Building of the Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Building
The Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Building
Basic information
Location	Savski Venac, Belgrade, Serbia
Country	Serbia
Completed	1928

The Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Building, today a building of the Serbian government, is located in Belgrade, on the territory of the city municipality of Savski Venac, at 22 Kneza Miloša street. It is the work of Russian architect Nikolaj Petrovič Krasnov, the most important representative of the academic historicism in the Serbian interwar architecture. Due to the importance that the building has as an anthological work of Belgrade academic interwar architecture, it represents the immovable cultural property as the cultural monument. The building was constructed between 1926 and 1928, after the design by the architect Nikolay Krasnov, as the author of the original design of the building, and the later addition of the third floor from 1938. The building was constructed as the representative structure with the floor plan of irregularsquare and an inner courtyard. The dynamic facades, designed in the style of аcademism, have massive pilasters, between the first and the second floor windows. The emphasized projected cornices, window frames and pilasters with ring-shaped reinforcements give the facade a plastic liveliness and a monumental effect. The most luxurious is the corner part of the building, where the vertical effect is underlined by the dome with the bronze sculpture on its top – the personification of Yugoslavia. This sculpture, as well as other free standing sculptures on the facades of the building, Fertility with cornucopia, Crafts, Industry and Mercury were the works of a sculptor Đorđe Jovanović. The choice of motifs and the symbols of the facade sculptures was determined by the institution located in the building.

The building was constructed in the period from 1926 till 1928. Ten years later, the third floor was added after the design of the same architect. The building is conceived as the monumental object at the crossroads of the busy Knez Miloš Street and Nemanjina Street. It has the square-shaped basis with the spacious inner courtyard. The interior was designed according to its purpose. The exquisite artistry of the facades reflects in the richness of the decorative architectural plastic, a number of details, studied ratio between the masses. The characteristic dominant position of the building is emphasized with a dome, with a bronze sculpture on its top – the personification of Yugoslavia. The author of this sculpture, as well as of the free standing sculptures of Crafts, Mercury, Industry and Fertility with cornucopia, was the eminent sculptor Đorđe Jovanović.[7]The symbolism of the motifs was determined by the activity of the institution the object was initially intended for.