15.07.2014.
The renovated house of Duke Stepa Stepanovic opened
Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic, accompanied by Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali and Aleksandar Savic, Head of the Belgrade Municipality of Vozdovac, opened the renovated house of Duke Stepa Stepanovic.Addressing the attendees, including Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and General Jovica Draganic, Deputy Head of the General Staff, and talking about the renowned Serbian Duke who participated in all wars lead by Serbia in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Minister Gasic expressed his hope for the house to become a place where the young can learn about love for their people.
- Duke Stepa Stepanovic was twice the Minister of Military, and, above all, he proved himself to be a courageous and enduring leader, awarded with twenty highest awards. This place should remind us of how our ancestors fought for preserving the Serbian state, tradition and identity – Minister pointed out.
Gasic mentioned that Stepanovic received his rank of Duke after the Battle of Cer, which was the first Allied victory in the First World War.- It is important for us to be here today, at the doorstep of the house where he was born, because, in the year of marking the beginning of the Great War, we face attempts at the revision of history, which we must defy, in order to preserve the memory of our glorious ancestors – Minister Gasic stressed, expressing hope that the renovated house would become a significant and frequented museum, where every visitor will have something to learn about the life and work of the renowned military leader.
Belgrade Mayor Sinisa Mali stressed that the house is a unique jewel that has greatly enriched the cultural-historical offer of the capital which will continue securing means for such projects.
The house where Serbian Duke and military leader Stepa Stepanovic was born at the Belgrade resident area Kumodraz was proclaimed a cultural property in 1974. It has three rooms, two of which have exhibition panels with photographs depicting the life and work of Duke Stepanovic, and in the third one is an original preserved fireplace. next to the house, there are two more annex facilities.Stepanovic took part in Serbo-Turkish Wars at the end of the 1870s, and in Balkan Wars and the First World War, during which he was the Commander of the Second Army. The Battle of Drina, the Battle of Kolubara, reorganization of the Serbian Military at Corfu and its successes on Kajmakcalan and around Bitolj, and the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki Front are some of the events that enlisted Stepanovic among the greatest military leaders in the First World War and in the Serbian history. One of main streets in Vozdovac is named after Stepanovic, and a monument is erected in his honor in Kumodraz.
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