Virtual Exhibition / The Nishava Park
Thursday-Thursday / AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 / Cultural Center of Nish / Officers’ Club
Over 140 years ago, a plot of land was taken from a former fairground, and the first trees were planted there. This marked the creation of the first park in Nish, in front of King Milan’s palace, in 1881. The royal palace in Nish didn’t bear much resemblance to the residence in Belgrade. In fact, many contemporaries of King Milan considered it unworthy of the royal family. In the then-still-oriental Nish, where the famous Hotel Park stands today, there used to be a residential building that belonged to Hafiz Pasha. It was built in the mid-19th century. Right next to this residence, in the place where the National Bank of Serbia would be built in the 1920s, there was another, older residence. Both residences were purchased by Prince Milan Obrenovic after the liberation in 1878, according to Jovan Ciric. The new residence served as the prince’s and later the king’s summer residence, while the older one became the home of officers and the royal guard.
The Obrenovic summer residence was a one-storey building constructed in an oriental style, with large rooms featuring low ceilings and comfortable seating areas. The private chambers could be found on the upper floor which was adorned with a bay window offering a view of the Nishava River and the fortress, from which King Milan often addressed the people. King Milan, Queen Natalie, and Crown Prince Alexander had made a habit of spending several months each year in the comfortable residence with a large garden and shadirvan fountains.
