Heritage Museum in King Nikola's Castle

A meeting place of education, culture and tradition

Nikšić and its surroundings have been inhabited since the time of the Neanderthals of Crvena Stijena. Over nearly 50,000 years of history, this area has been home to numerous prehistoric, ancient and medieval communities.

The Nikšić Heritage Museum preserves representative collections of objects in its archaeological, historical, ethnological and art collections. The museum is located in the neoclassical King Nikola's Castle from the late 19th century.

The exhibition plan was developed in collaboration with the curatorial team. A combined linear-chronological narrative with distinct focal points and themes from local history guides the visitor through the building.

An exhibition that teaches

The permanent exhibition design meets advanced requirements for the preservation, presentation and promotion of heritage in a contemporary way. One of the primary goals is its educational role.

How did Neanderthals and modern humans meet at Crvena Stijena? What does the first map of the roads of Nikšić and its surroundings look like? What was life like in Onogošt? The exhibition's themes are part of the primary and secondary school curricula, so young people are expected to be among the most frequent visitors.

Legacy of Ilija Šobajić

On the ground floor level, permanent displays of the most representative exhibits from the art collections are planned. Moving through the exhibition is non-linear, as through a kind of picture gallery.

Room 6 exhibits the bequest of the artist Ilija Šobajić, which includes nearly 1000 items. Works, personal belongings and photographs are displayed in a showcase that combines vertical and horizontal arrangement, with pedestals and its own lighting.

Sculptures Exhibition

The sculpture collection's holdings are displayed on free-standing pedestals, while the most representative pieces are in specially designed showcases set in niches. Each niche is lined with metal in a tone that matches the sculpture.

Visitors will see some of the most representative sculptures by Pavle Pejović, Mijo Mijušković, Krsto Andrijašević and Branko Tomanović.

Legacy of Petar Lubarda

The space is dominated by the recently conserved and restored monumental painting The Thirteenth of July Uprising, measuring 5,50 x 2,48 m. In front of the painting is a bench for rest and contemplation, as is customary when exhibiting works of such a large format.

Library, reading room and café bar

Room 14 is divided by a glass panel into a library and a reading room. The partition is reversible and does not disrupt the original spatial concept of the building. Seats for researchers are placed beneath the window niches, by the natural light.

Room 15 is a café bar for resting between tours. The interior does not depart from the museological aesthetic of the building, but rather complements it with discreet tones and simple forms.

Stone, Bronze and Iron Age

The journey through the history of Nikšić begins on the upper floor, in a central space of nearly 90 m². Visitors are first introduced to natural history and paleontology, then to the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages.

In one corner there is a smaller display dedicated to the Iron Age, with weapons, equipment and jewelry of the Illyrian tribes, in a slanted free-standing display case.

Crvena Stijena

Objects from the Paleolithic site of Crvena Stijena are displayed in vertical display cases, arranged by the horizons and layers from which they originate. This makes it easier for the visitor to read the chronology of prehistory.

In room 5 are the exhibits of Neanderthals, and in room 6 artifacts of modern humans. The link between the rooms symbolically depicts the encounter of these two human species. Research at the site is ongoing, so the display can be supplemented.

Roman period, Middle Ages and the historical-art collection

The highlight of this unit is the Roman stone tablet with the so-called Peutinger road map, shown in a vertical projection on the wall. There is also Roman, Byzantine and medieval currency and exhibits related to the Onogošt fortress.

In the neighboring room 9 is the historical-art collection with part of the numismatic collection.

Promenade

The large glazed corridor is treated as the backbone of the display and the link between themes. Here is part of the story about the Castle itself, and on the ceiling the original chandelier has been conserved and reconstructed.

An important point of the Promenade is the story of the architect Josip Slade, author of the first urban plan of Nikšić and designer and builder of King Nikola's Castle.

Historical collection and the Montenegrin house

The story of national history continues through flags in wall display cases, rifles and sabers in vertical projections and decorations in floor display cases. Among the unique objects is weaponry related to the Battle of Grahovac and the saber of Voivode Mirko Petrović.

Room 12 is a reimagining of the interior of a traditional Montenegrin house. Multimedia brings the scene to life with projected shadows, the sound of the gusle and children's chatter, and visitors can sit on reconstructed three-legged stools.

Etnographic Collection

The last room of nearly 90 m² holds diverse ethnographic material. Smaller objects are in free-standing display cases, and representative examples of Montenegrin folk costume are in large wall-mounted vertical display cases.