Military Museum

The military museum in Belgrade is surrounded by old city fortifications and the largest and most beautiful Belgrade park, Kalemegdan fortress, one of the symbols of Belgrade.

It was founded by the Decree of Prince Milan Obrenović on 10^th August 1878 at the suggestion of the Minister of Military, Colonel Sava Grujić. The first museum exhibit was opened in 1904, on the occasion of the 100 year anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising as part of the coronation festivities of King Peter I Karađorđević. Shortly after its foundation, the Military museum was observed in Europe by participating in the Balkan Exhibition in London in 1907 with a hundred selected historical objects, among which were flags from both Serbian uprisings.

The building of this museum was destroyed in the First World War and the displaced collections were largely perished or have been confiscated. More than two decades passed until the opening of a new installation in 1937 held in two buildings, one of which is today’s Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the City of Belgrade. During the Second World War, the museum’s collections were ransacked again. However, in accordance with the program of the authorities that occupied the city, some cultural institutions, including the Military Museum, continued to operate during the occupation. The Allied bombing of the city in 1944 brought new loses to the museum collections and museum buildings. After the Second World War, the collection of artefacts resumed, especially from the previous war and so the Military Museum became a very important institution of the new Yugoslav state. A new exhibition was opened in 1961 by the president of the country, Josip Broz Tito. Important statesmen and military delegations visiting Yugoslavia were guests of the Military Museum.

Today, the Museum has more than 33,000 artefacts systematized in 15 collections with a very impressive photo library that includes around 100,000 photographs.

The museum is covering a broad spectrum of Serbian military history and traces its roots all the way back to Ancient Greeks and Romans as well as NATO aggression in 1999. Permanent display covers a 14 century period of fighting for freedom, more exactly from first Slavic medieval states until the end of First World War and birth of first Yugoslav country, historical periods are displayed trough key events like: Kosovo Battle, Serbian Principality and Ottoman Conquer, First and Second Serbian Uprising, Serbian-Turkish Wars, Balkan Wars and two World Wars until last NATO war conflict in 1999.

In addition, it has a special library with a fund of 15,000 titles in the fields of history, art history, archaeology, museology and other related branches of science and a collection of over 6000 magazines.