bg Belgrade

Belgrade Cooperative

- Travnička 2 -
The three-story building, which was constructed in the period between 1905 and 1907, was built for administrative and commercial purposes. The building is constructed according to the design that was created by the Serbian architects and . Decorations on the facades and interior, with rich decorative plastic in stucco on the walls and on the ceiling, are the work of Franja Valdman. It was built for the Belgrade Cooperative, officially named the Belgrade Cooperative for Mutual Aid and Savings, which was founded in 1882 on the initiative of a group of Belgrade merchants, with the intention of enabling members of the middle social class to take favorable loans, as well as to finance economic activities. Branches were open in and . Since 1897, when the Department of Insurance was founded, in addition to the cooperative banking activity, Belgrade Cooperative was increasingly developed as an insurance company. As such, it operated until 1944, representing one of the most important institutions of its kind.
The building around 1926
The beautiful dome is placed on top of the corner of the building, which is built in the styles of Eclectic, Academism, and Art Nouveau, is crowned with a . In front of the dome, you can admire a sculptural composition depicting a female figure, the personification of Serbia, and four children's figures that embody the Industry. Underneath the sculptural composition, which is flanked by two piers that are adorned with a and a decorative vase, you can see a , as well as a clock. The roof , which includes several and cartouches, is decorated with all sorts of and supported by a lot of pairs of . The building contains many epigraphs, some of which are placed in beautifully decorated fragments, showing the name of the cooperative or different years.
An old postcard that shows the building
In the , there is a statue of a female figure with a beehive and a male figure holding a scroll. The lovely arched band, which is lavishly embellished with all sorts of floral ornamentation, is topped with a cartouche that contains a . The curved balconet, that's placed above the main entrance door, is supported by two corbels and secured with a stone balustrade with incorporated . In addition, the building is also beautifully decorated with all kinds of ornamentation, including , , pediments, , and decorated with, among other things, a lion head .
Part of the interior shown in an old photo