Explore the cultural heritage of Serbia through its fascinating museums in Belgrade. From military and historic artifacts to contemporary art, there is something for everyone. Whether you are a passionate history enthusiast or simply looking for an interesting day out, make sure to take time to experience all that these iconic attractions have to offer.
Why Belgrade museums are must-visit places for tourists
Exploring museums is like taking a journey back in time! From art galleries to history museums, there are countless fascinating experiences for visitors to take part in. Granted, not everyone loves museums, but sometimes the weather can be unpredictable. The forecast might not have been so generous with some, so a visit to closed museums is a perfect way to kill some time.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration or a deeper understanding of the past, visiting a museum can help you learn something new and create unforgettable memories:
- Museums offer a unique opportunity to learn about the history, culture, and art of a particular place or country. They often have extensive collections of artifacts, art, and other items that provide insight into the local way of life, beliefs, and customs. By visiting a museum, tourists can gain a deeper understanding of the place they are visiting and its people.
- Museums are often architecturally significant buildings. Many museums are housed in historic buildings or feature stunning contemporary designs that are worth visiting. This can provide an added dimension to the museum experience and make it a memorable part of a tourist’s visit.
- Museums provide a safe and controlled environment in which to view and appreciate valuable and often irreplaceable artifacts. This allows tourists to see important cultural and historical items that they may not have access to in any other way.
- Museums are often community hubs, offering programs, events, and educational opportunities for visitors of all ages. This can provide tourists with a chance to interact with residents, learn more about the local community and create lasting memories of their visit.
In short, museums offer a rich and rewarding experience for tourists, providing an opportunity to learn, appreciate and connect with the local culture and history in a meaningful way.
National Museum of Serbia
The National Museum of Serbia is the largest and oldest museum in Serbia, with over 400,000 objects in its collection. It has a wide range of exhibits, including archaeological artifacts, art, and natural history specimens.
The National Museum was founded in 1844 as a Serbian Museum and its purpose was to collect antiquities in one place and to safeguard them for posterity. In the first decades of its work, it was organized as an institution of protection, but also as a scientific and research institution that constituted the national identity and was a crucial participant in the development of heritage protection.
The National Museum soon grew into an official representative of the state and society, testifying to a possible strength of culture and museums in Serbia. In the last few decades, the rich exhibiting and publishing activity as well as the diverse programs for the public with new technologies in a prominent place confirmed that the National Museum is an important center of communication and source of knowledge, an open, dynamic, and accessible museum.
Nikola Tesla Museum
This museum is dedicated to the life and work of the famous Serbian inventor, Nikola Tesla. It has a collection of over 160,000 original documents, including Tesla’s personal belongings, scientific notes, and patents.
The Museum preserves a larger number of personal items used by Tesla during his life. These items are today divided among several of the Museum’s collections. The Museum’s greatest treasure, however, is Tesla’s personal archive documents, manuscripts, scientific notes, calculations, diagrams, drawings, and letters. These materials, created over a long time (1856-1943), include extremely diverse documents, both in content and form.
Among these artifacts are handwritten pencil notes, printed business cards with and without annotations, canceled postage stamps, accounts on the cheapest paper, checks and printed forms with handwritten contents, and typewritten texts with duplicates, as well as diplomas written in colored ink on parchment, a charter with an intaglio stamp, India ink drawings on tracing paper, blueprint copies of plans and many other items.
Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the most important art institutions in Serbia. It has a collection of over 8,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and installations, by Serbian and international artists.
Since its foundation in 1965, the Museum of Contemporary Art has based its display policy on the representation of the most relevant artists, periods, movements, and tendencies in Yugoslav, Serbian, and international art of the 20th century. Furthermore, the Museum held a respectable position on the map of European and international museums of modern and contemporary art, which enabled it to intensely cooperate with relevant foreign museums, galleries, collections, curators, and critics.
The Museum also takes an active role in the promotion of local art abroad and has often had the opportunity to organize the appearance of domestic artists at international biennials and triennials (Venice, Sao Paolo, Paris, etc.).
Museum of Yugoslavia
This museum is dedicated to the history of Yugoslavia, and it includes exhibits on the country’s socialist era, as well as its cultural heritage. It is located in the former residence of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. It is an open institution that encourages different actors to actively perceive the present through a modern interpretation of the past.
The mission is to be the place of open dialogue, to exchange knowledge and experiences on the social and cultural phenomena of the 20th century with all institutions, organizations, and individuals, interested in issues on Yugoslav heritage and the Yugoslav past. Through various programs and activities, the museum encourages social memory and a culture of remembrance related to the development of the Yugoslav idea, since the creation of the Yugoslav state as a kingdom, until its breakup in the early 1990s.
Through the innovative approach to unique collections and preserved testimonies of Yugoslavia, the museum offers authentic insights, knowledge, and experiences through exhibitions, and educational and interactive programs to visitors.
Ethnographic Museum
This museum showcases the cultural heritage of Serbia, with exhibits on traditional clothing, crafts, and customs. It has over 150,000 objects in its collection.
During the First World War, a large number of exhibits, documentation, and libraries were destroyed. After the war, new field research was undertaken to fill out the collections. The museum library was renovated in 1920 and today has about 60,000 publications, including about 33,000 books and about 27,000 journals in the field of ethnology, anthropology, and related sciences.
In the period between the two world wars, a New Inventory of all subjects was made, the Department of Music Folklore and the Illustrative Department were established, and the subjects were classified according to the material from which they were made.
Military Museum
The Military Museum is dedicated to the military history of Serbia and the Balkans. It has a collection of weapons, uniforms, and other military artifacts from different periods of history.
The Military Museum is located inside the walls of the historic Belgrade Fortress, situated at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The Belgrade Fortress is located within a popular Belgrade park known as Kalemegdan Park, near the center of the city. Founded in 1878, the museum has over 3,000 ancient and modern items. These include Roman swords and helmets, Greek helmets and daggers, Serbian heavy knight’s armor, axes, shields, crossbows, armored gloves, as well as Western medieval weapons. There are also more modern guns, firearms, and elements of soldiers’ uniforms and equipment.
Dioramas, plaques, and displays illustrate the use and historical context of the museum’s collection. Outside the museum’s main building, there are numerous tanks, howitzers, and armored cars of many types. Some were acquired during World War II when they were captured by the Red Army and Yugoslav Partisans from retreating Nazi forces.
Museum of Applied Arts
The Museum of Applied Arts showcases the history of Serbian applied arts, including textiles, ceramics, and furniture. It was founded in 1950 and it belongs to the category of specialized museums. The main activity of The Museum of Applied Art is systematically collecting, protecting, studying, exhibiting, and publishing works of applied art.
Apart from the works of art referring to the applied arts of Serbian people, related material from other European countries and the world, which came to our country through cultural and economic relations, is also collected in the Museum. During the very first year of its existence, the Museum purchased an exceptionally valuable collection of various artistically treated objects. The collection comprises more than 3,000 artifacts, among which jewelry, old manuscripts, and printed books, objects carved in wood, horn and mother-of-pearl, woodcut and painted icons, etc., stand out for their historic and artistic value. The oldest artifacts in The Museum of Applied Art date from the IV century BC, and belong to the coin collection (coins from ancient Greece) in the Metalwork Department, while the collections in the Department for contemporary applied arts contain objects of the most recent artistic production.
Thus, the Museum’s collections reflect the development of objects of applied art over 2,400 years. Nowadays, the Museum has 37,000 expertly treated objects of applied art, among them works of art of outstanding artistic and cultural value.
The Museum of Aviation
The Museum of Aviation is one of the largest aviation museums in Southeast Europe. The museum is located next to the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The museum was established in 1957 and has a collection of over 200 aircraft, including various types of airplanes, helicopters, engines, and other aviation-related equipment.
The museum is divided into indoor and outdoor exhibitions. The indoor exhibition is housed in several large halls and includes aircraft from the early days of aviation up to modern fighter jets. The outdoor exhibition features a large number of aircraft parked on the tarmac, including transport aircraft, helicopters, and jet fighters.
In addition to the aircraft, the museum has an extensive collection of aviation-related artifacts, such as uniforms, weapons, and instruments.
Museum of Illusions
The Museum of Illusions is the largest franchise museum chain, open in 30 cities worldwide by the beginning of 2021. Its exhibit is located on 3 levels and has plenty of science-based pieces, most of which you can interact with. It is the world that represents a unique place for new experiences and enjoyment with friends and family.
Enter the fascinating world of illusion which will trick your confidence in your senses. Grab the opportunity to learn about perception, the human brain and gain more knowledge in science such as optics, geometry, biology, and psychology. After visiting the museum, you will understand why your eyes see things that your brain does not understand.
Belgrade Vibes
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