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The building of the museum is the foundation of Mirko Komnenovic, who bequeated it to the town of Herceg-Novi by his will from 1940. in which was expressed his wish that this building serves as the town museum. Born on 21st. 09. 1870. in Herceg-Novi. Died on 28th. 03. 1941. in Herceg Novi. He finished Primary school in Kotor, and the Commercial Academy in Maribor. He graduated foreign languages in Chateau de Luceus, in Switzerland. Besides Serbian, his mother tongue, he spoke Russian, French, German and Italian. He was the founder and the manager of the Serbian Credit Cooperative Society for many years. He was also the senior of the Serbian Falcon Association in Herceg-Novi and the Serbian falcon parish on the Adriatic Coast.
During the Balkan wars he was occupied with propaganda and intelligence services in benefit of Serbia and Montenegro against Austria-Hungary. During the First World War he was imprisoned without sentence in the ill-famed camp of Mamula. After being transferred in Serbia he went to Russia where he organised volunteers for Serbian Army on the Salonikan Front of Austria-Hungarian prisoners. In 1919 he came back to Yugoslavia. In 1923. and 1925. he was elected for the ambassador of Boka Kotorska in the National Parliament of the Monarchy of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenians. In 1930. he was apppointed for the president of the community of Herceg-Novi. This annual reward for accomplishing that job, he gave for the electrification of the town. In 1935. for the third time he was elected in the National Parliament of the Yugoslav Monarchy. He was the Minister of Social Politics and the National Health.
Mirko M. Komnenovic was given decoration of Yugoslav orders: White Eagle with swords, St. Sava's of the first and the third degree; Russian: St.Vladimir's 4th class, St. Stanislav`s 5th class, St. Ana's 2nd degree; with French Legion of Honor, and Czechoslovakian officer Revolutionaries` cross. In his testament from 1940, Mirko Komnenovic bequeathed his house to the people as the Town museum. His wish was that the whole income should go to "help the orphans of Herceg-Novi, no matter of religion", with indication that "Serbian flag, that is in his house stays there forever". In 1949, the National Museum of Herceg-Novi was established and in 1953, was solemnly opened in the house of Mirko Komnenovic. Later it became the Regional Museum of Herceg Novi. His house, today the museum building, was built toward the end of 18th century in the late-baroque style. The appearance of the building was changed in the 19th century with pseudo-baroque expansions and attached buildings. On the original door on the ground floor there are names of the Russian soldiers from 1807 during the wars with Napoleon, inscribed with bayonets. Building has been partially rebuilt in 1979, 1994, 1996. and 2001.
The Regional Museum consists of: the building and the very beautiful botanic garden with more than a hundred carefully chosen mediterranean and subtropical plants on the surface of 1000 square meters which is formed in the style of park. The very precious thing is the luxury of the various plants among those are numerous palm trees, agaves, cactuses, aloes which with their bizare forms of habitus, beauty and heterogeneous colours of their flowers enlive the ambiance during the four seasons. There are also various sorts of climbing plants, "pitosporums", coastal pine trees, mimosas, camellias, magnolias and the fragrant and medicinal mediterranean herbs. CONTACT: E-mail:
muzej@cg.yu |
