National Museum in Leskovac | Museums of Serbia

The National Museum in Leskovac preserves and presents the historical and cultural heritage of southern Serbia, specifically the Leskovac region and its surroundings, and also takes care of archival material from the municipalities of Lebane, Medveđa, and Bojnik.

The museum was established by the city authorities in 1948 and initially housed in the home of Bora Dimitrijević, known as Bora Piksla. Three decades later, the National Museum was moved to a new space.

The Leskovac Museum is a complex cultural institution with several departments. These include sections for:

• History
• Archaeology
• Ethnology
• Fine Arts
• Art History
• Conservation and Restoration
• Documentation
• Public Relations and Professional Library

In addition to the exhibition space, the museum also has a library, two art galleries, and a lecture hall for presentations and scientific gatherings.

More than eight millennia of history and culture are presented in the permanent exhibition "Time Machine of the Leskovac Region." The exhibition showcases the way of life of the inhabitants of Leskovac and its surroundings from the Neolithic period to the late Ottoman period.

A special place in the museum is dedicated to the archaeological treasure of Hisar, the richest site of the Brnjica culture. The Roman domination is illustrated by the gold jewelry found at the Mala Kopašnica site, while the Middle Ages are represented by a figure of Nikola Skobaljić, a Serbian knight in full armor and life-size.

The Leskovac Panađur Fair attracts particular attention as the most famous and largest fair in the Balkans. The architectural part of the permanent exhibition consists of archival material from the Caričin Grad site.

The period from the liberation from the Turks to World War II is presented through several thematic sections within the permanent exhibition "Leskovac - Serbian Manchester."

In addition to the main building, the National Museum also includes the City Hall, the archaeological site of Caričin Grad, the Memorial House of Kosta Stamenković, and the Textile Museum in Strojkovce.

Caričin Grad is located in the valley of the Pusta River and Jablanica. It is a foundation of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I dating back to the 6th century. Numerous archaeological metal, wooden, and glass objects, as well as coins, have been found at the site. During the excavations, various public buildings, a central square, basilicas, baths, and craft kilns were discovered.

The Memorial House of the People's Hero of Yugoslavia and participant in the National Liberation War, Kosta Stamenković, was opened to visitors in 1969 and represents an immovable cultural heritage. The only Serbian textile museum is located in Strojkovce. The mill in which the museum is housed used to be under Turkish ownership. In 1884, the people of Leskovac opened the first cord factory on the premises of the textile museum.

The City Hall is over 150 years old and was once the residence of the distinguished Dimitrijević family. It was built in the second half of the 19th century and is now one of the most beautiful old houses in Leskovac.

As one of the largest tourist attractions in Leskovac, the main museum building is open to visitors from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, while the working hours of other museum facilities are from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. The museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The ticket price is 150 dinars, while discounted admission for certain categories of the population is 100 dinars.