BELGRADE, Serbia — A 19th-century mansion on a busy downtown street in central Belgrade has been kept alive through theater, taking on the name Takovska17 even as the building itself shows age and wear. The Associated Press reported that the house, located at 17 Takovska Street, is listed as a protected heritage site and has endured through changes around it, including constant traffic near Serbian public broadcaster RTS.
The theater space turns what can look out of place on a modern thoroughfare into an intimate setting for staged productions. AP said that inside, the period atmosphere can feel like a winter afternoon in the 1920s, with the house still furnished with period pieces and set up for performances in front of audiences of just a few dozen people.
AP reported that several local theater troupes have made Takovska17 their home, staging plays from the early 20th century. In one production described by the report, Isidora Ristic, who is acting with the Artisti amateur troupe, described the venue’s role in their work, saying: “This house has become a true little theater with its own repertoire.”
Ristic also said the theater has developed its own identity within the productions, adding, “It’s become a character in our plays.” AP reported that Tamara Masic, an architect and a member of the troupe, said she is happy to see the old house surviving in its original form, rather than being altered or replaced.
Masic said the actors’ involvement has given the building renewed purpose, telling AP: “have had the honor to breath a new life into this object and give it a new glow.” AP also said that the period setting and small scale have helped make Takovska17 popular, with the theater often having a waiting list for tickets.
Outside the house, AP reported that Belgrade has seen many similar older residences torn down by investors, replaced by multistory buildings and sometimes wiping out whole neighborhoods. Against that broader pattern, Takovska17’s website describes the house as refusing to disappear, saying, “refuses to go,” and noting, “It has been here since 1894, proud, smelling of old wood and new stories.”
Inside, the AP account described colors on the walls that have faded with age and decorations that are harder to see, as well as wooden floorboards marked by more than a century of use. AP said much of the décor dates to the early 20th century, and quoted Masic describing the house as “really is like a museum.”