Movement X 2 and Revival!

Ана Радић, Public Relations Officer

Although we were ready for spring, the snow surprised us in March, but the works in the May 25 Museum continued as planned. Only the employees waited a little longer to be allocated. Entering the office, no one was startled at the sight of a colleague with a mask against dust on his face, reading the Politika from 1952 in search of more important Tito’s encounters, while the workers did their job in the adjacent office as if they were alone. In truth, the heating rehearsals on the upper floor were enjoyed by all, just like sunshine after a long winter.

The works upstairs were completed at the end of February, when the curators began to make the first plans for relocating storage rooms from the ground floor. It was decided that the teams should be as small as possible so as not to collide on the marble staircase. The great halls, where numerous national and international exhibitions have been held since 1962, were now turned into temporary storage rooms. First, the art collection was moved, and then all other collections – relays, historical, ethnographic, technical and collection of children’s and amateur creations. The collection of Josip Broz Tito’s personal belongings and photo documentation was moved to the cinema hall on the ground floor. The storage rooms that were left empty for some reason became interesting for looking around, perhaps mostly due to the ghostly silence they rang with. Until the workers enter them, of course.

The Visitors Center continued to grow and it was placed under a roof. When I visited the facility with the workers, I clearly saw the layout of the rooms: ticket offices, souvenir shops, toilets and coffee shop. We hope that this year, during the traditional celebration of the once most joyous holiday, the Day of Youth, the audience will enjoy the new facilities just like in some of the most modern museums in the world.

It was by chance that we discovered that in the building of the Villa Peace (which is actually called the Memorial Collection and once was part of the Memorial Center Josip Broz Tito) the works were also taking place. Although we were announced, we could not enter because the floor was painted in the ground floor. Had we not been with Moma Cvijović, one of the most experienced museum advisors, we would have definitely had to go back. Thus, we came through a tunnel to the vault, where the most valuable Museum objects are located.

In the first week of April we finally got the keys from the Villa Serbia for temporary use. In the building located next to the Museum of Yugoslavia, until recently, employees of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade were housed. Worried that the storage rooms and offices will be moved all at the same time, we managed to accommodate ourselves by the last day before the Easter holidays. The merry office of the Department for Research and Protection of the Museum Fund, in which I have been sitting since December, was now allocated to several offices. We objected a bit, feeling like we’re in high school. Not that we didn’t drink to that. Several times.

The beauty of the large terrace in the Villa Serbia, which connects mainly the offices of the Department for Communications and Program Development, was first tried by the director of the internet with the test drive of the chair, while solving the dilemma of the connections in the building we moved into. By the end of the last working day before the holidays, we even got the internet connection. After a break, we are getting back to work!

The Origins: The Background for Understanding the Museum of Yugoslavia

Creation of a European type of museum was affected by a number of practices and concepts of collecting, storing and usage of items.

New Mappings of Europe

Museum Laboratory

Starting from the Museum collection as the main source for researching social phenomena and historical moments important for understanding the experience of life in Yugoslavia, the exhibition examines the Yugoslav heritage and the institution of the Museum

A BRIEF FAMILY HISTORY