Disputed monument to medieval Serbian ruler unveiled in Belgrade

Tanjug/Rade Prelić

The monument to the Grand Prince of the Serbian Grand Principality from 1166 to 1196 Stefan Nemanja, the work of the Russian sculptor and academician Alexander Rukavishnikov, was unveiled in Belgrade on Wednesday, causing delight with the regime and disgust with many artists and activists.

With its 23 meters height and 69 tonnes weight, the monument shows the ancestor of the medieval Serbian dynasty Nemanjic with a sword in his right hand and the Hilandar Charter in his left hand.

The monument caused an uproar among some artists and historians because of its size and the place of its erection – just outside the old railroad station in Belgrade which, dislocated after 135 years to make room for the Belgrade Waterfront facilities, also disputed modern residential and commercial part of the city built by United Arab Emirates’ company Eagle Hills.

Besides the relocation of the railroad station, an old part of the city nearby was demolished for the same purpose.

The secrecy about the price of the monument also irritated many. Belgrade Deputy Major Goran Vesic said on Wednesday it would be made public after the author’s consent.

Those against such monument organised a protest outside the Belgrade Philosophy Faculty and Aida Corovic, an art historian, summoned their impressions by saying it was not the monument to Stefan Nemanja but the „arrogance and egotism“ of Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic.

However, he saw the monument as „the great story about us (the Serbs), which is big, difficult because the story about us was often difficult. This monument is as beautiful as the story about us is beautiful.“

„This monument is big because it’s the story about us, about who we were, where we were, what we did and what we are today and what we want to be,“ Vucic told the ceremony.

Tanjug/Rade Prelić

He also addressed the Serbs in the region, saying „everyone knows that Serbs live in different countries, but that they belong to the same family,“ adding he would not let anyone take it away from them.

Tanjug /Rade Prelić

Instead of the usual pedestal, Stefan Nemanja’s monument stands on a „cracked Byzantine helmet“ resting on four legs on the ground and from where the ruler’s sceptre protrudes. It was said that the interior of the pedestal would be accessible to the public, and the history of the Nemanjic dynasty would be shown inside.

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Stefan Nemanja founded the Nemanjic dynasty and is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and history, establishing what would evolve into the Serbian Empire and founding the national church.