Ako danas prođete Kosančićevim vencem, videćete tragove talasa beogradskih reka i linije koje spajaju moderno sa tradicionalnim If you pass Kosančićev Venac today you’ll see the traces of the waves of Belgrade’s rivers and the lines that fuse the modern with the traditional
O nly a few streets exist in Bel- grade that have not had their name changed since rst be- ing named back in 1872. One of them is Kosančićev Venac (Kosančić’s wreath), which is home to a house with an unusual balcony, where Serbia’s most famous professor of mathematics and lov- er of shing, Mika Alas, watched the river pass every day. And his story is also that of the Belgrade of a century ago, which was both a Balkan kasbah and a European city. Constructed in 1910, close to the for- mer Metropolinate of Belgrade and in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral Church and the residential court of Princess Ljubi- ca, the house was designed as a classic Bel- grade family town house. What makes it special is actually the balcony above which is a painted and plaster decoration with mo- tivs which, although originating out of dif- ferent epochs and styles, are incorporat- ed perfectly. The circular area above the door comprises tiles arranged in the style of chess board, while at its top is the head of a woman with hair growing into a oral decoration. The traces of Slavic-Byzantine architecture are evident in the chess motif, while the then current European secession- ist style is visible in the oral decoration. This architectural beauty rendered its occupants even more seductive, both in those times and during the present era. Speci cally, until towards the end of World War II, it was the home of professor Mihai- lo Petrović, aka Mika Alas (1868-1943), and the husband of his sister Marija, professor Živojin M. Perić (1868-1953). Both were leg- endary lecturers of the University of Bel- grade, distinguished members of the Ser- bian Royal Academy, who were extremely
skoj istoriji filozofije i nauke, kao i o njegovoj čuvenoj opkladi koja se ti- če postojanja Boga... Da li su razgo- varali i o nemogućnosti Perića da se zbog svoje nesalomive principi- jelnosti uklopi u ondašnji politički život? Najverovatnije jesu. A da li je za ono vreme apsolutno neprihvat- ljivi Alasov ljubavni život bio pomi- njan u njihovim razgovorima? Naj- verovatnije nije. Ali zamišljam da su pričali o Perićevom zavičaju, koji je beskrajno voleo, Mikinim putovanja,
događajima koji su potresali ondaš- nju Srbiju, političkim krizama, siro- maštvu, ratovima... Ako danas prođete Kosančiće- vim vencem, nećete ugledati dvoji- cu profesora kako šetaju ili razgova- raju na balkonu, ali ćete zasigurno primetiti njihov trag u tom prostoru. Videćete i tragove talasa beograd- skih reka i linije koje spajaju moderno sa tradicionalnim, istočno sa zapad- nim, obično sa elitnim. Zato obave- zno prođite...
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