Did you know that there is a “Russian House” in the very center of old Belgrade? It is in fact a Russian spiritual and cultural center on Serbian land. This year, it celebrates a significant anniversary—90 years since its creation. We are starting a series of publications about the Russian House activities with an article by its director, Evgeny Baranov, and it is about the history of this unique center.
On April 9, 1933, at 11:30 a.m. in the presence of the royal family the Russian House named after Emperor Nicholas II was ceremonially opened in Belgrade: an eternal and living monument not only to King-knight Alexander I Karadjordjevic (without his goodwill the very existence of the Russian House would have been impossible), but also to the unity of the Serbian and Russian peoples in joy and sorrow.
Exactly 90 years have passed. The states where and on behalf of which the Russian House in Belgrade had been representing Russian culture, higher education opportunities, and the beauty and grandeur of the Russian language for many years, no longer exist. There is no Kingdom of SСS, no USSR, no Federal Yugoslavia—there is the Republic of Serbia and Russia, there is unity, there is sorrow and joy!
Every year, the beginning of April is a busy time for the Russian House, we are preparing for our birthday. Yet there is another date that the House staff never misses: April 6, the anniversary of the German bombing of Belgrade. Bombs fell just a few dozen steps from our House. This happened in 1941 and then again in 1944.
History repeated itself in 1999, albeit with different “heroes.” At that time, NATO forces have been bombing Belgrade from spring until summer. I remember the air raid sirens, the lights suddenly going out, explosions echoing nearby on Nemanina and Knyaz Milos streets. Amidst all this hell people were reading the poems of the great Russian poets in the concert hall of the Shalyapin Russian House, in a huge, cold, and completely dark place, in the flickering light of candles…
The massive walls of the Russian House, built according to the project of the Russian tsar military engineer, Lieutenant General Baumgarten, at that time were seen as reliable protection—not so much physical as spiritual: protection from despair, fear, and madness going on around. Indeed, the house survived, and the only reminders of those terrible days are the traces of cracks on the walls. The same marks can be seen on the walls of all the old houses in the neighborhood…
The Russian House has become an integral part of city life. From time to time in Belgrade’s kafanas, the Russian House comes up in conversations with peers or people slightly older than me. I have already heard so many touching high school memories of first kisses in the back rows of our cinema, and so many more I will hear! In the coming months, the Russian House hall will be equipped with the most up-to-date cinema equipment and sound system. We believe that, no matter how exciting modern Russian films may be, the romantic tradition will not be broken.
Also, there is the taxi driver I know, he had forgotten Russian but recently he fluently quoted Yesenin to me with almost no accent… He said he used to attend literary evenings.
The language has been forgotten, but the poems are still there.
Now our lives and work are filled with new meaning. We are very proud that we have managed to revive the activities of the Russian Scientific Institute, which was located within our walls before World War II. This means that readers in Belgrade will now be regularly introduced to the research and discoveries of the scientists working here.
A long time ago, we were housing the first Serbian-Russian gymnasium. Today, we offer Russian language courses at all levels. Last year, due to the arrival of a large number of our compatriots in Serbia, we have introduced Serbian language courses for Russians for the first time. In this way, we are firstly following our tradition and, secondly, we are not grouping our fellow citizens into friends and strangers (as long as they themselves do not do so). We believe that their desire to learn the language of the country they decided to stay in is noble and deserves qualified assistance.
With the arrival of a new wave of Russians, we hope to revive the Russian Theatre in Belgrade. Until now, its plays in Serbian have gained unwavering popularity. The play «Crime and Punishment» toured half the country and was met with ovations throughout the Republika Srpska. Now we are counting on the Russian repertoire and believe that the plays of the Russian Theatre in Belgrade will also be in demand in Russia as well.
The doors of the Russian House are wide open to a vast variety of initiatives, from round tables for international lawyers to open lectures by renowned professors from the University of Belgrade. Every day (except weekends), the latest books are presented here and the latest achievements in the social sciences are discussed. The range of our guests and their interests is incredible: from Matija Bečković and Emir Kusturica to a fashionable Slovak photographer and virtuoso, from Miloš Kovič to Miloš Bikovich.
We are challenging ourselves in these, to say the least, difficult times we happen to live, to strengthen the bond between our peoples.
The difficulties with airline tickets and their prices have, of course, had an impact on tourism. But we believe that this time can be used to introduce the Serbian audience to various destinations for future trips to Russia, our vast homeland. Times will change, but Russia will always be there. Therefore, with the help of our Serbian colleagues and friends, we are developing a television travel project covering Russian regions. The series about the trip of Bosko Kozarski, host of the leading Serbian travel show “Kulturista,” to Krasnodar Krai was shot at such a high professional level that now our regions are competing for the opportunity to host the film crew of our “Serbian brothers” — the Kozarski brothers!
It was not for nothing that I started this article by mentioning the royal family’s participation in the opening ceremony of the Russian House back in 1933.
From the very first day of its existence (except for the so-called “Informburo period”), the Russian House has been proud of the unwavering support and attention it has received from the Serbian authorities.
Likely today, we never cease to be amazed at how the authorities at all levels in Serbia manage to maintain balance and prevent a critical shift in conditions of truly unprecedented pressure and attempts to “zero out” the Russian presence in world culture, and especially in European culture. It is incredibly difficult for a tightrope walker to maintain balance when the thin rope under his feet is constantly being shaken from one end. It is even more difficult to balance proud upright.
Watching all this from the prospective of our ninety years anniversary, we are convinced that the cement of unity in sorrow and joy, laid in the foundation of our House, will withstand this “seismic activity” just as it withstood the tectonic shocks of the 20th century that are now gone down in history…
We will definitely continue our series of publications about our House activities, its role in establishing mutual understanding between countries in different historical periods, its ups and downs.
