PARIZ / PARIS
the Franco-Russian Alliance, with the foundation stone having been laid in 1896 by Russian Tsar Nicholas II. This world’s fair was of great importance to the Kingdom of Serbia, given that it was not only consid- ered as a way of presenting the country’s riches, tra- ditions and agriculture, but also as an opportunity for Serbia to appear on the Paris Bourse stock exchange and conclude contracts on loans and investments. The Serbian pavilion, with its five towers and spectacular entrance, was reminiscent of Gračanica Monastery. On show inside were agricultural products including tobac- co and cereals, but also furniture, Pirot kilim rugs, tra- ditional folk costumes and other domestic handicraft products. Among the exhibits was a hydraulic device constructed by Mihajlo Petrović Alas, which even won the Expo’s bronze award. Serbian exhibitors brought home as many as 220 awards, including seven Grand Prix awards, 35 gold medals and 53 silver medals. Ser- bian art was also represented by the most prominent artists of their time. Paja Jovanović won a gold medal for his work The Coronation of Emperor Dušan, while other artists also received national recognition. Rista Vukanonić presented the painting Dahija, Beta Vukano- vić presented the painting Slava (Family Saint’s Day) in Serbia, while sculptor Đorđe Jovanović presented
rent efforts to build a modern Serbian state. French President Émile Loubet honoured Serbia by visiting the pavilion on Vidovdan. Serbian honor- ary consul and Commissioner General of the exhibi- tion, Count Camondo, a French banker and art collec- tor, but also a confidant of King Aleksandar Obrenović, welcomed the French delegation together with the “Vi- la” tamburica orchestra, which performed the French and Serbian national anthems, as well as other Serbi- an melodies. However, it was the Summer Olympics that at- tracted particular attention within the scope of this world’s fair. When the Games were restored and Athens was announced as the host of the first modern Olym- pics, Paris was simultaneously announced as the sec- ond host. The competition took place from 14 th May to 28 th October 1900, with almost 1,000 athletes par- ticipating in 19 sports, while it is also very significant that these were the first Olympic Games to include fe- male competitors. There were also some disciplines that were only included in the Olympics on this one occa- sion, such as auto and motorcycle racing, balloon rac- ing, pigeon racing, underwater swimming or cricket, which is actually expected to return to the Olympics as of 2028. France, as the host country, won the most medals, followed by the U.S. The victorious pigeon in the pigeon race had flown home from Paris to Lyon in four and a half hours, while the balloon race was won by a balloon that flew all the way to Russia – covering a distance of almost 2,000 kilometres. The Paris of 1900 provided the image of how the emerging 20 th century was supposed to look. Just a decade and a half later, World War I would shatter that great illusion of a bright future. But Paris remained as a bastion of light, in its eternal glory and splendour.
his Monument to the Kosovo He- roes and Petar Ubavkić showed his Takovo Uprising monumental com- position. The Serbian art presented at the expo testified to the country’s glorious past, its liberation from Ot- toman occupation and the then cur-
56 | Istorija » History
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