National Museum Čačak

National Museum Čačak

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Residence of Jovan Obrenović

The residence of Jovan Obrenović was built in 1835 in Balkan architecture of oriental style, which characterized the first period of Master Miloš‘s reign. An asymmetrical building with a rectangular base, it is characterized by eaves and a hallway above the entrance, a tall cellar, a separate entrance carved in stone and wooden ceiling with exposed support beams. Positioned on the ground floor, the entrance hall leads to three rooms. One of the rooms is decorated with richly ornamented stove. Wooden stairs lead to the top floor which was both used as a residential and a guest reception room. Another conspicuous feature most of the rooms are distinguished by is decorated ceiling.

The residence was built by artisans called Goge, Southern Serbia bricklayers supervised by Josif Dobrović. The construction work started in March and was finished in September 1835, when Jovan Obrenović supplied window glass and iron rings for doors and thread mills. Above the entrance at south east, positioned between two windows, there is a painted coat of arms which belonged to Master Jovan Obrenović. The author of the heraldry has been assumed to be Uroš Knežević. However, some indications exist that the actual author might be Janko Mihailović-Moler, an iconographer from Negrišori (Dragačevo).

It was baron Avgust fon Herder who made the first visit to the Obrenović family in their new palace in October 1835. Meanwhile, exterior works, including louvres and painting, was carried out by a priest Janko Mihailović-Moler. Master Jovan Obrenović dwelled in the residence for a short period of time. Together with his family he departed in 1842, and he never returned to Čačak. Later on, the residence housed the Old Administration Building, then Police headquarters, and thereafter a polyclinic hospital. Since 1953 the permanent exhibition of the National Museum Čačak has been located in the residence.

Having undergone frequent changes and modifications, Master Jovan's residence nowadays presents the oldest residential building in Čačak. During the bombing in 1941 the residence was damaged. Hence, the extensive conservation-restoration works were carried out in the period of 1950–1953. The residence was being restored from 1972 to 1974, when it attained its current look. Roof reconstruction was undertaken two more times, in 1997 and 2006.

In 1979, the residence of Jovan Obrenović was awarded the status of cultural monument of great importance.