bg Belgrade

Serbian National Bank

- Kralja Petra 12 -
The construction of the three-story building, which was built for administrative and commercial purposes, took place way back in 1890. In 1887, a draft plan for the new building was adopted, drawn up by two architects employed in the Ministry of Construction. However, the Board of Directors decided to assign project development to Serbian-Bulgarian architect , which became his first project in Belgrade. The construction of the building was entrusted to contractors Jirasek and Kraus from . The construction work lasted from 1889 until its official completion on 15 March 1890. The building was built to house the Serbian National Bank, which was established in 1884 as the central bank of the Kingdom of Serbia.
An old photo that shows the building on the left
The establishment of the National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia was a long process consequent on the development of the economy, currency, and other financial institutions, as well as the need for economic and political emancipation of the Kingdom of Serbia. The bank was formally launched after the adoption of the Law on the National Bank, on December 12, 1882, which was confirmed by King on 6 January 1883. After the , the Privileged National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia became the National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Between 1922 and 1925, the bank building was extended to cater to its space requirements, to fill the entire area of the city block, in the form of an irregular pentagon. Konstantin Jovanović again carried out the extension, in a style consistent with the older part of the building.
The project of 1922
The Neo-Renaissance building contains two top gables, both of which are adorned with , and one is adorned with a topped with a decorative shell, while the other is topped with a segmental . The balustrade that can be seen at the same height as the top gables contains piers, decorative vases, as well as . Some dormers are placed behind the balustrade, which is either crowned with a pointed or a segmental pediment. Underneath the roof , you can see two strips of , one of which is bigger than the other one. The , which are placed above the third floor windows, are surrounded by flora volutes. The pediments that are placed above the second floor windows are either embellished with dentils, or an motif, and a perdicting the Greek god , or a containing the logo of the Serbian National Bank. The building features loads of containing either a garland wreath or another mascaron of the Greek god Hermes. The building also features loads of in all shapes and sizes, which are either crowned with a Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian . Most of the stone blocks used to build the facade of the first floor are decorated with , with the exception of the keystones, which are decorated with a or floral ornamentation. The window sills of the beautifully decorated iron-barred first floor windows are all supported by a total of two . Above the two entrances, you can admire another pointed pediment, one of which is adorned with a cartouche that contains another logo of the bank, and the other has an underneath it containing the stating НАРОДНА БАНКА (National Bank).
An old photo that shows the interior