National Museum of Serbia. The National Museum of Serbia is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. Its main facade is on the Republic Square and the official address ia 1a Republic Square. The museum was established on 10 May 1844. It moved into the present building in 1950, with the grand opening of the venue on 23 May 1952. Since its founding, the museum's collection has grown to over 400,000 objects, including many foreign masterpieces. The National Museum of Serbia building was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1979. Before erection of the building of the National Museum on this place was famous tavern called Dardanelles, meeting point of cultural and artistic elite of the time. Demolition of the old tavern signified the beginning of the transformation of The Republic Square. The building which housed the most important museum of Republic of Serbia today, originally was built from 1902 to 1903, for the purpose of Fund Mortgage Bank, one of the oldest banking institution of Belgrade. It was one of the first building in which was used some form of reinforced concrete for the foundation. Actually during the digging foundation trenches, the various pits, wells and basements were encountered because of the proximity of the former Stambol Gate. Newly built two-storeyed building was a real palace of its time. Its volume conception designed in the form of a long solid block with domes over the central and lateral rizalites and academic façade shape were based on the principles of neo-Renaissance style with neo-baroque elements on the domes. The greatest attention was given to the monumental staircase and the hall with bank windows which as the basic premises of a bank was given a secondary importance. Almost three decades later, an increased development of Mortgage Bank, influenced a need for a reconstruction of the building. The new part of the building contained the same elements of interior as the old part, and in the final image the building got two monumental staircases and two halls with bank windows while only the upper floors form the continuous line of offices. During World War II Mortgage Bank building was bombed and the central part with the dome was destroyed. After the war, the building got a completely new purpose when one of the most important national cultural institution moved in. Since its establishing during the Constitutionalist, until the end of the Second World War the National Museum changed location for several times. At a beginning, it was placed in Captain MiÅ¡a's building and soon after it was moved into two adjacent buildings which were destroyed during World War I. At the same time the museum art collections were seized and looted by the invaders. During the interwar period the Museum didn't get its own building. The museum was located in a rented private house at 58 Kneza MiloÅ¡a street. In 1935 the New Royal Palacе became the residence of the museum and named the Royal Museum. Subsequently, it was renamed into the Museum of Prince Paul which consisted of Historical Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, which merged in 1935. In 1948 the New Palace was restored and became administrative seat of the Republic. For that purpose the Museum was transferred into a building of the former Stock Exchange on the Student Square, and partly to Palace of Princess Ljubica. The first architectural competition for the proper National Museum building, planned to be on TaÅ¡majdan was announced the following year. The author of the design was an architect Miladin Prljevic but the Cominiform disapproved this idea. Then the museum was transferred into the building of Mortgage Bank. The central dome was restored and the central tract with offices and workspaces was lifted. After an adaptation the original hall with bank windows was converted into a library.