Ethnographic Museum (Belgrade)
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| Ethnographic Museum Етнографски Mузеј Etnografski Muzej |
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| Established | February 1901 |
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| Location | Studentski Trg 13, Belgrade |
| Type | folk museum |
| Director | Velibor Stojaković |
| Website | www.etnomuzej.co.yu/ |
The Ethnographic Museum (Serbian Cyrillic: Етнографски Mузеј / Etnografski Muzej) in Belgrade, Serbia is one of the most recognised in the region. The museum has an array of exhibitions but permanent exhibition (is the most famous having 3 levels of items such as jewellery, Serbian customs, Serbian folk costume, Serbian national architecture, Serbian economy, cattle breeding, Serbian transportation and many other historic items related to Serbian culture.
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[edit] History
Ethnographic Museum was established in February 1901, but its roots reach deeper into the past. Gathering of ethnographic items started as early as in the middle of 19th century, and in 1844 some ethnographic items could be found in the National Museum of Serbia (Serbian: Народни музеј Србије / Narodni muzej Srbije). A significant collecting system was carried out because of taking part in the All-Slavic Exhibition, held in Moscow in 1867. Although all collected items stayed in Moscow, the exhibition was important since in Serbia, and in the whole Balkans, it initiated systematic collecting of ethnographic items and ethnologic research of the region.
In 1872, Serbian Learned Society (Serbian: Српско учено друштво / Srpsko učeno društvo) made a suggestion for founding of a museum that would collect, keep and take care of ethnographic items. In the same year Stojan Novaković submitted a suggestion and draft documentation for establishing the Serbian Museum of History and Ethnography and the efforts for establishing a separate ethnographic museum started. The idea of forming such a museum was realized in February of 1901. Ethnogrpahic itesm from the National Museum were moved into a separate building. The buildung was constructed as a gift by Stevča Mihailović (a trader from the town of Jagodina). 1901 is now the established year of the foundation of the museum.
In its first days after its foundation, the Ethnographic Museum owned 909 ethnographic items, 32 books, few photographs and a very valuable album of water colours and drawing of folk costume by Nikola Arsenijević. The first manager of the museum was Sima Trojanović. He immediately began a large-scale collecting initiative and in 1904 the museum fund had some 8.500 items. Gathered items were from the whole territory of the Balkans and they belonged not only to Serbian traditional culture but also to other ethnic groups of the region. Ethnologic research and field collection of items started in 1902.
The first permanent exhibition of Ethnographic Museum was opened on September 20, 1904 and since then museum curators have constantly been collecting ethnographic items; therefore, the museums fund was continually growing. During the First and Second World Wars Ethnographic Museum lost a large number of items, which perished in military operations. Thanks to maintenance of the traditional way of living in the Balkans after the First World War the enlargement of the museum fund was continued, and in 1926, the museum started publishing Glasnik Etnografskog muzeja (English: Bulletin of the Ethnographic Museum) that has regularly been issued to the present. The end of the Second World War was marked by initiation of systematic research of ethnologic branches and accomplishment of many separate studies. At the same time systematic and scientifically based conservation of items started.
Up until now the Ethnographic Museum had eight permanent exhibitions and held some 300 occasional displays. The permanent exhibition is on three levels.
[edit] Today
Today, the museum cherishes a large number of ethnographic items, organized into separate collections (household items, jewellery, customs, folk costume, national architecture, economy, cattle breeding, transport, rite items etc.). It has one of the richest specialized libraries in the Balkans and it publishes its professional publications. The Ethnographic Museum possesses conservation service that can treat all sorts of materials, a huge display premises and it organizes large-scale ethnographic researches.
[edit] Permanent exhibition
The three-level permanent exhibition of Ethnographic Museum, begins with the story about a fair, aiming primarily to demonstrate collectivity of people who for centuries gathered around the Serbian Orthodox Church - a thread which united people on the whole of the Balkans, in various historical, social, economic and political circumstances and mishaps. Then, on second and third level, the exhibition goes on to show everyday life, i.e. traditional culture on the whole. Viewing the exhibition, from the beginning to the end, a visitor first encounters a national fair set up, then slowly, "approaching home" he meets one of the most important folk activities - production of textile. In the end, the visitor "comes home" to learn something about the old way of dwelling and economy. On the way, he can find out something about celebrations of slava - protector saint's day, Christmas, Easter, Đurđevdan - St George's day, and other noteworthy church and family festivals.
[edit] Ground Floor
On the first level of the permanent exhibition there is a scene of a large national fair, where, only for this occasion, in one place, one can see gathered people from the whole Balkans. The scene of a fair presents festive, ceremonious folk costumes. The exhibited costumes are from Šumadija, Pomoravlje, Beogradska and Bosanska Posavina, south eastern Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Vojvodina, Slavonia etc.
[edit] Mezzanine
The second level of the permanent exhibition shows manufacture of textile fibres and products, different textile household items, embroidery and lace. Processing of textile fibres (of plant and animal origin) and production of textile pieces is presented into details, starting from a rough treatment of linen, hemp, wool, cotton and other raw materials, through drawing, dyeing etc., to the very process of weaving.
[edit] The first floor
The first level of permanent exhibition contains architecture and dwelling, traditional economy, traffic and the most important annual events in traditional culture. Diverse architecture of the Balkan peninsula is represented by reconstruction of interior of basic house types - Dinaric cottages, coastal stone houses, central and eastern Balkan houses i.e. "moravka", Pannonian houses made of clay and (oriental) type of town houses from eastern Balkans.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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