Образовна авантура Завичајног Музеја Књажевац

Locations

Where is the Education Adventure of the Homeland Museum implemented?

The Education Adventure of the Homeland Museum – along the Timok valley at the foot of Stara planina is a special education programme of the Museum of Knjaževac, which is based on the specificities of the cultural heritage and natural resources and is realised in the facilities of the Homeland Museum of Knjaževac, in the premises of the Homeland Museum at 15 Karađorđeva St, the Town Museum at the home of Aca Stanojević at 6 Njegoševa St, the Archaeo-Ethno Park in the village of Ravna 9 km away from Knjaževac towards Zaječar or in the old school in the village of Balta Berilovac 37 km away.

Depending on the length of your stay, your interests and needs, a selection of the programme is made, as well as the location where we will go together for the education adventure that we are preparing in collaboration with our local partner organisations - NGO “Zelena Zona”, Civic Association "Etno Centar”, the Tourist Organisation of Knjaževac, Technical School and other friends of the Museum. The purpose of this is knowledge dissemination and promotion of the cultural heritage and natural resources of the area of Knjaževac.

About the Homeland Museum of Knjaževac:

The Homeland Museum of Knjaževac has been operating as an independent institution since 1980. It consists of three facilities: the Museum's main building with the permanent exhibition and the Gallery, the Town Museum at the House of Aleksa Aca Stanojević and the Archaeo-Ethno Park in Ravna – an open-air museum near the ancient site Timacum Minus.

The museum's main building is located at 15 Karađorđeva St, built in 1906, a double resident bulding of the Sibinović family, and the former owners of the ''Dobra Sreća'' mine in the village Vina near Knjaževac. It became a cultural monument for its architectural values of neo-classical style elements.

 

There is a permanent exhibition there with cultural and historical items from rich collections of the Museum illustrating the life in the area of Knjaževac from prehistory to the present day. The permanent exhibition includes the Museum of Socks which exhibits an exquisite collection of double-woven woolen socks of the Timok valley.

The Town Museum of Knjaževac is located at 6 Njegoševa St, in the home of one of the founders of the Radical Party - Aleksa Aca Stanojević. The house was being built from 1903 to 1912 while he was President of the National Assembly, according to the construction plans of the entrepreneur Mr. John Fogler, Vienna, and with the elements of Art Nouveau. It was declared a cultural monument because of its style and historic value.

Numerous examples of original material, archival records and personal belongings of Aca Stanojević, as well as gifts from old Knjaževac families or individuals make a modest but significant fund. Being a cultural and historical monument of the early 20th century was convenient to exhibit the setting and evoke the time in which Mr. Aca Stanojević lived and also to reconstruct the interior of a town house typical of that time.

The Archaeo-Ethno Park in Ravna is a part of the Homeland Museum of Knjaževac. It is located in the village of Ravna 8 km away from Knjaževac towards Zaječar. The park was formed in the courtyard of the former village school, built in the early 20th century.

Long-lasting archaeological excavations at the nearby ancient site of Timacum Minus, the oldest military fort in the valley of Timok, contributed to the selection of villages for the formation of the park. Dozens of Roman epigraphic monuments, the altar, a number of bronze sculptures, fragments of architectural plastics, items of high artistic and handicraft values were found during the archaeological excavations at the site, but also during agricultural works in the vicinity and today are kept at the Homeland Museum in Knjaževac.

The Archaeological Park in Ravna comprises several parts: a site which consists of a military fort Timacum Minus and baths, a lapidarium in the schoolyard in Ravna and a research station with storage in the school building.

The Ethno Park in Ravna is arranged according to the plan of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute of Niš in 1978. Since then there have been continuous efforts on arranging this park as an open-air museum. The basic idea was to evoke the ambience of a patriarchal village cooperative of the 1900s with its residential and commercial buildings. What has been preserved in this way is longstanding experience and a range of local architecture, but also a direct contact of visitors with objects and items of traditional culture and folk architecture of the area.

The ambient consists of several buildings, namely: the reconstructed village house from Berčinovac (late XIX century), the copy of a village house from Gornja Kamenica in the cellar of which there is the Wine Museum, the granary from the village of Beli Potok, the caldron for making of rakija (local brandy) from the village of Pričevac.

The village school in Balta Berilovac

Balta Berilovac village is situated at the foot of Stara Planina, at 531 meters of altitude, 37km away from Knjaževac. A long time ago this village at the foot of the mountain had over 500 inhabitants and a large number of children. It was on the old road that went over St Nicolas crossing on Stara Planina to Vidin.

The village is a compact type, divided into several quarters (Turkish mahalas). According to an old saying and also archaeological findings the village has existed since the Roman period. One legend says that the name originated from the old Slavic word "Balta" - meaning lake. It was also called “Berilovci” after a place where hunters gathered together (Serbian sabirali) and which they later on abandoned (Serbian batalili).

The first school in the village was opened in 1860 in a private house. It was church-like, a monastery type and as such it has been there since 1877. The first teacher was Mateja pop Todorović. A new building built of friable materials in 1880 was officially opened in 1882. Classes were in Old Slavic first and later on in the Serbian language. A woman is known to have graduated here in Turkish and Serbian.

The village school in Balta Berilovac is one of the oldest schools in the area. To our regret, it has been a long time since there are no pupils and teachers there; therefore the local community has decided to bring back the importance and meaning it had until recently. It has been restored with the support of the UN Joint Programme, the Ministry of Culture and information of the Republic of Serbia, the Homeland Museum of Knjaževac and the Municipality of Knjaževac with the idea of becoming a Museum of Stara Planina, which will evoke the lifestyle of the area of Stara Planina.

 

Our wish is to share with you the joy of meeting and studying, learning and socializing, playing and entertaining through joint activities in specific environments.

WE ARE EXPECTING YOU!!!