Beli dvor

Beli dvor (Serbian Cyrillic: Бели двор; English: "White Court" or "White Palace") is a mansion located in Belgrade, Serbia. The mansion is part of the Royal Compound, a real estate of royal residences and parklands located in Dedinje, an exclusive area of Belgrade.

The Royal Dedinje Compound covers an area of over 100 hectares, of which 27 hectares surround the Royal Palace and another 12 hectares the Beli dvor. The service buildings include kitchens, garages, Palace Guard buildings, the administration of the Office of the Marshal of the Royal Court, etc. [The Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, "The Royal Family of Serbia", Belgrade, 2007, page 23. ] The word "dvor" in Serbian translates to "court" or "palace". [James Archer Abbott, "Jansen", New York: Acanthus Press, 2005] The official press releases of the Royal Family and their brochures use the term "White Palace", which is easy to verify on the web site of the Royal Family.

History

Designed by architect Aleksandar Đorđević, Beli dvor is a severe neo-Palladian structure that was inspired by 18th century English houses such as Ditchley Park. Its interiors were decorated with English Georgian and 19th century Russian antiques by the French design firm Jansen, which later decorated the White House during the administration of John F. Kennedy. [James Archer Abbott, "Jansen", New York: Acanthus Press, 2005]

While the Old Palace (Royal Palace) was being built, King Aleksandar of Yugoslavia wanted to build a house for his children. [ Rados Ljusic, "Karadjordjevici", Beograd: Narodna knjiga, Karic fondacija, 2001, page 98.] After the King's assassination in 1934 in Marseille, Queen Marija and the couple's sons, including the young King Peter II, who was then 11, continued to reside in the Royal Palace (within the Royal coompound) as well as the sprawling Novi Dvor (New Palace) in central Belgrade, which was the royal family's official residence, and is now the Presidency of Serbia. Construction of Beli dvor continued, however, and it was completed in 1936. Although historians often say that the building was completed in 1937, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia was born in the White Palace in 1936, so it is safe to say that it was completed at that time.

It became the residence on loan to the Prince Regent and his family in waiting for King Peter II's majority. [The Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, "The Royal Family of Serbia", Belgrade, 2007, page 23. ]

After World War II, when the Communist government seized control of Yugoslavia, Beli dvor was used by presidents Josip Broz Tito and later by Slobodan Milošević.Fact|date=November 2007

After the democratic revolution on October 5, 2000, the Royal Family, then living in the United Kingdom, was invited to return to Yugoslavia, and it did so, in 2001. Crown Prince Alexander, his wife, Crown Princess Katherine, and his three sons Prince Peter, Prince Philip and Prince Alexander by his first wife, Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans Braganza, now live in the Royal Compound.

Beli dvor is open to the public on weekends, for regular visits, during the tourist season, from April to November. [ The Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, "PALACES OPEN FOR VISITORS UNTIL 25 NOVEMBER 2007" (press release), Belgrade, 7 November 2007. ]

The Royal Compound has also participated in Tourism Fairs in Belgrade and Novi Sad and during the Days of the European Cultural Heritage. [ The Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, "PALACES WELCOME EUROPEAN HERITAGE AND EXTENDED TOURIST SEASON" (press release), Belgrade, 11 September 2007. ] , [ The Office of HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, "ROYAL COMPOUND PRESENTED AT NOVI SAD FAIR 9-12 OCTOBER" (press release), Belgrade, 9 October 2007. ]

Art collection

The qualified tour guides at the Palace will tell any visitor that Beli dvor's notable works of art include paintings by Eugène Fromentin, Simon Vouet, two paintings by Nicolas Poussin, Sebastien Bourdon, "Madonna dream" by Albrecht Altdorfer, "Man with flaute" by Rembrandt, Paolo Veronese, two paintings by Antonio Canaletto, Breughel, Eugène Fromentin, Biagio d'Antonio, Giuseppe Crespi, Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Đura Jakšić, Steva Todorović, Ivan Meštrović, Vlaho Bukovac and others.

References

External links

* [http://www.royalfamily.org/ Official site of the Royal Family]
* [http://www.oplenac.org.yu/ Oplenac, The Mausoleum of the Royal Family]