Vladicanski Palace

The Vladicanski palace in Vrsac was built between 1750 and 1757 as a multi-storey building for Eparchy bishops of Banat after Eparchy's relocation from Caransebes in Romania to Vrsac. It is one of the most beautiful shrine buildings in Vrsac, and one of the finest examples of bishop's palaces in whole Serbian history. It is the oldest Bishop's Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the only one with this purpose from the Baroque period.

On the ground floor of the palace there is a chapel dedicated to St. Archangels - Michael and Gabriel, with iconostasis painted between 1761 and 1765. The iconostasis is one of the rare saved iconostasis from the XVIII century. There are also many valuable collections of icons, portraits of the most important bishops of the Vrsac eparchy and a huge library with several thousand books and archival materials.

Radical renovation, which completely changed the look of the building, was made by Bishop Gavrilo Zmejanovic in 1904. The entryway was changed and roof reconstructed. Fence of the park with rich Baroque combination of the wall and wrought iron remained authentic. At that time, the main facade received a neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance decor, new windows and pilasters, while the base of the building didn't significantly change. Later reconstructions did not fundamentally change the appearance of the building.

The entire Bishop's residence serves also as an exhibition of rare and valuable works of art from the 18th and 19th century. The first portrait of Bishop of Vrsac was created in 1763 in Baroque style by Viennese painter, Johan Michel Vagner. The portrait is a life-size representation of Bishop Jovan Georgijevic. Also representative is the bishop's cabinet with 14 portraits of Vrsac's, Banat's and other hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Portrait gallery of bishops of Banat is in the lobby of the Palace, while in the dining room are small icons on the canvas of St. Nicholas, St. George, Holy Healers and St. Demetrius - works of Uros Predic. 

Most of the furniture is in the spirit of the Baroque and Biedermeier, in perfect harmony with the interior. The Vladicanski palace is  a cultural monument of great importance, but it is not open for visitors, since it is the seat of the Bishop of Banat. 

Belimarkovic Castle

Belimarkovic Castle was erected between 1882 and 1887, in Vrnjacka Spa by General Jovan Belimarkovic, minister of King Milan Obrenovic and governor of the minor King Aleksandar Obrenovic.

The marble building was designed by the Viennese architect Vintera in the spirit of romantic historicism, with Renaissance elements and heavily resembles Polish villas in northern Italy. The castle boasts a double-flight staircase leading to the porch of the first floor.  Romantic inspiration may be noted in the Romanesque serrated towers on both sides.
Until 1968 the castle was still inhabited by members of Belimarkovic family but soon after that it was redeemed, renovated and got a different, cultural purpose. At that time it was also declared the immovable cultural monument of great importance.

After conservation and restoration works on the building that were carried out in the 70s, the castle was converted into a local museum with settings related to the territory of Vrnjacka Spa and its environment. Popularly called the Castle of Culture, today it is a showroom where concerts of classical music, different classes, schools and academies are organized (Summer Academy of Fine Art, Summer Academy of classical music, Contemporary graphics etc.). All this makes it a very interesting place for tourists and admirers of culture and tradition and one of the most attractive locations in Vrnjacka Spa.

Conclusion and honourable mentions

Today all developed European countries are developing some sort of tourism based on their preserved forts, palaces, castles and summer houses. Serbia on the other hand, never seemed to be interested in this, since there are no funds for their reconstruction and maintenance. And maybe, since we don't find these pieces of architecture to be part of our cultural heritage, because a lot of them were built by foreigner families. This is proven by the fact that palaces and residences of our people and rulers were mostly preserved (King's Palace and White Palace on Dedinje, Konak of Milos and Ljubica, etc).

Dundjerski Castle in Kulpin

Contrary to European castles that are preserved to this day, in Serbia, most of these former magnificent buildings with precious interior are now in poor condition. Mostly ruins are left surrounded by neglected parks and rare trees from all over the world, reminiscent of a time when there used to be luxury.

Karaconji Castle in Novo Milosevo

Ilion Castle in Sremski Karlovci

In fact, what usually happened in our country to these gaudy buildings? As soon as they were left without owners and tenants, especially after nationalization and confiscation in 1945, everything was dragged away. From the windows and doors to the old expensive elements of the interior, wooden furniture, grand chandeliers, pianos, paintings, antique firearms. Where all this eneded up, no one has even asked, nor have dealt with it. 

Vladicanski Palace in Novi Sad

Noihousen Castle in Srpska Crnja, today a motel named Banaterra

Mansions Luiza and Bagoivar in Palic

We could at least have been grateful to those people who left their legacy behind, preserve those buildings and even develop quality tourism. I am sure many would still love to ride in the chariot with coach and enjoy in the tranquility of nature and the chirping of birds and overall unique charm that this kind of architecture brings.