OLD NATIONAL LIBRARY
The National Library of Serbia was founded during the reign of Prince Miloš in 1832, in the bookstore of Gligorije Vozarović. He ordered that one copy of each printed book be provided to the library.
In 1925, the National Library of Serbia moved to a building on Kosančićev Venac, utilizing the space in the former paper and cardboard manufacturing factory of Milan Vapa, an industrialist and philanthropist. When Vapa sold the building to the Kingdom of SHS (Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) in 1921, it was adapted for the needs of the library. The architect Branko Tanazević designed the building in the academic architectural style.
Zgrada Narodne biblioteke na Kosančićevom vencu (srušena ) Zbirka fotograrfija Muzeja grada Beograda
The library building was hit on April 6, 1941, during the German bombing of Belgrade, and a significant portion of the book collection was destroyed. Inventories and catalogs were lost, along with a collection of over 1000 manuscripts and charters from the 12th to the 17th century, cartographic and graphic collections, newspaper collections, a collection of Turkish documents about Serbia, old printed books, personal libraries of Vuk Karadžić and Đura Daničić, as well as the entire correspondence of significant figures from the cultural and political history of Serbia and Yugoslavia.The first female librarian in the National Library was Ljudmila Mihajlović.
Mesto Narodne biblioteke na Kosančićevom vencu
NOVA NARODNA BIBLIOTEKA
The existing building of the National Library on Vračar was constructed in 1973. The architect behind the design of the building was Ivo Kurtović.
Arhitekta Ivo Kurtović
The existing building of the National Library on Vračar was constructed in 1973. The architect behind the design of the building was Ivo Kurtović. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the National Library was symbolically scheduled for October 20 (the Liberation Day of Belgrade in WWII) in 1966. The library commenced its operations in 1972, and the official opening ceremony was organized on the day when the original building of the National Library was destroyed during World War II, on April 6, 1973.
Narodna biblioteka,spolja
The architectural project included a focus on functionality, so the library consists of three main sections: storage, reading area, and working space
Ulazni hol Narodne biblioteke
The exterior of the National Library building combines a modern international style with the traditional model of a house featuring a hipped roof. Due to its significance, the National Library of Serbia building has been declared a cultural monument and is under the protection of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.
Izložbeni deo
