significance.

Ceremonial Portrait of Prince Mihailo Obrenović is a monumental portrait of the Prince. The Prince's ruling position is depicted by clothes, insignia, decorations and feather hat. The main function of this portrait was to represent the ruler's strength  and power.

Jelisaveta Savka Obrenović (1814–1848) was the third child of Prince Miloš and Princess Ljubica. Her portrait was made in Vienna in 1845 and is the work of Miklos Barabas (1810-1898), a prominent Hungarian painter. The artist painted the Prince's daughter in the form of a representative portrait. Savka is wearing a silk dress and a waistcoat decorated with fur. The medallion with the image of Prince Miloš, which Savka holds in her hand, is indicating her status, as well as the high position of her father.

The painter Arsenije Petrović painted a portrait of sublieutenant Panta Čarapić, son of Vaso Čarapić, a hero from the First Serbian Uprising in the period 1852–1855. The painter presented the model next to the cannon barrel, which emphasized the type of weapon that the portrayed person used. In addition to the figure, the painting features a feathered headpiece.

Portrait of the Wife and Daughter of Panta Čarapić was created as a counterpart to the Portrait of Panta Čarapić. The woman is presented in a richly decorated civic costume, while the daughter is presented in a dress with an embroidered hat on her head. In her right hand, she holds a pigeon, which is associated with pigeon breeding, one of the favorite past time of children from civil families in Serbia in the middle of the 19^th century.

Toma Vučić Perišić fought in the First and Second Serbian Uprising and he is one of the most important figures of the regime of the Defenders of the Constitution. The portrait was created during the period when Toma Vučić Perišić was one of the most powerful people in Serbia. The subject is shown in a representative and precious oriental costume which should indicate his high public position.

Prince Mihailo Obrenović spent his childhood in Kragujevac, Požarevac and Belgrade. Princess Ljubica played great role in his formative years. It was often noted that of all the Princess's children, Prince Mihailo inherited the most of her mental and character traits. The preserved children's dolman worn by Prince Mihailo’s during his baptism in 1823 in Kragujevac, where he was baptized by Melentije Pavlović, is of exceptional value.