Стална музејска поставка "Устанци и ратови 1804–1941" у Конаку Јована Обреновића у Чачку

English title: Permanent Museum Exhibition “Uprisings and Wars 1804–1941” in the Residence of Jovan Obrenović in Čačak

The article “Permanent Museum Exhibition ‘Uprisings and Wars 1804–1941’ in the Residence of Jovan Obrenović in Čačak” analyzes one of the longest-lasting permanent historical exhibitions in Serbian museum practice. Conceived in 1996 and minimally supplemented in 2006, the exhibition for a long period represented the basic museum model for the public interpretation of modern Serbian history in the National Museum in Čačak.

The exhibition is analyzed as a system of historical representation, not merely as a space in which objects are displayed. Special attention is given to its narrative structure, selection of museum objects, visual hierarchy, spatial organization and the way in which objects, images, texts and thematic units shape a message about the past. The exhibition creates a chronological sequence of uprisings and wars from 1804 to 1941, thereby presenting modern Serbian history primarily as a history of liberation struggle, national statehood and military honour.

The article shows that exhibited objects were not selected only because of their documentary value, but also because of their symbolic potential. Decorations, weapons, military equipment, uniforms and objects belonging to prominent individuals function not only as material remains of the past, but as carriers of values: heroism, sacrifice, honour, national continuity and the idea of statehood. In this way, the exhibition constructs a clear and recognizable museum narrative of national history.

At the same time, the article points to the limitations of such a model of representation. The focus on uprisings, wars, military elites and national heroes makes civilian life, social complexity, everyday experience, economic processes and other forms of historical experience less visible. The exhibition is therefore not only a display of the past, but also an example of selective memorialization in which certain themes are emphasized while others are suppressed or marginalized.

The significance of the article lies in the fact that it interprets the permanent museum exhibition as an active agent in the production of historical meaning. The museum is not seen only as a guardian of objects, but as an institution that shapes public consciousness of the past, produces symbolic order and participates in creating cultural authority. Using the example of the Residence of Jovan Obrenović in Čačak, the article shows how a regional museum can present a local space as a site of national history, political culture and collective memory.