This stroll through history be- gins on the ground floor of the Res- idence, with the First Serbian Upris- ing and the most significant battles of Karađorđe's heroes - the victories at Mišar and Deligrad, the 1806 lib- eration of Belgrade and the battles of Čegar, Varvarin and Loznica, as well as the stances of the great powers regarding the Uprising and its col- lapse. It continues on the upper floor of the Residence, which has exhib- its dedicated to the Second Serbian Uprising, Prince Miloš and his wife, Princess Ljubica, as well as his suc- cessors - Prince Mihailo, King Mi- lan and King Aleksandar Obrenović, whose murder in the May coup of 1903 brought an end to this dynas- ty on the historical stage. This part of the Residence also houses the Divanhana, an oriental room intended for conversing and relaxing. It was in the Divanhana that Miloš welcomed guests, smoked and drank coffee, which he heated on the mangal brazier that was used to heat the room. “Miloš would stoke the mangal brazier, which contained an ember, and place his cup of coffee beside it, to ensure that it constantly remained warm. The décor found here is au- thentic and just as it was in 1831, al- though it’s been subjected to conser- vation works on several occasions,” says Marković. Colourful room The Residence’s most beautiful room is the so-called colourful room of Prince Miloš, where he died in Sep- tember 1860, as well as the Orato- ry, the prayer room, where he slept. “Princess Ljubica, in contrast to Miloš, didn’t stay here often. When the court was built, they were already in very poor relations, and Miloš's numerous adventures probably con- tributed to that. It was then that the prince wrote to her asking that she come to the Court, but she refused, saying: “I will not dry the ceilings of some new residence. How do I de- serve that?” Ljubica was a very strong woman, capable of opposing Miloš, which men didn’t even dare do,” re- veals our host.
The prince's schedule Records show that, during his residence at the Topčider court, Miloš led a disciplined life that unfolded according to an estab- lished schedule. When he was in Topčider, the prince would rise ear- ly, before dawn during the summer and at around six o'clock during win- ter, wash and dress, then head to the Oratory. Prayers would be fol- lowed by breakfast, then he would address state affairs with his sec- retaries, after which he received representatives of the people and listened to their complaints and requests. Lunch was his most for- mal daily ritual, and afterwards he would drink coffee and smoke his chibouk pipe in the Divanhana. That was his time to relax, often to the accompaniment of music and song. The prince would then retreat to his chambers. After sleeping, he would repeat his morning ritual, then tour the estate and stables. The afternoon hours were reserved for leisure, playing cards and billiards, while newspapers were read to the prince and news from the pashaluq territory was recounted to him. Din- ner was served at 8pm, and by as early as 9pm he would head to bed. First landscaped park in Serbia Typical of wealthy private resi- dences, the main façade of the Resi- dence of Prince Miloš faced the gar- den, today's Topčider Park, which became a favourite Belgrade excur-
sion spot in the second half of the 19 th century, as the first planned and landscaped park in Serbia. “Following the end of Miloš's first government and the coming to power of the Defenders of the Con- stitution, the first public park in Ser- bia emerged here, arranged on the basis of the model of English parks. It was from that time that rare seed- lings, winding walkways, streams and sculptures reminiscent of the park in the vicinity of Aristotle's Academy began appearing in the park, in or- der for the students of the Agricul- tural School, whose demonstrative asset the park was, could stroll and discuss ways to improve agriculture.” Karađorđe’s yataghan and Miloš’s dolama robe The permanent exhibition pro- vides visitors with the opportuni- ty to see numerous original objects that belonged to Vožd Karađorđe, Prince Miloš and his successors, as well as examples of weapons that belonged to famous insurgents - Hajduk Veljko, Tanasko Rajić, Pop Luka Lazarević, Janko Katić, Petar Dobrnjac et al. The standout items in terms of value are Karađorđe's flag and examples of his personal weapons and equipment: a yataghan belosapac blade, a flintlock pistol, aka the icicle, a fisheklija box and Prince Miloš’s dolama robe. Com- pleting the exhibition are original paintings by renowned painters Paja Jovanović, Veljko Stanojević, Đuro Jakšić and others.
Konak kneza Miloša u Topčideru otvorio je 10. juna vrata posetiocima koji žele da vide novu stalnu postavku u najstarijem beogradskom dvoru, koji je u sastavu Istorijskog muzeja Srbije The Residence of Prince Miloš in Topčider opened its doors on 10 th June to visitors wanting to see the new permanent exhibition of this oldest Belgrade palatial residence, which forms part of the Historical Museum of Serbia
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