Bora Stankovic House Museum | Museums of Serbia | PlanPlus.rs

Vrana is home to the Bora Stanković House Museum, dedicated to the life and work of the famous writer. It was here, in the house of his grandmother Zlata, located in the old part of Vranje, formerly known as Donja Mahala, that Borisav Stanković was born in 1876, one of the most important Serbian writers and storytellers. Currently, his personal belongings are kept here, and the memory of the famous writer is carefully preserved.

The memorial house of Bora Stanković is built in the Balkan-Eastern style and is considered an extremely valuable and rare monument of vernacular architecture in modern Vrana. The exact year of construction of the house is unknown, but it is assumed that it was built between 1840 and 1845. After restoration work, it was converted into a museum and opened to the public in 1966.

The authentic building with a courtyard is still a symbol of a bygone era. In the yard, as 150 years ago, there is a well, cobblestones, a summer kitchen, an old silk tree and a garden. The house consists of four parts, has an open veranda and a doxa, a terrace for relaxing. Below the veranda is a dining room with benches, and inside the house there is Baba Zlata's room, as well as Bora's study and a guest room.

The guest room is the brightest, as it was where celebrations were held and guests were received. It is furnished in a semi-Eastern style and today houses a display case where the first editions of Bora's novels and the original magazines for which Bora wrote are displayed.

Photographs of Bora's characters decorate the space between Baba Zlata's room and the guest room, with special emphasis on the characters Pasha, the famous Kostana - Malika Iminovic and the silent Vanka from the novel Unclean Blood.

Baba Zlata's room contains her loom and the bed of Bora's mother, Vaska. Bora's study contains his chair, translations, television and theater productions of his life and work, and the kitchen displays pottery used in everyday life in the nineteenth century.

Visitors are particularly attracted to the Permanent Exhibition, especially the original items that were personal belongings of the writer. In the central part of the house is a handwritten letter from 1898, where other family originals are also on display, such as an inkwell, the upper part of Baba Zlata's clothes, Bora's father's pocket watch chain, Bora's mother's apron, and many others.

Bora Stanković's ancestral home is the most visited cultural and historical monument and one of the 10 most popular tourist attractions in Vranje, visited by more than 20,000 domestic and foreign tourists annually. It is recognized as a cultural property of great importance by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Niš.

The Bora Stankovic House Museum is open on Mondays from 8am to 3pm. From Tuesday to Friday, visitors can come from 8am to 8pm, and on weekends from 9am to 1pm. The ticket price is 100 dinars, with a 50% discount for privileged categories of people.