I visited Ellen again in Belgrade last weekend. Someone at the embassy had arranged for a tour of the former king's residence(s). It is in a park-like setting on top of one of Belgrade's hills and features some spectacular vistas.
The king apparently had to build a residence here because the palace in downtown Belgrade had become too cramped and too public.
The first words out of the guide's mouth -- "The residence was built between 1921 and 1929 with the King's private funds."
I wondered how it was that the king had "private funds." He was a descendant of "Black George" (Karadjorje), a pig farmer who became king after he led an unsuccessful revolt against the Ottomans in 1804. The rebellion lurched along until Milos, scion of the Obrenovic clan, actually achieved autonomy for Serbia in 1815 in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. After that, Black George, who had been in exile, returned to Serbia. Milos had his head chopped off. The two families feuded over the throne until 1903 when the last of the Obrenovices was thrown out of the palace windows. By the time Alexander assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in 1920, the country was "poor, unstable and mostly sullen." Where then did these "private" funds come from? And, no wonder Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles in 1934. Although the residence is now owned by the government, it allows Crown Prince Alexander, grandson of the builder, to live on the first floor.
The main floor of the palace is what you would expect of a royal residence.
But the really interesting part is downstairs, which the Russian architects designed to look like an orthodox church with its vaulted, highly decorated ceilings and walls.
The family obviously spent most of its time here. There is a room with a pool table, a movie theater and one with a fountain which the king could turn on to ensure that his conversations were not overheard.
Tito (a John Wayne fan) had his own special chair in the theater room, well behind all the other seats.
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| Monument to the Croats |
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| View from the Chapel |
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| Entrance to Main Residence |
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| White Residence |
The king apparently had to build a residence here because the palace in downtown Belgrade had become too cramped and too public.
The first words out of the guide's mouth -- "The residence was built between 1921 and 1929 with the King's private funds."
I wondered how it was that the king had "private funds." He was a descendant of "Black George" (Karadjorje), a pig farmer who became king after he led an unsuccessful revolt against the Ottomans in 1804. The rebellion lurched along until Milos, scion of the Obrenovic clan, actually achieved autonomy for Serbia in 1815 in the wake of the Napoleonic wars. After that, Black George, who had been in exile, returned to Serbia. Milos had his head chopped off. The two families feuded over the throne until 1903 when the last of the Obrenovices was thrown out of the palace windows. By the time Alexander assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs in 1920, the country was "poor, unstable and mostly sullen." Where then did these "private" funds come from? And, no wonder Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles in 1934. Although the residence is now owned by the government, it allows Crown Prince Alexander, grandson of the builder, to live on the first floor.
The main floor of the palace is what you would expect of a royal residence.
But the really interesting part is downstairs, which the Russian architects designed to look like an orthodox church with its vaulted, highly decorated ceilings and walls.
The family obviously spent most of its time here. There is a room with a pool table, a movie theater and one with a fountain which the king could turn on to ensure that his conversations were not overheard.
Tito (a John Wayne fan) had his own special chair in the theater room, well behind all the other seats.
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In the Chapel, there is a painting of Christ on the ceiling with a bullet hole in his forehead, put there by the communists. |
After the tour,
several of us went to lunch at a restaurant located on an island where Belgradians go to boat, swim, picnic and bike.
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