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Belgrade, Republic of Serbia eob@eyesonbelgrade.com

Gothic Belgrade? Hmm, pretty unusual!

Belgrade Tips
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Although the spirit of Gothic architecture never really found its way in Serbian civil engineering, there are a couple of precious examples that can be seen in Belgrade. One of the most recognizable buildings is certainly the First Town Hospital.

 

Gothic influence in Belgrade architecture was at its peak for a short time mid-19th century, as Serbia was slowly liberating itself from Turkish-Ottoman rule, and the western cultural tendencies started to prevail. The immediate impact was through Germanic cultural influence.

The First Town Hospital (photo above) is one of the oldest buildings in the city, constructed in 1868, and it was intended to be the first proper hospital in Belgrade, hence the name.

Year of construction: 1868

Architecture: in the spirit of Gothic architecture

Location: 19, Džordža Vašingtona (George Washington) street, Stari Grad district

The First Town Hospital was built by the initiative of the Serbian prince Mihailo Obrenović. Now it is the headquarters of the Serbian Medical Society.

The building was constructed at the same time as the National Theater. Considerably smaller than the magnificent edifice of the theater, it costed twice as much. This was due to the fact that its interiors needed to be specially designed for a hospital, and some pretty advanced technology was used for a ventilation system, circulation of running water, and construction of ice generators.

 

Captain Miša's Edifice

One of the oldest (built in 1863) and most representative buildings (designed in Serbo-Byzantine style with gothic and renaissance elements) in Belgrade is located at Students` square and hosts the University of Belgrade headquarters. It is definitely worth noticing how well Gothic elements were applied to the Serbo-Byzantine model of architecture, which is kind of unusual.
 
Captain Miša Anastasijević was a wealthy 19th century merchant, one of the richest in Serbia, and was commonly known as the Captain of Danube. He gave this exeptional building to the authorities for educational purposes, as a part of his legacy. Now, it houses the headquarters of Belgrade University. At the time when it was built, it was the most impressive structure in the city. Even nowadays, it remained one of the most beautiful buildings. It is declared as a cultural monument of exceptional importance. It is surrounded by academic institutions - the Faculty of Philosophy, and the Faculty of Philology. Across the Students' Park it overlooks the Faculty of Mathematics and Chemistry.

 

Spirta's House - Zemun Home Museum

This building was constructed by Spirta family, of Greek origin, and as of 1965 it belongs to the Zemun Home Museum (branch of Belgrade City Museum), which shows the history of the district since it was founded back in the Roman days.

Year of construction: 1855

Architecture: Gothic

Location: 9, Glavna street, Zemun district

It's one of the most beautiful buildings in Zemun. The museum and the building are in the process of reconstruction, so it is closed for the public. The main attraction of the house was specially made parquet floor, which was worn out and now it is being reconstructed. It was made from 8 different kinds of wood, richly ornamented, and everything was handmande.

Sprirtas were a wealthy family. However, from all of their wealth, today only one pink crystal glass is left, that was used by the last mistress of the house.

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Belgrade Tips