Virtual Exhibition / The Gate of Dusanovа Street
Thursday-Thursday / AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 / Cultural Center of Nish / Officers’ Club
Is it possible to enter Dushanova (Dushan’s) Street without noticing two stately buildings with towers that seem to wink at each other from opposite sides of the street?
On the odd-numbered, right side, at number 33, one could find the famous bakery of the Janchic family, and if we were to cross onto the other side of Dushanova Street and knock on the door at number 28, we would find one of the wealthiest local merchants, Viden Zhivkovic. Zhivkovic’s firm is adorned with a truncated pyramid crowned with a wrought-iron fence at the top. Janchic’s bakery is covered with a curved dome richly decorated with sheet metal. We can follow the charming neo-baroque volutes all the way up to the spear at its apex.
Kir Dimitrije Jancha, apparently of Greek origin from Aegean Macedonia, bought the house at Dushanova 33 from the Turks way back in 1873. The bakery’s window display looked upon the street, and the Janchic family lived in a small house in the courtyard behind the shop. It wasn’t long before everyone knew about Kir Dimitrije’s bakery. Many people from Nish bought fragrant bread and fine pastries there. When Kir Dima decided to renovate the house a bit around the time of his son Alexander’s nuptials in 1927. He added another floor and purchased the stores and workshops that lined down Dushanova Street.
Vis-à-vis the renowned bakery, as we have already established, the Zhivkovic family left its mark on the history of Nish. Their story began in the late 19th century when the merchant Nikola Zhivkovic moved to Nish from the village of Duga Poljana. Nikola had four sons, Viden, Vladimir, Velimir, Sotir, and a daughter Georgia. Viden, Velimir, and Vladimir continued to develop the family business, while Sotir went into banking and became the president of the First State Mortgage Bank in Nish. The trading empire of the Zhivkovic brothers grew, and they started to engage in exports. Between the two World Wars, “Viden Zhivkovic and Brothers” exported corn, wheat, and livestock to Greece.
