Basic info
Located on the right side of the Nisava River, in the vicinity of the Fortress, the building of Banovina is regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings in Niš. On July 28.1914, in this building, Government of Kingdom of Serbia, received the telegram with the declaration of war by Austria-Hungary. On that day, the greatest war in history of the world until then began in Nis – the First World War.
Location
Univerzitetski trg 2
More info
Banovina was built in 1889 in the Neo-Renaissance style, following the design of an architect from Vienna because of which it resembles magnificent buildings of “imperial” Vienna.
During its long history, it was a seat of the court, district office and military authority, and between July 26, 1914 and October 6, 1915, when Nis was the wartime capital of the Kingdom of Serbia, it served as the seat of the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was there that the telegram was received on July 28 with the declaration of war on Serbia by Austria-Hungary. Here the Treaty of Alliance with Albania was also signed, thanks to which many lives were saved during the retreat of the Serbian soldiers from the Macedonian Front. In 1917 it was from the balcony of this building that three European rulers of the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria) observed the last parade of their military units before their great defeat in the First World War.
Today, Banovina is a seat of the University of Niš, the Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for the Protection of Monuments in Niš, and the University library “Nikola Tesla”.
