Yugoslavia

Thursday, September 20

During our time in Belgrade we’ve learned a lot about the history of Serbia and it’s many rulers.   Regarding recent history the more we learn the more we are puzzled.  The people here are reluctant to talk about the Balkan Wars of the late 20th Century and have an unexpectedly positive view of their country during the Communist period.  Today we planned to visit the Museum of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers to try to learn more about the time when the communists were in power and Tito was president.

The day started with a three mile walk to the far end of town.  The museums are in a more affluent part of town on top of a hill at the end of a long drive. Entry for both museums was about $4.00 per person.  Surprisingly there were no signs of any kind indicating the location of the museums.  Thank you Google Maps!

Our first visit was to the House of Flowers.  This complex was built in 1975 as a place for Tito to work and to rest.  At Tito’s request he was buried there.  The place became known as the House of Flowers due to the fact that his tomb was always surrounded by flowers.  Today white rocks stand in place of the flowers.

(Tito’s Tomb)

The building is rather small and, in addition to the tombs of Tito and his third wife Yovanka, is filled with memorabilia from his life in office.  There was a large collection of ceremonial batons that was presented to him on the anniversary of his birth from various guilds, organizations and municipalities throughout Yugoslavia.  The date of his birthday became a national holiday known as Youth Day.

There was an interesting collection of gifts and memorabilia from his meetings with other heads of state.  Among the many things we saw a silver desk set presented to him by JFK and a signed photograph of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.  There was also a model of the so-called Blue Train.

(A Gift of a Desk Set from JFK from 1963)

The Blue Train was manufactured out of train cars that had previously been used exclusively by the royal family prior to World War II.  Tito had it made into a traveling office and frequently used it to visit far off towns in Yugoslavia and state capitals throughout the world.  He often entertained heads of state in its elaborate interior.  Today the Blue Train can be rented out for special occasions.  It is possible to tour the train but information on the procedure is scarce.  We were able to learn that you can set up an appointment by sending email to srbijavoz.marketing@srbrail.rs.  Tours cost 300 RSD per person (about $3.00) and are available Monday-Friday from 9 am – 1 pm.

(A Sculpture of Tito in the Garden)

Next door we found the Museum of Yugoslavia.  Yugoslavia, which means the union of southern slavs, was a country that came into being after World War I.  Initially it was called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and was created out of territories that previously belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  In 1929 it was renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.  At the start of World War II the royal family fled to Great Britain and the country was controlled by Nazi Germany.  Starting in 1946 a communist government was established and the country was renamed The Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia.  From 1946 until his death in 1980 Tito lead the country as Prime Minister, President and finally President for Life.  The new country of Yugoslavia was made up of six socialist republics including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia while Serbia also contained the two autonomous provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo (by the way it’s taken us a week and half to figure this out and we’re now beginning to understand some of the present day regional politics).

The museum building and its collection are both undergoing a major renovation.  The main building is closed.  The exhibition is being temporarily housed in a nearby building where a small cross-section of the artifacts are on display.  Most of the displays had items that were associated with Tito – mainly gifts and memorabilia from other heads of states.  There were  a few items about the development of technologies during this time and finally a few items on the post Tito period.  It’s hard to evaluate the museum in its current state.  Together the House of Flowers and the Museum of Yugoslavia seemed more like propaganda for Tito and the communist state rather than an objective, historical re-telling of the facts.

We decided to walk back into town and have lunch at a place that my tennis coach had recommended.  It was about midway between the museums and our apartment so it made for a nice stopping point.  We decided to split an order of pljeskavica and a shopska salad.  The portions were huge.  The pljeskavica seemed to have more beef than pork and it came with a large pile of chopped onions.  We ate the entire salad and most of the meat.  We tried to order plum pie for dessert but they were out so we split a piece of baklava.  The syrup was made from sugar rather than honey, which we prefer.  Still, all of the dessert vanished in our seemingly endless gullets.  Total cost: $15.34.

Distance walked: 6.8 miles