Castles of Serbia

Historical Archive Building

Zaječar

The Historic Archive building of the Timok Valley in Zaječar is located in the city centre at 160 Nikola Pašic Street (formerly Maršal Tito Street) and was built in 1936 for the Nikolic family, which at that time was an eminent family of lawyers, according to the design by P. Đorđevic, architect from the city. It has the look of a luxury urban villa. Almost square in floor plan, the building was erected in the middle of a courtyard of about 20ares , about 20 m from the route of the street, so that it really seems not as a private house for living and work, but as a more luxurious facility.

The garden fence is made of metal with massive masonry pillars panelled with light brown stone veneer, and there is a drinking fountain in front of the building. The building consists of ground floor and first floor, with rooms arranged down the central hallway. The entrance has a polygonal porch, which is accessed by stairs. The four-sided roof is tiled with plain clay tiles (“Biber”). The facades are lined with artificial stone. The windows are protected by wrought iron bars. What is striking about this villa is the asymmetry, since the villa ends on one side with a small pointed tower, which gives it a romantic look, and the whole building can be more or less attributed to that style.

The Zaječar Historical Archive was established by decree on April 15, 1948; has found its place in the villa in 1979. The entrance to the villa is allowed, and the condition of the villa is good, since it is well maintained. There is no visible damage, and the roof has been recently renovated.

This project was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia.