Museums in Belgrade: 52 Museums For Every Weekend of the Year!
- Nikola Igračev
- 20 min
- 18 May 2023.
- Guide
The private residence of prominent statesman and diplomat Jevrem Grujić was converted into a museum in 2015, showcasing a rich family collection of valuable artworks, objects, and written materials from the late 19th century. Built in 1896, the house itself is a protected cultural monument, an authentic and architecturally unique structure in the city. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum occasionally hosts mini-performances and performances that explore themes from the life of Belgrade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The museum that has preserved the memory of "folk life" in our region throughout history - tradition, folklore, everyday life, customs, and the entire ethnography of all parts of our country for over a century. One of the oldest and most comprehensive museums in Belgrade has its permanent exhibition titled "Serbian Folk Culture in the 19th and 20th centuries" and regularly organizes guest thematic exhibitions from related museums in other cities in Serbia and the region.
The Gallery of Frescoes is a section of the National Museum in Belgrade where highly accurate copies of the most valuable works of Serbian and Byzantine medieval painting and art in general are presented. The rich collection contains over 1,300 exhibits, faithful replicas of the most famous frescoes, sculptures, and icons from the period between the 11th and the mid-15th century, which are available to visitors as part of the museum's permanent exhibition.
The most significant national museum studies and preserves the rich historical heritage of Serbia, from the period of the migration of Slavs to the Balkan Peninsula to the modern era. Over 35,000 authentic exhibits of invaluable importance are divided into the most significant epochs in Serbian history, presented in several exhibitions: the Middle Ages, the Period under the Turks, the Period of Liberation and Restoration of Independence (1804 - 1918), the Period of the People's Liberation War (1941 - 1945), and the Period after World War II.
A unique museum in Belgrade, dedicated to the Jewish history, culture, and way of life of Jews in the territory of Serbia and the former Yugoslavia. The museum's permanent exhibition covers the period from the arrival of the first Jews in these areas at the beginning of the first millennium AD to the Holocaust and the beginning of the restoration of the Jewish community after World War II. The museum also houses an archive with a wealth of documentation for studying the history of Jews in our region.
6. Princess Ljubica's Residence
An authentic building located in the historical core of Belgrade, built as one of the residences of the Obrenović dynasty and representing one of the few remaining examples of folk architecture from the early 19th century. The museum has a permanent exhibition called "Interiors of Belgrade Houses in the 19th Century," which faithfully depicts the ambiance of Belgrade homes from almost two centuries ago, as well as an extremely valuable collection of artworks that belonged to the ruling dynasty at that time.
Situated in the lush Topčider Park, this is the residence of the progenitor of the mentioned dynasty - Prince Miloš Obrenović. Architecturally and by its interior, this residence represents one of the few remaining traces of Ottoman culture in Serbia. As part of the Museum of Serbian History, it faithfully portrays the court ambiance and life during the time of the most powerful Serbian ruler of the 19th century. The authentic building is surrounded by giant century-old plane trees, probably the largest in Serbia.
The palaces of the Karađorđević dynasty are located atop the hill of Dedinje. These are the Royal (Old) and White (New) Palaces, built between 1924 and 1937 for the needs of King Alexander I Karađorđević and Queen Maria, as well as the heirs to the Yugoslav throne. Designed after French palaces, the Karađorđević royal complex, with its divine garden and collection of invaluable artworks, represents a unique and representative cultural and historical monument in our region.
The house of King Peter I Karađorđević in Senjak is actually the representative villa of the distinguished Belgrade merchant Đorđe Pavlović, which was lent to the king for use in 1919. As the existing palace in the city center was significantly damaged by war, the old king spent the last two years of his life in this house and passed away there in 1921. The room where King Peter spent most of his time was quickly turned into a museum after his death, allowing visitors to learn about the lifestyle of this beloved Serbian king.
10. Legat Milice Zorić i Rodoljuba Čolakovića
One of the most beautiful villas in Dedinje, after the Second World War became the home of the partisan hero and writer Rodoljub Čolaković and his wife, the artist Milica Zorić. As great lovers and admirers of art, this couple has assembled over the years a representative and extremely valuable collection of artworks by some of the greatest Serbian painters of the 20th century. Works by Nadežda Petrović, Milan Konjović, Petar Dobrović, Marko Čelebonović, and others are available to visitors in the exceptional environment of the Legacy.
The Malacological Museum (or Museum of Shells) belongs to the group of natural history museums and contains a collection of over 1,500 exhibits of various shells, snails, and fossils of marine and freshwater organisms. In addition to exhibits of almost unreal shapes and colors, this museum also features a representative gallery of photographs of marine and terrestrial organisms, primarily mollusks - snails and shells. An interesting exhibition for lovers of the deep waters and recreational diving.
12. Manakova kuća
The house purchased in the 1870s by Cincar Manojlo Manak, who turned it into a bakery and tavern, is now an outpost of the Ethnographic Museum, distinguished by its unique architectural style, which is why it is protected as a cultural monument itself. Manak's house houses a permanent museum exhibition entitled "Folk Costumes and Jewelry from the Central Balkan Area of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries", but occasional guest exhibitions of a similar nature are also organized there.
13. Memorijalna galerija Petra Dobrovića
Located in the Legat House, on the fourth floor of the building in Kralja Petra Street 36, the Petar Dobrović Gallery possesses the largest part of the rich creative opus of the well-known painter. A total of 1407 artworks, paintings, and drawings, as well as valuable documentation, were entrusted by the family of Petar Dobrović to the care of the City of Belgrade, much to the delight of numerous admirers of visual arts, the persona, and the work of one of the greatest Serbian painters of the 20th century.
14. Memorijalni muzej Nadežde i Rastka Petrovića
Established in 1975 in the Professors' Colony, one of the most beautiful parts of Belgrade, the complete collection of artworks and exhibits of the Museum of Nadežda and Rastko Petrović is located within the National Museum due to unsuitable conditions in its original premises. About 30 paintings by Nadežda Petrović, as well as numerous manuscripts of her brother Rastko Petrović, personal belongings, and mementos of these great artists can be seen in the existing collections of the National Museum.
The unique museum in the country and the region is dedicated to introducing and presenting the extremely rich culture of the "black" continent's peoples. The museum's founder, journalist and diplomat Dr. Zdravko Pečar, spent two decades in West African countries together with his wife, Veda Zagorac, and with the help of their African friends, they collected several thousand authentic objects that now bring visitors closer to the culture, art, and everyday life of African peoples. The museum has a permanent exhibition with a rich collection of masks, sculptures, musical instruments, jewelry, fabrics, and other items, and occasionally organizes guest exhibitions.
16. Muzej automobila
One of the most popular and youngest museums in Belgrade is the Museum of Vintage Cars, founded in 1994. Approximately 50 representative vintage cars from the private collection of Bratislav Petković (screenwriter, theater director, and former Minister of Culture in the Government of Serbia) are exhibited in the so-called Modern Garage, located at Majke Jevrosime Street 30. Among the large number of perfectly preserved automobiles, there are examples from the late 19th century to the 1950s and 1960s.
The Museum of the Banjica Concentration Camp is part of the Belgrade City Museum and was created in memory of the prisoners and victims of the Nazi concentration camp from World War II. The museum collection consists of approximately 400 exhibits consisting of documentary material, photographs, and posters, supplemented by personal items and drawings of camp survivors. The center of the museum exhibition is a memorial hall representing a reconstructed ambiance of a prisoner's room.
18. Museum of Belgrade Fortress
Belgrade Fortress is certainly the biggest attraction of the capital city and a kind of open-air museum where the entire history of our capital, from Singidunum to the modern era, can be chronologically observed. However, there are exhibition spaces located in several sites within the fortress itself, where precious historical heritage of Belgrade is preserved, which many of us were not aware of until recently. These include lesser-known galleries in the inner part of Stambol and Baroque Gates, Roman Well, Great Powder Magazine, Nebojša Tower, and Military Bunker. Visiting these sites will certainly shed new light on your knowledge of Belgrade.
19. Chocolate Museum
The Chocolate Museum is one of the newest tourist attractions in Belgrade. Founded in 2019 and located in the heart of the city, across from Kalemegdan Fortress, this museum introduces visitors to the complete history of everyone's favorite treat, the origins of chocolate usage in the world, Europe, and our country, the process of production and consumption, and even the medicinal properties of chocolate, along with many other interesting facts related to this sweet delight. Definitely the sweetest museum in town.
20. Red Star Football Club Museum
Probably the most significant sports museum in the country is the museum of the Red Star Football Club. Over 1400 exhibits showcased in the museum's display cases bear witness to the incredibly rich and trophy-filled history of the club, the hundreds of top players who wore the red and white jersey, the Red Star emblems, numerous strong opponents, and great victories. One of them, however, is the greatest, as the trophy of the European Cup winners rightfully occupies a central place in the museum. A unique opportunity in our region to see the "big-eared" trophy live.
21. Partizan Football Club Museum
For those who have a closer affinity to the black and white colors, within the stadium of the Partizan Football Club, there is a museum of the second most successful club in the country, also filled with championship trophies and international recognitions, testaments to the golden generations of the club and their successes, famous Partizan "babies," great matches, and the overall history of the club from Humska 1.
Paradoxically, even though it was founded at the beginning of the 20th century, Belgrade lacks a unified space for the permanent exhibition of its incredibly rich collection of exhibits. Therefore, the exhibition activities under the auspices of the museum are carried out through various displays at multiple locations throughout the city. However, it is encouraging that the City Assembly has assigned the New Military Academy building at Resavska 40b for the use of the museum, and its adaptation is currently underway. There is hope that in the foreseeable future, a city with such a rich history will finally have a representative space where it can shine in all its glory.
Established in 2018, the Museum of Illusions in Belgrade offers a good adventure, entertainment, intriguing and seemingly inexplicable experiences that confuse the senses as well as the mind. It is undoubtedly enjoyed most by children, but adults will also have a great time trying to unravel and understand the illusions. Visitors to the museum can enjoy numerous illusions such as the upside-down room or the room with mirrors, "head on a platter," chair illusion, or vortex tunnel. They can defy gravity or experience what it's like to lose ground beneath their feet, observe people "shrinking and growing," "decipher" numerous holograms and various optical illusions.
One of the most significant historical museums in the city, as well as the entire country, is the Museum of Yugoslavia. The museum's permanent exhibition contains thousands of exhibits related to the history of Yugoslavia, from its initial form as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes established in 1918, to 2006 and the final dissolution of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro, marking the end of every form of Yugoslavia, including the term itself. An integral part of the museum is the Memorial Center "Josip Broz Tito," better known as the "House of Flowers" - one of the most popular destinations for tourists from the region.
In a part of the city known as Kopitareva Gradina, at 5 Jelena Ćetković Street, stands the house where one of the greatest Serbian scientists ever lived and worked, geographer, academician, and rector of the University of Belgrade - Jovan Cvijić. The House of Jovan Cvijić is under the auspices of the Belgrade City Museum, and with a large number of authentic objects and documents in a preserved environment, it keeps the memory of a globally recognized scientist, traveler, and explorer of the Balkan Peninsula, as well as one of the most esteemed individuals in Belgrade in the early 20th century.
26. Museum of Yugoslav Film Archive
The Museum of Yugoslav Film Archive cannot be called a museum in the classical sense of the word. Although it has a permanent museum exhibition, a library, and a precious archive, it is more of a specialized cinema where screenings of domestic and foreign film classics are organized throughout the year, extremely valuable examples of Serbian, Yugoslav, and world cinematography. Soon after its founding in the mid-20th century, the Film Archive became a cult place for all lovers of the seventh art, and it remains so to this day.
27. Museum of Books and Travel
The unique Museum of Books and Travel is located in the Banjica neighborhood of Belgrade, in the family home of Viktor Lazić, a lawyer, writer, world traveler, director, and co-founder of this institution, who realized an idea nurtured in the Lazić family for more than 250 years. In the rich collection of the museum, gathered over two and a half centuries, there are more than a million books from 90 countries around the world. Among them, numerous books are hundreds of years old, legacies and archives of famous Serbian writers and artists, diaries and transcripts of renowned Serbian military leaders and politicians, letters and correspondences of Serbian poets and writers, and more.
28. Museum of the National Bank of Serbia
In the building of the National Bank of Serbia, at 12 Kralja Petra Street, there is an extraordinary exhibition space established in 2004. Besides the fact that the building itself represents a representative object from the late 19th century, of which there are not many in Belgrade today, the interesting museum exhibition entitled "Money on the Ground of Serbia from Its Earliest Appearance to the Present Day" provides insight into the chronological development and importance of the central Serbian bank. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum occasionally organizes various related thematic exhibitions.
29. Museum of Science and Technology
Like most capital cities in Europe, Belgrade has a museum dedicated to popularizing science and technology, presenting and demonstrating the most important scientific and technological achievements throughout history. The museum has several permanent exhibitions - "Man and Technology," "Toy Gallery," "Scientific Workshop," "Medicine in Serbia through the Centuries," and "Spa Treatment Museum," and often organizes visiting and various thematic exhibitions on the topic of scientific and technological development.
Among the few museums dedicated to the life and work of one of the greatest geniuses in the world, the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Museum is the only one in the world that possesses the original legacy of the famous scientist. The museum's permanent exhibition traces the life and work of Nikola Tesla, from his first encounter with science to the astonishing scientific heights he reached in his lifetime. The exhibition includes thousands of exhibits, from Tesla's personal belongings to demonstrations of his greatest inventions.
The museum of one of the greatest Serbian painters in history was established in 1970. It represents a department of the Belgrade City Museum and contains over 800 original works by Paja Jovanović, which the renowned artist bequeathed to the city during his lifetime. Among them are the most famous ones: "Migration of the Serbs," "Proclamation of the Dušan's Law," "Fight of the Roosters," "Bridal Adorning," as well as the most famous portraits of King Aleksandar I Karađorđević, Queen Marija, and others.
The Museum of Theater Arts of Serbia was founded in 1950 and is located in Božić's House, a representative building and a cultural monument built in 1836. The museum preserves theater materials that testify to the development of theater in Serbia from the 13th century to the modern era. Additionally, the museum aims to gather and present as many elements as possible in one place that would enable the reconstruction of past theater performances - manuscripts, director's books and notes, promotional materials, audio and video recordings, reviews, and more.
The Belgrade Museum of Applied Arts was founded in 1950 and to this day possesses nearly 40,000 extremely valuable exhibits in the field of applied arts, divided into several collections: Metalwork and Jewelry, Stylish Furniture, Textiles and Costumes, Ceramics, Porcelain and Glassware, Architecture, and Conservation. The museum's permanent exhibition is a combined display of selected items from all mentioned collections, titled "At First Sight."
In a building of unusual shape, located at the Belgrade Ušće and purposefully designed for the Museum of Contemporary Yugoslav Art, this institution is still present today, providing space for numerous established as well as young artists from Serbia and the region. The complex and recently reconstructed museum space was built in 1965 and contains a permanent exhibition, as well as the possibility to simultaneously hold multiple exhibitions.
35. Muzej Srpske pravoslavne crkve
The Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church was opened in 2013 and is located in the building of the Patriarchate. The permanent exhibition showcases items of priceless religious, cultural, and historical value that depict the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church, from Saint Sava to the modern era. The museum collection includes the most valuable collection of church books, old engravings and garments, sacred objects made of metal, wood, bone, mother-of-pearl, and leather, seals, historical documents, and portraits of church dignitaries.
Another museum that is part of the complex of the Belgrade City Museum is the house of Toma Rosandić, undoubtedly the most prominent sculptor in Yugoslavia alongside Ivan Meštrović. Located in Senjak, this memorial house has been closed for years, awaiting reconstruction after which it should shine in its full glory and present visitors with the most significant works of the great sculptor, his personal and professional legacy.
A unique aviation treasury in the country housed in the widely recognizable "glass" building of oval shape, near the "Nikola Tesla" Airport in Surčin. Over 70 preserved models of large and small, civilian and military airplanes, helicopters, and gliders are exhibited and available to visitors for photography and exploration. A unique aircraft museum that not many cities in Europe and the world can boast of.
As an outpost of the National Museum, the Museum of Vuk and Dositej is symbolically located in one of the oldest parts of Belgrade, in a building that was once the seat of the Great School, founded by Dositej Obradović, with Vuk Karadžić being one of its first students. The building itself is protected as a cultural heritage of exceptional importance, and inside it, there are permanent exhibitions featuring objects and books related to the two greatest reformers of the Serbian language and literature.
39. National Museum
Undoubtedly the most significant museum in Serbia, the National Museum in Belgrade reopened to visitors in 2018 after 15 long years of reconstruction. Spread over approximately 5,000 square meters, the museum exhibition encompasses over 400,000 exhibits from various civilizations and epochs on the territory of our country - from the earliest civilizations of the Paleolithic period on our soil, through the Neolithic cultures of Vinča and Lepenski Vir, ancient Greece and Roman civilization, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, to the achievements of the Middle Ages and the modern era.
40. New Cemetery - Open-Air Sculpture Museum
It might sound bizarre to some, but the Belgrade's New Cemetery represents a truly unique open-air museum and one of the largest and most beautiful collections of sculptures and monuments in Serbia. The artistic and historical significance of the oldest Belgrade cemetery is supported by the fact that it houses the so-called Alley of Greats, where a large number of distinguished and deserving citizens of Belgrade, Serbia, and Yugoslavia from the past two centuries rest - writers, painters, actors, politicians, and military leaders.
The Pedagogical Museum is one of the oldest institutions of its kind in Serbia. It was established in 1896 as the School Museum with the aim of collecting and preserving teaching aids and other items of historical and educational significance for elementary schools and teachers. Over more than a century of existence, several tens of thousands of textbooks, teaching aids, photographs, and documents have been collected, which, within the permanent exhibition of the Museum, bear witness to the work of Serbian schools from the early 19th century to the present day.
The Natural History Museum in Belgrade is one of those with the greatest exhibition potential, as the collection of gathered natural heritage, organized into 117 collections (rocks and minerals, fossils, plant and animal life, etc.), counts over an incredible 1.5 million exhibits. Unfortunately, the Natural History Museum, whose headquarters is in Njegoševa Street 51, has not had a permanent exhibition for a full 80 years, so its exhibition activities are conducted in limited conditions at the Gallery of the Natural History Museum in Kalemegdan.
43. Postal Museum
The Postal Museum in Belgrade was founded in 1923 and is one of the oldest postal museums in Europe. In its unique treasury of postal treasures, the long and rich developmental path of postal traffic and telecommunications in Serbia can be chronologically observed, following the historical development of the country, alongside parallels with postal sectors worldwide. The museum possesses Postal, Technical, Philatelic collections, a Photo Archive, and a Library.
44. Selfie Museum
One completely modern and also the youngest museum in Belgrade is the Selfie Museum, located in New Belgrade. This extraordinary space offers more than 40 original sets and installations for taking popular selfie photos. Although it is not a museum in the traditional sense of this institution, like similar ones around the world, the Selfie Museum represents a factory of good fun and beautiful memories.
45. Ivo Andrić Memorial Museum
Also part of the Belgrade City Museum, the Ivo Andrić Memorial Museum was opened in 1976 and is located at Andrićev Venac 8, in the apartment where the famous Nobel laureate lived and worked until his death. The largest part of the museum retains the authentic ambiance of Andrić's home (study, entrance hall, and salon), while the remaining part of the apartment contains a permanent exhibition that chronologically presents the life and work of Ivo Andrić.
46. Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion
The first exhibition space in Belgrade, established in 1928 by the idea of the great Branislav Nušić, the Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion is still one of the most active gallery spaces in the city, where, in addition to painting exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events have been organized continuously for decades, including the famous October Salon.
47. Vespa Museum
Another extraordinary and unique museum is located in Senjak, in the garage of a private house at Brzakova 2. It is the Vespa Museum, the legendary two-wheeler created in the Italian town of Pontedera at the end of World War II, which flooded the streets of Belgrade in the 1950s. Some of these "Vespa" models have been used to create a museum exhibition consisting of about 40 superbly restored examples of various Piaggio models. The Belgrade Vespa Museum probably represents the best collection of these old two-wheelers in the eastern part of Europe.
48. Vinča - Archaeological Site
The archaeological site in Vinča represents the cradle of the European Neolithic civilization, and its discoveries date back to the 5th millennium BCE. It was discovered in 1908 when Professor Miloje Vasić began the first excavations, unaware that his research would have an epochal significance in world archaeology. Although the most important discoveries from Vinča are located in the Belgrade National Museum and the Archaeological Collection of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, visiting the site itself and its modest museum exhibition has a special charm.
49. Military Museum
Located on Kalemegdan, in an authentic building erected in 1924, the Military Museum is one of the symbols of the Belgrade Fortress. Established in 1878, it is among the oldest museums in Serbia. A rich collection of heavy and light weapons, military uniforms, war flags, decorations, military documents, and photographs is available to visitors through several collections divided chronologically and by epochs.
Established in one of the most beautiful and oldest buildings in Zemun, built in the mid-19th century at Glavna Street 9, the Zemun Heritage Museum is a kind of bastion of culture and tradition of this town with a rich history. Unfortunately, the reconstruction of the Zemun Heritage Museum, which is under the auspices of the Belgrade City Museum, has been ongoing since 2002 and is still not completed. When it is, the tourist offer of Zemun and Belgrade will be complemented by another representative historical museum.
51. Railway Museum
The Railway Museum is located in one of the most beautiful buildings in Belgrade, the headquarters of "Serbian Railways" in Nemanjina Street 6. The permanent exhibition, which chronologically traces the development of Yugoslav and Serbian railways, contains over 40,000 exhibits grouped into four collections: Technical, Historical, Art, and Applied Arts Collection. Among the rare and valuable exhibits are various models, miniatures, and models of trains, significant documentation, and archival materials relevant to the historical development of railway transport in Serbia.
52. Zepter Museum
Another museum from the group of art museums is located in the city center, in the building of the First Croatian Savings Bank, built in 1922 at Kneza Mihaila Street 42. The museum has a permanent exhibition with hundreds of artworks (paintings, drawings, sculptures, pastels, etc.) created by more than 200 domestic artists during the second half of the 20th century.