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THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH/BITEF TEATAR

WHERE IS IT?

Evangelical church/Bitef theater is located at Mira Trailović Square 1, next to Bajlonije pijaca.

THE HISTORY

Back in 1853, the Principality of Serbia issued a decree regulating the relations and religious rights of non-Orthodox Christians (Lutherans and Calvinists). This decree referred primarily to the status of Germans in the Principality of Serbia. The Belgrade Protestant Municipality was soon founded. According to the 1931 census, there were 10,471 inhabitants of the German national minority living in Belgrade, who were mostly Protestants.

On the initiative of the Prussian consul, Prince Mihailo gave the Protestant believers the use of the chapel at 7 Vuka Karadžića Street, which was originally built for the needs of the Catholic community in Belgrade.

In the interwar period in the 20th century, Belgrade became the capital of multi-confessional citizens, including the Protestants.

The foundations of the new Evangelical Church were c consecrated on October 20, 1940 in the presence of citizens of Belgrade, and construction was completed in 1943.

After WWII, due to cooperation with the occupation authorities, the property of the German Evangelical Church was confiscated.

The building often changed its purpose,and subsequently,
in the mid-1980s, the building was converted into a theater - Bitef theater.

THE EXTERIOR

The building was built according to the idea of the German architect Otto Bartning (1883-1959), the prominent architect of evangelical churches in Europe in the style of German expressionist architecture. The project was carried out by the Russian architect Valerij Stashevski in 1940.


The church was designed in accordance with Protestant principles as a simple brown brick exterior. The height is emphasised by the pointed tower with a cross on the top

 

Pripremila: Mina Novaković