Publisher:

The Service of the National Assembly of the Republic of

Professional associates:

Vera Pavlovic-Loncarski (architecture)

Marija Bujic and Ivanka Zoric (interior design)

Vera Grujic (sculpture) and

Ljubica Miljkovic (painting)

Belgrade, 2007 THE HOUSE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF The National Assembly of the Federal People's THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA Republic of , the highest state body, adopted a new Constitution in January 1946 which affirmed the ARTISTIC VALUES principles of parliamentary rule.

The House of the National Assembly of the Republic Pursuant to the new Constitution, adopted in 1963, the of Serbia was erected near the place where on Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was pro- November 30, 1830 the Great National Assembly took claimed and the Federal Parliament became the highest place. On that occasion, the Turkish sultan's state legislative body. From 1974, the Constitution changed decree on the rights of was proclaimed and the the parliamentary structure. During this time, the hereditary title of Prince Milos was confirmed. Parliament of the Socialist Federal Republic of The construction of the parliamentary edifice, based on Yugoslavia was constituted as the highest legislative the design of the architect Jovan Ilkic from 1901, start- body, in which the Republics and Autonomous ed in 1907, when King Petar I Karadjordjevic laid the Provinces were directly represented. cornerstone of the future House of National After the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia, in the 1990s, Representation. The construction of the building was this edifice became the Federal Parliament of the completed in 1936 and the first session in the new edi- Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of two fed- fice was held on October 20th of the same year. At the eral entities - the Republic of Serbia and the Republic time, it was the National Assembly of the Kingdom of of Montenegro. Yugoslavia. In September 1939, the Assembly was dis- missed and during the Second World War it was occu- The relations between the two Republics were rede- pied by the aggressor's civil administration for Serbia. fined by the Agreement in March 2002, and on the basis of the Constitutional Charter of the State Several decades after the end of the war, this was the Union of Serbia and Montenegro, in March 2003 the building of the Yugoslav Assembly and was the highest Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro was constituted. legislative body of the common state of Serbs, Montenegrins, , Slovenes and Macedonians, as On June 5, 2006, Serbia became an independent state well as the ethnic groups that lived in it. again. Thus, the parliamentary building located at Nikole Pasica Square, after an entire century from the In 1945, this building hosted the Third Session of beginning of its construction, regained its original pur- AVNOJ (Anti-Fascist Council of the Yugoslav pose - it became the House of the National Assembly Nations), after which the Provisional National of the Republic of Serbia. Assembly of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia was established. Later on, it was transformed into the Expanded edition Constitutional Assembly which on November 29th of the same year proclaimed the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia.

1 Architecture

Façade project

In 1901, the Constitution was changed and the Assembly became bicameral. The design had to be changed or adjusted. It was considered more pur- poseful to make a new design and therefore, in August 1901, the compe- tition was announced for designing the House of National Representation. The architect Jovan Ilkic won the competition.

This competition did not pass without The construction of the building of the House of the National public criticism. It was considered that Assembly, originally the House of National Representation, the winning design was too similar to began in 1907, as the representative edifice for the needs of the Jovanovic's design and could therefore . not be considered an original creation. It was also noted that it had too little The design for the building of the House of the National of its own architectural tradition. The Assembly was made by the architect Konstantin A. Jovanovic, public requested that a new competi- who lived and worked in Vienna. The representative parliamen- tion be held which would set a tary edifice was designed by Jovanovic in the manner of aca- requirement of designing the parlia- demic architecture of monumental public buildings. mentary edifice in the national style. Unfortunately, the Serbian state did not have the financial resources for this kind of project.

Historical view

2 Main façade

According to the renewed design, the Assembly building continued to be constructed until 1926, when the construction works were interrupted. The following construction phase started after the death of King Aleksandar in 1934.

The Architectural Department of the Ministry of Construction assumed the responsibility for all the work and the chief architect was Nikola Krasnov, a Russian immigrant close to the court. At the time, he was the author of some of the most significant edifices in the capital.

The building of the National Assembly was finally constructed and consecrated on October 18, 1936, almost three decades after having laid In spite of the fact that in 1903 the Constitution the cornerstone. changed again, that the Assembly became bicameral, and that the ruling dynasty was changed in the mean- time, the construction of the bicameral Assembly build- ing continued.

King Peter I laid the cornerstone for the new House of National Representation on August 27, 1907, in the presence of many distinguished guests.

Due to a lack of resources, as well as to the Balkan and First World Wars, by the beginning of the establishment of the new state-the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes- the parliamentary edifice was constructed only up to the first floor.

Since the new, much bigger state was established, the planned parliamentary session halls did not provide suf- ficient space and their reconstruction was necessary. In 1920, along with the decision to continue construction works on the Assembly, the decision was brought to entrust the design to the architect Pavle Ilkic, son and associate of Jovan Ilkic who died in a prisoner of war camp in 1917. Main entrance

3 The parliamentary building presents a monumental aca- demic architectural construction. The central part of the building is dominated by the portico with the dome above it, and the lateral wings extend both to the left and right, ending with the triangular tympanums buttresses.

The subterranean part is constructed rustically in the green stone of Ripanj and the high ground floor and the upper floor, embellished only by a row of windows and pilasters, end with the roof cornice and the balustrade above it. All facades are covered by artificial stone.

Large plenary hall

The monumental stairway leads to the vestibule - the entrance hall. A long corridor separates the vestibule from the central hall, staircase, and the small and big session halls. Along the corridor, parallel to the vestibule, there are offices.

There are two symmetrically-placed staircases made of white marble, which connect the ground floor with the first floor premises. On the first floor there are rooms for the deputy clubs, jour- nalists and administration, but also the representa- tive quarters of the library and diplomatic salon. The entire design of the interior, including all the details, was made by the architect Nikola Krasnov.

The vestibule stands out because of its signifi- cance, its successful combination of architecture, sculpture, handiwork, and richness of applied Hallway in the basement material. The representative marble floor, poly- The molding of the facade has never been finalized, because the plan to place the sculptures above the later- al wings of the building, as well as in the central and lateral tympanums and the dome crown has never been implemented. The only examples of decorative plastic art on the façade are the medallions on the lateral but- tresses at the window level of the first floor, the work of the sculptor Djordje Jovanovic, and sculptural deco- rations above the portals facing Kralja Aleksandra Boulevard and Kosovska Street, whose author is proba- bly Petar Palavicini.

4 Dome over entrance hall

The specific char- acteristics of the ground floor halls, left and right from the central hall, are the leaning massive pillars with the Corinthian capi- chromous plaster decoration of the walls, marble pil- tals, plaster deco- lars, first floor loggias, rich decoration of the dome ration of the ceil- drums and zenithal lightening create a magnificent ing, and especial- framework for the four standing marble sculptures of ly wrought the rulers placed in the niches. engraved door. The central hall is simple and dignified, done by the The interior of the multiplication of portal elements with Ionian pillars in library is carefully the lower zone and loggias in the upper part, connected designed and the furniture is shaped in a national with pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The cassetted style. ceiling, with glass prisms in its centre, is decorative. The integral parts of the interior are sculptures in the The luxurious diplomatic salon, known by people niches and engraved furniture. as the salon of Prince Pavle, with the walls coated by silk carpets, minutely wrought ceiling and cen- tral rosette, white woodwork, and wooden engraved door also received adequate furniture.

For its important function- the connection with the historical events and architectural and artistic values- the building of the Assembly was pro- claimed a cultural monument in 1984.

Hall Room in basement The big plenary hall consisting of the floor level and the gallery is especially significant. The walls of the hall are partly covered by wooden plating and partly by marble. The hall is illuminated with natural light which comes from the glass semi-circular ceiling.

The representative offices with a view on Kosovska Street and King Aleksandar Boulevard differ from other offices by the way in which the walls and floors were finalized. The walls are covered by oak and walnut woodwork and the floors are covered by intarsia parquets. The furniture is espe- cially designed for these rooms.

Small plenary hall 55 Interior design

Library

While the architectural works on the exterior and interi- room, regardless of its importance and purpose, was or were being finalized, the architect Nikola Krasnov defined accurately in the plan, so that today it is possi- began to create an interior design for the Assembly. The ble to perform the authentic reconstruction of all the design consisted of plans for furniture, lights, carpets premises in the parliamentary edifice. and drapery, detailed textual descriptions, as well as the exact ground plan of the furniture arrangements. Every Special attention was dedicated to the interior of the most important premises in the Assembly. These are: the big and small plenary halls, the great hall along with the four committee halls around it, the library, the chairperson's and vice-chairperson's offices, the diplomatic salon and the deputy clubs' premises.

6 Diplomatic salon In the building of the Assembly there are two groups of furniture. The first group consists of the furniture that was made in the mid-thirties of the twentieth century according to the plan of Nikola Krasnov. It makes a unique entirety with other elements of the interior. The second group is furniture that had gradually been replacing the original furniture during the second half of the twentieth century. Today it is the basis of the interior of the parliamentary premises. Parts of the original furniture are scattered all around the building.

On the basis of the preserved furniture, created material. The furniture was made of first-class between 1935-1938, we can draw the conclusion that Slavonian oak and walnut wood and upholstered with special attention was given to the quality of used carefully chosen leather in red, green, blue and brown. Woodwork and upholstery were performed by the best craftsmen in the period between the two wars.

Hall

7 Part of interior The central hall, diplomatic salon and library are the only premises in the parliamentary edifice in which the original arrangement of furniture was kept, according to the design of Nikola Krasnov. In the big and small plenary halls, there are original bench- Diplomatic salon es and tables for deputies. The furniture for the Assembly Chairperson's office and the Support The furniture adds to the importance and representative Service offices is one of the most beautiful style characteristic of the building. Depending on the impor- entireties, which remind one a great deal of the orig- tance of particular rooms, the degree of applied decora- inal display. tive elements varies, but the quality of processing remains even. The main decorative technique used for The style of the furniture from the second half of the ornamenting the furniture was engraving. The decora- 20th century varies. The monumental and represen- tive elements of different historical styles were com- tative characteristics of the furniture between the bined, including renaissance, baroque, rococo and two wars are observed. From that period the two ampira, and the influence of art deco conference tables from the committee halls stand out the prevailing style at the time, is noted especially. They completely follow the original style in the design of certain objects. of Krasnov's designs and fit perfectly into the interi- or of these premises, with the well-combined deco- rative elements of doorposts and plaster decorations.

Designing the furniture for this edifice, the architect Nikola Krasnov expressed all his knowledge and experience, offering customers the interior in accor- dance with the importance of this state institution.

The lights, as well as other interior elements, whose author is Nikola Krasnov, are designed especially for this representative edifice. Arranged on all lev- els, depending on the purpose of the space, they are more or less luxurious. With their ornamental appearance, they fit the style of the entire interior

Part of interior Part of interior

8 36 candles. In both presidential offices, there is the same type of luxurious chandelier, which empha- sizes the importance of these premises. The cande- labras in the vestibule stand out with their perfect proportions, contributing to the overall impression of the representative characteristic of the parliamen- tary edifice.

Cabinet of the President of the Assembly

atmosphere. They were put in place in 1936, with some exceptions, and up to now, over 600 original lights have been preserved. They can be divided into four groups: chandeliers, ceiling fixtures, wall sconces and candelabras. They are all made of bronze or brass with adequate glass parts.

The most representative among the light fixtures is a Cabinet of chandelier in the diplomatic salon, which belongs to the President the group of huge gilded bronze chandeliers with of the Assembly

9 Painting

Mirko Racki, "Slovenian man, Serbian lady, Croatian lady, and Montenegrin man", 1937

On the walls of the Assembly there are twenty frescos, The Great Allegory of Work, with the greatest dimen- which were created in the course of 1937 by experienced sions, was painted for the small hall by M. Menegelo masters of decorative painting and distinguished artists Rodic, famous for decorating the palaces of Split and who were capable of painting on big formats and who the interior of public buildings. On the twelve pende- had been elected at the open competition the previous tives in the same room, M. Racki, caricaturing persons, year. Those in charge of monitoring the construction of painted six female and six male portraits in the tradi- the new edifice gave advice that the paintings should be tional clothes of the Yugoslav peoples of that time. He thematically suitable for the purpose and that their style is an important representative of the secession and should be harmonized with the architecture and renais- symbolism in the Croatian painting, known for his sance models, instead of relying on Byzantine heritage, cycle of five great compositions about the life of cubism or expressionism. Kraljevic Marko (1910). Three of them are kept in the

Vladimir Filakovac, "In the hills", 1937

10 Mate Menegalo Rodic, "Big allegory of work", 1937

National Museum in Belgrade, along with the drawing Somewhat small, but artistically closer to the Liberation, which was a gift from the Federal contemporary times, are the frescos on the walls of the Parliament (1959). T. Kralj, who acquired experience coffee club on the ground floor. Coast and In the Hills in painting churches on the Slovenian coast and in the reflect the best poetic characteristics of the art of V. surroundings of Trieste, was tasked to transfer the most Filakovac, a distinguished Croatian artist and a profes- splendid glorification of the fight for freedom which sor at the Academies in Belgrade and . There is resulted in the union of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, to also Gosposvetsko Field by R. Slapernik, the artist the front wall of the Assembly's big hall. whose historical scenes decorate the public buildings in Ljubljana.

Rajko Slapernik, "Harlequin", 1937

11 In the restaurant, one level below, the same, well-known Slovenian artist, painted Harlequins and Feast in the manner of actual tendencies of poetic realism and modern concepts. Less known P. Petrovic Suhacev, one of the forgotten Russian immigrants in Serbia, painted Fishermen and Meal, some- what anachronous and illustrative and rely- ing on the experience of Luca Signorelli, as the members of the Reconstruction Committee recommended.

Canvas paintings and a small number of drawings and graphics are placed only in less available premises, because the most representative rooms (offices and conference rooms) are covered by woodwork and other decorative details. The nucleus of this seg- ment of the parliamentary collection, which

Ignjat Job, "Sea Motif", 1921

Sava Sumanovic, "Landscape of Sid", 1938 consists of ninety six pieces at present, were the portraits of the Chairpersons of the National Assembly. The first portrait was ordered in the mid-twenties from I. Tisov and another seven were ordered in the period from 1935 to 1939 from U. Predic, whose career was declining at that time, but who was still famous for his classical realistic skills. Judging by the years of creation, the works of

12 the following artists were probably acquired in that period: S. Aralica, D. Glisic, P. Dobrovic, I. Job, M. Petrov, Z. Petrovic, V. Pomorisac, K. Hakman and S. Sumanovic-Serbian and Yugoslav mainstream painters. However, they must have been acquired only after the Second World War.

During the fifties and the sixties the works of the coryphaei from all parts of our common state during this peri- od were placed under the parliamen- tary roof where they still remain. Those artists are: Dj. Andrejevic Kun, D. Antic, J. Bijelic, J. Bifel, S. Bogojevic, L. Vujaklija, V.

Petar Lubarda, "Landscape of Montenegro", 1949-1950

Ivan Radovic, " Motif", 1950s

13 Ismet Mujezinovic, "Uprising of Husin Miners", circa 1957

Dimitrijevic, B. Ilic, V. Jordan, D. Kondovski, M. Konjovic, M. Kujacic, M. Kurnik, L. Licenoski, P. Lubarda, P. Mazev, M. B. Kiar, P. Milosavljevic, M. Milunovic, P. Omcikus, S. Pejovic, O. Petlevski, Dj. Popovic, M. B. Protic, I. Radovic, F. Filipovic, S. Hodzic, I. Seremet, F. Simunovic and S. Sohaj.

The collection encompassed one hundred and fifty six pieces of art, out of which sixty were stolen or destroyed in the fire on October 5, 2000. Among them there were some very valuable works created by our imminent artists: S. Aralica, B. Dogan, P. Dobrovic, M. Kecic, M. Konjovic, P. Lubarda, M. Makanec, P. Milosavljevic, M. Milunovic, Z. Petrovic, Dj. Popovic, Z. Prica, M. B. Protic, V. Svecnjak, B.

Lazar Licenoski, "Scoop-wheel", 1957

14 Milo Milunovic, "Big Table", 1958

Stevanovic, I. Tabakovic, M. Todorovic, V. Filakovac, M. Celebonovic, B. Sotra, M. Sustaric, etc. Although the loss is irretriev- able, very soon after the event, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia donated thirty nine paintings, three sculptures and one tapestry to the Assembly. These are the works of contem- porary authors: B. Damjanovski, V. Dunjic, Z. Djak, Lj. Jankovic, A. Lukovic, B. Miljus, B. Mihailovic, P. Omcikus, Lj. Mesko-Bogdan Kiar, "Umbel I", 1964 Popovic, R. Reljic, M. Skovran, V. Stanic, M. Stankovic od Macve, T. Stevanovic, Z. Stojanovic, U. Toskovic, M. Tucovic, A. Cvetkovic and others. In that way the col- lection continued to enhance and its artis- tic value is the obvious evidence of cre- ative achievements in Serbia and the for- mer Yugoslavia.

Peda Milosavljevic, "", 1959

15 Sculpture

Dragutin Filipovic, "Czar Dusan", 1937 

According to the design for the building of the House of National Representation, including the interior design, it was envisaged that sculptures should be the most important decorative ele- ments, which would be the expression of artistic values and visual manifestation of national, spir- itual and political identity. Already in the twen- ties of the last century, according to the idea of the architect Ilkic, the sculptures should have been placed at both entrances and along the upper edge of the lateral wings of the buildings. With their symbolic character, the sculptures were supposed to refer to the function of the institution and its importance. However, this concept was not implemented, but the decision was made to place the selected cast models, cre-

ated in the period from 1925 to 1926, in the interior of the building. Nine works have been preserved: Defence and Miner by D. Arambasic, Science by P. Palavicini, Traffic by L. Dolinar, Handicraft by I. Kerdic, Trade by Z. Lukic, Politician by I. Zajec, Gardener by I. Napotnik and the Constructor, probably by D. Hotko. These versatile sculptures reflect the main artistic streams in sculpture of that period a great deal.

 Dragomir Arambasic, "Defense", 1925

16 Vanja Radaus, "King Tomislav", 1937

Upon the construction of the building, towards the end of the thirties, the sculptures were placed in niches designed for that purpose inside the building and they present more har- monized entirety. In the vestibule, at the very entrance, there are four monumental sculptures in the marble of Prilep, of firm, stable forms and slightly stylized, reduced surfaces, which present the individuals who symbolize the his- torical development of all three constitutive peoples and the founder of the royal dynasty. Those are Tsar Dusan by D. Filipovic, King Tomislav by V. Radaus, Prince Kocelj by T. Kos and Karadjordje by F. Krsinic. The sculp- tures in the central hall, according to the planned concept, present the economic activi-

France Gorse, "Agriculture", 1937 Petar Palavicini, "Handicraft", 1937

17 ties and are expressed by female figures with attributes pertaining to certain economic branch- es. The figures Handicraft and Sailing, the works of P. Palavicini and Agriculture and Industry, by F. Gorse are made of marble. The related works are the personifications of Justice and Education, two works by F. Krsinic, made of bronze. The mentioned works were created according to the models that won the first awards at the competition in which almost all known Yugoslav sculptors from that time took part in.

Frano Krsinic, "Karadjordje", 1938

Tine Kos, "Knez Kocelj", 1937

.Unlike them, the two dynamic compositions enti- tled Playful Black Horses, placed in front of the building in 1938, were ordered directly from Toma Rosandic, whose creative and educational work left a significant mark on both Serbian and Yugoslav plastic art.

The portraits, which testify to the lives of the individuals, but also to the historical periods they marked with their work, have an important place in the esthetic and political process of the artistic formation of the parliamentary edifice. The first in this collection was the portrait of King Petar I, which was reproduced in several pieces for all important state institutions in 1920. As part of the interior design, the busts of King Aleksandar, Nikola Pasic and Stjepan Radic were ordered from R. Stijovic, T. Rosandic and S. Stojanovic, and then I. Despic made a portrait of the King

18 Rudolf Valdec, "Kralj Petar I", 1904 Toma Rosandic, "Nikola Pasic", 1937

Risto Stijovic, "King Aleksandar", 1937 Antun Augustincic, "Josip Broz Tito", 1947

Petar II in 1937. During the post-war period, as of 1947, the busts of Josic Broz Tito were created by A. Augustincic and B. Kalin, as well as the busts of the Chairmen of the Federal Parliament Mosa Pijade, Dr. Ivan Ribar, Milentije Popovic, Edvard Kardelj by A. Augustincic, B. Kalin, N. Jankovic and Z. Kalin.

The sculptures in the building of the National Assembly are the works of the most imminent authors from the territory of the former Yugoslavia. With regards to their artistic value, they are among the highest achievements in Yugoslav sculpture, especially sculpture in the period between the two World Wars. Regarding the designing concept, they make a har- monious and thoughtful entirety which reflects the historical, spiritual and material development of the state.

Toma Rosandic, "Black horses are playing", 1937-1938

19