Guided Tour Through the Exhibition “Journey to the East of King Milan Obrenović”

Guided tour of the exhibition “Journey to the East of King Milan Obrenović: Pilgrimage and Oriental Culture at the Serbian Court” will take place at the Gallery of the National Museum Kraljevo on Thursday, September 25th, 2025, starting at 6 p.m.

The tour will be led by Nemanja Trifunović, curator at the National Museum Kraljevo, who will introduce visitors to the significance of King Milan Obrenović’s journey to the East, his pilgrimage, and the ways in which Oriental culture and art found their place at the Serbian court.

The exhibition is dedicated to one of the most important royal journeys of the late 19th century – King Milan Obrenović’s visit to the Holy Land in 1889, shortly after his abdication. Traveling under the pseudonym “Count of Takovo,” the route took him through Istanbul, Jerusalem, Damascus, and Beirut, leaving a profound impact on his spiritual life as well as on the cultural and artistic expression of the Serbian court.

The display is based on the travel notes of Mihailo Rašić, the king’s adjutant and companion on this journey, along with a rich selection of photographs and archival materials from various museum institutions across Serbia. Visitors will gain insight into how Oriental influences were integrated into Serbian court culture, from architectural and decorative elements to luxury items that adorned the Arab Salon in the Old Palace in Belgrade.

The exhibition also sheds light on the broader context of the era—a cultural transfer that shaped tastes, artistic movements, and everyday life in Serbia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.

This guided tour offers visitors the opportunity to explore the cultural and historical significance of this journey within the framework of European and Balkan developments of the time. We warmly invite you to attend this program and, through expert interpretation, discover new layers of a fascinating and often overlooked chapter of our history.