The UNESCO Memory of the World is a collection of documentary heritage which enjoys international reputation and protection because of its immense importance for humanity. Among the many documents, manuscripts, archives and collections from all over the world, the list also includes documents you can see in Serbian museums and archives – the Miroslav Gospel, Nikola Tesla’s Archive and Telegram of Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia.
The oldest Serbian document to find its place on the UNESCO list is a liturgical book written and decorated on the order of Prince Miroslav in 1180.The evangelistary with miniatures of outstanding beauty is one of the oldest surviving Serbian manuscripts written in the Cyrillic script from the 12th Century. Hand-written with a quill pen in black ink, the text of this liturgical book is divided in two columns, with the titles written in red letters.The document owes its huge aesthetic value to almost 300 illustrations depicting religious themes – gilded miniatures brush-painted red, green, yellow and white. Apart from their artistic value, these miniatures also have great historic importance, because their combination of elements of eastern (Byzantine) and western (Italian) traditions symbolises a breakup with Old Slav traditions.
The Miroslav Gospel, an outstanding monument of the world’s culture, is on display at the National Museum in Belgrade, while phototype editions printed in 299 copies are kept at elite libraries all over the world.
One of the greatest scientists of the 20th Century, Nikola Tesla, gave an immensurable contribution to science and technology with his discoveries of the rotating magnetic field, the induction motor, the polyphase alternating current, the generator and the entire system of electricity generation and distribution.
When he died, he left behind a rich archive containing more than 16 thousand original documents, 1,200 exhibits of technological history, more than 1,000 blueprints, 1,500 photographs and almost 2,000 books and magazines.
The archive of this great scientist is kept at the Nikola Tesla Museum, where you can see some of his most important inventions, such as the Columbus’ egg, Tesla coil or induction motor, as well as many items from his private life.
The rich legacy of Nikola Tesla is of immense importance for researchers, scientists and inventors, as well as environmentalists and clean energy researchers.
The telegram sent on 28 July 1914 from Vienna to the Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs in Niš formally marked the beginning of World War I, which would last four years and claim millions of lives.Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia consists of several lines written in French and is kept at the Archive of Serbia in Belgrade.