NEW COURT PALACE / PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

The New Court palace (President of the Republic of Serbia) is located in Andrićev venac, next to Old Court palace and across the street from the National Assembly of Serbia.

The idea of constructing a New Court palace emerged in 1903 after the May Coup when the Karadjordjević family began its rule. At the beginning, the Karadjordjević family lived in the Old Palace, but it was never meant to be a place for living, shortly after it became unsuitable for the royal family’s permanent living. That is the reason why they began constructing the New Court palace in 1911. following Stojan Titelbah’s design. It was built for king Peter I Karadjordjević, but due to short breaks during Balkan Wars and World War I, it was finished in 1922. The palace was damaged during the bombing of Belgrade in WWI, prior to the completion of the building. In 1918 it was repaired, finished and extended under the supervision of architect Momir Korunović. The interior was decorated and equipped in the following two years, so the family finally moved into it in 1922. where they lived until 1934, when king Aleksandar was murdered in Marseille. The building was renovated in 1952, when the palace was extended towards the Old Court palace and it got new façades, a new entrance and the ceremonial hall. Presently, it houses the Presidency of the Republic of Serbia.

The New Court palace is a monumental building, which is located in the centre of Belgrade. The architecture of this building is very similar to the architecture of the Old Court palace. The building was conceived in academic style and relates to the architecture of the Old Court palace. The building has a cellar, a ground floor and two upper floors, with a powerful dome on the corner of the two streets. The main façade, which is turned towards the garden, has more decorative motives while the street façades are more severe and serene. The ground floor contains a reception hall, a dinning room, a few smaller halls and also some additionary rooms. The old king’s and queen’s chambers, a library, a dinning room and cabinets are located on the first floor. The second floor consist of English and Japaneese salons as well some other bedrooms and libraries. The furniture inside of the New Court palace is designed in the Louis XIV and Louis XV style.

During the time of Aleksandar Karađorđević’s rulling, the palace represented the official royalty residency. Some time later the palace was turned into the Prince Pavle's museum. Today, the New Palace represents the building of the President of the Republic of Serbia. In short, from 1922 on, the palace had different functions. It was the head office of the government of Serbia, National assembly of Serbia, and the President of Serbia.

Written by  Bogdana Novaković

Translated by Mina Novaković