Museum history

Museum history

The territory rich in history and culture from the ancient times till today, together with numerous monuments (approximately twenty of which were declared cultural treasures) had to be protected, preserved and further studied – thus resulting in the founding of the museum.

On 3 October 1987, following the initiative of the Town Council of Gornji Milanovac as well as the Cultural Centre, The Homeland Museum was founded in Gornji Milanovac. It was placed in the 1938 family home of Ivan Brković, a merchant, in Sinđelićeva Street. After the war, it became the property of the local government, and in 1977 it was adapted for the needs of the Cultural Centre Gallery. The Homeland Museum was turned into the Museum of Gornji Milanovac following the decision of the Town Council of Gornji Milanovac, which was brought on 15 April 1994. The name of this institution was changed to The Museum of Rudnik and Takovo Region on 24 February 1995.

The private collection of Sreten Ljubenović – Konkordije was used as the foundation for forming the holdings of the Museum. He was born in Pirot, but he moved to the village of Brezna that belonged to Gornji Milanovac in the 1950s. He collected various objects passionately, which were divided into archeological, historical, artistic and ethnographic collections. About 2,000 objects were taken over in 1987; however, they were exhibited for the first time on the second floor of the museum on 1 December 1991.

The Museum of the Second Serbian Uprising was opened in Takovo on 23 April 1994, with more than 2000 people present. Together with numerous visitors from this region, Belgrade museums – Historical, Military and National, as well as Serbian Orthodox Church – gave their contribution to the museum display cases.
The Museum’s main activities are done in the family Brković’s house in Gornji Milanovac (7 Sinđelićeva Street), where the Legacy of Nastasijević brothers together with the permanent exhibition ‘Presents and Repurchases of the Obrenović dynasty’ are located. The rest of the place is used for exhibitions. On top of that, the Museum is in charge of the Museum in Takovo with the exhibition titled ‘Second Serbian Uprising and Serbian Revolution 1804-1839’ and the Memorial Complex ‘A remarkable place – Takovski grm’, as well as the house of Prince Miloš in Gornja Crnuća (the exhibition titled ‘A Serbian house in the first half of the 19th century’). The House of Serbian-Norwegian friendship has recently been put under the care of our institution.

Furthermore, the three well-known names in both culture and art of our homeland and wider have given some part of their work to our town to pride itself on it and preserve it well: an academic painter Božidar Prodanović, the Lazić family – Zora Lazić, her son Vladimir-Miša and her daughters Lepa and Gordana, as well as the famous artistic family Nastasijević.

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