Similar Božić’s House, Pavlović family house, Monument to Dositej Obradović, House of Ičko, Čukur Fountain | ||
The first town hospital was built in Belgrade in 1868. The constructed was initiated by Prince Mihailo Obrenović . It is situated in Džordž Vašington Street, former Vidinska Street. The building has the status of the cultural monument of a great importance, and it presently houses Serbian Medical Association.
Contents
The History of the Hospital
The first town hospital was founded in Belgrade in 1841 and for more than two decades it did not have its own building, but was located in he rented hoses all around the town. The initiative for constructing the hospital building was the idea of Prince Mihalio in 1861, for that reason donating to the municipality the lot he had bought from Đorđe Cenić, the Minister of Justice, the constitution writer and the law maker, who abolished the punishment by beating. The part of the lot was donated by Ilija Milosavljević Kolarac. At that time, the lot was located in the suburb, today Palilula. Prince Mihailo also donated some construction material which was intended for the construction of his vacation villa in Smederevo.
Fund Raising
The funds for the hospital construction were raised mostly through donations, but also, a donating balls with the lottery were organized by the municipality. One of the particularly successful balls was organized by the Princess Julia, Prince Mihailo`s wife in the hotel "Serbian Crown" in, in 1865, when more than 1.667 ducats, and many valuable presents, which enabled the beginning of the construction.
The Design
According to the words of dr. Budimir Pavlović, the curator at the Serbian Medicine Museum, the designer of the building was Czech architect Jan Nevole, аnd in some records, Jovan Frencl and Kosta Šreplović are mentioned as the possible designers. However, it is stated in the archives that Jovan Frencl designed it after the original Jewish Hospital in Berlin, The building was constructed in the Gothic style, and Frenclwas a city architect and designed the Prince Mihailo`s Palace on the site of the new palace – nowadays the Presidency building. The Prince never moved in into that Palace and gave it in to various ministries, and Frencl himself did not see the finished hospital, since he died during the construction.
The Construction
The cornerstone was laid on 30 June 1865 in the presence of the Prince, municipality aldermen and citizens and respectful persons. The building was built in bricks, in the shape of the irregular letter "T" and has four levels. Despite the difficult fund raising, the hospital was officially opened on 1 May 1868.
The External Appearance
Along with Kapetan Miša`s Mansion, this building represents the most important example of Romanticism with the elements of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, in the development of Belgrade architecture. The harmony between the possibilities and desire was achieved by sparing resources, good architectural composition and moderately used, simple decorative plastic. The central part of the main facade is the most prominent part of the building, which was achieved by the change of the rhythm and the size of the gaps, as well as by the transforming of the cornice into the triangular shaped gable, with the lantern with a clock on the top of it, serving as a decorative accent.
The Interior of the Hospital
During the construction, modern technical designs for the ventilation, heating of the patient rooms and providing cold and hot water. It was a new system of ventilation, which at that time was a real avant-garde. At the time there was no knowledge about the microorganisms, but they sensed that there was something invisible in the air. That is why the air that the patients were breathing had to be cleaner. The methods of professor Bem were applied and the ventilation was set up through the pipes that bring air to the door frame when the windows were closed. The hospital also had floor heating. In the basement there were utility rooms, on the ground and the first floor there were two hospital wards on each, and in the attic there was a boiler. The water reached the hospital throughthe natural fall, where the six horsepower steam engine pushed the water into the attic to the big boiler, from where the water was further distributed to the floors. However, due to the limited resources the planned ventilation and the plumbing system were never used at the full capacity. By its composition, construction and other architectural elements, it represents the great achievement of Serbian architecture of the second part of the 19century, аnd by its content, it represents the historical monument of health care.
The Beginning of Work
The first patients were admitted in 1881, and the hospital included internаl and surgical ward, as well as the laboratory. The first manager was Dr. sr:Јоvan Valenta, whereas after him on Dr. Laza K. Lazarević came to that position. Lazarević bought the adjacent building where he opened the Department for healing the old, which was the first geriatrics in the world. In his addressing to the authorities he explained that "old age is neither illness nor health" and that "it is necessary to separate them from the other patients", In the courtyard behind the building there used to be a chapel which was destroyed in more recent history. After the First World War, the barracks serving as the children`s polyclinic and the school dispensary were temporarily placed in the courtyard. Ocular and aural wards moved in into the first hospital in 1920s. These wards were also very often referred to as the Eye clinic. Doyens of Serbian medicine operated and healed patients on that clinic: Dr. Vladan Đorđević, Dr. Laza Lazarević, Dr. Vojislav Subotić, Dr. Đorđe Nešić and others. At the moment, in this building there is a head of Serbian Medical Association, and temporarily there is also the occupational medical services of the Health centre Stari grad.