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Belgrade Cultural Institutions (Part 1)

Updated: May 6, 2021


In addition to being the capital of this pretty little country, Belgrade is also the meeting place of prominent cultural institutions. They mirror its chequered history, the beauty of the passage of time, each can tell a tale or two, it has characters from fairy tales well hidden beneath its surface, it is home to the ‘colossal giants’ in the area of science, art etc.

Culture is part of us, something that we learned from an early age, we acquire from other people, and what we pass on to the generations to come. If there were no culture, Belgrade wouldn’t be what it is – the capital of a compelling cultural life.

Below, we present you only a small part of the cultural institutions of our city…

1. Museum of the National Theatre

National Theatre - the symbol of art and cultural expression. The theatre seems to be the only place where actors can completely recreate the character and life of a literary figure, a place where they tend to see both virtues and flaws, expectations and the raison d'être of a person. This theatre stands in silent testimony of its turbulent times, built in the centre of the city, with a public acclaim of a beautiful building of classical elegance from the 19th century. Serbian actors made their first steps onto the stage of this building and its museum hides all those unique moments in time. The museum is open to public every day, ticket price is 50 RSD for children, and 100 RSD for adults. Go and see the ‘stage boards ‘that mean life’, and you will not regret it!

2. The Garland of Ivo Andric

Ivo Andric is the only Serbian Nobel Prize winner in literature, a man who has put his words to paper managed to communicate the culture and the cultural heritage of a nation. In his honor, an entire complex in the centre called – The Garland of Andric was built. Tucked away in between the presidential chambers and the Institute of Economics, it houses various cultural institutions, from the bequest of Ivo Andric, all the way to Gallery Ozone, to the Memorial Museum dedicated to this great man. The museum is literally Ivo Andric’s personal apartment where he lived with his wife Milica. Also, there is an impressive library and a stunningly beautiful museum is dedicated to the organization of cultural events and gatherings, children's concerts, competitions and charity causes. Andric was a generous man who in his novels described the way the Serbs were plain and generous people indeed. In order to prove this to be true, his piece of work titled Cultural Complex has emerged after his death, as a legacy of this great writer.

Ivo Andric, photo source: www.beobuild.rs

3. Radio Belgrade

You may have heard of Radio Belgrade and you may well know that it is one of the landmarks of the capital. Located in the circle of the Belgrade tram number 2 ( the inner city of Belgrade), it proudly stands there with the buildings such as the Theatre Atelje 212, School of Commerce and a traditional café-restaurant Šumatovac in close proximity. From its rooftops, you can see the townscape of the metropolis, the inhabitants of which since have been busily moving around for quite a while now. This building is not only one media center, it is also the oldest Serbian radio where numerous acting legends were first on the stage boards. Its famous Mija Aleksic used to run drama classes there, today members of the children's choir Kolibri have their own rehearsals there, They held workshops and courses in creative writing, drawing and painting. It is a repository of all a superb wealth of cultural resources. Don’t pass by this building without dropping by, because you will miss a significant part of the life of Serbs in this very place.