Karađorđe’s Home in Rača was established as a shelter for orphaned and abandoned children of the Danube Banovina, funded by the Queen Maria Fund. Its construction was supported by wealthier citizens of Rača. The building was constructed between 1929 and 1933, based on the architectural design of architect Dušan Mičević.
The structure was built in an eclectic style, incorporating elements of Neo-Renaissance and Art Nouveau, particularly visible in the balconies and the decorative wrought iron frames of the main portal. This magnificent square-shaped edifice features four rectangular towers, each 17 meters tall, and a central tower standing 19 meters tall, which forms the main facade as a prominent risalit. The entire structure, including the towers, is crowned with battlements reminiscent of medieval fortifications. The building has two main entrances and one auxiliary entrance. Its hallways are exceptionally spacious. The ground floor housed a kitchen, dining room, sanitary facilities, laundry room, and maintenance workshop. The upper floors contained rooms for the residents, classrooms, and offices.
The facade was originally painted in a light ochre tone but is now green. Its surface projects a strictly organized, harmonious, and symmetrical linear diagram, devoid of excessive ornamentation or expensive materials. To the right of the main doors, a bronze commemorative plaque was installed in 1998 to mark the anniversary of the breakthrough at the Salonika Front. The plaque features a small shield with a cross and fire-steels, as well as a portrait of a Salonika warrior, accompanied by an inscription:
‘To Serbian warriors fallen for the freedom of the Fatherland 1914–1918’.
‘KARAĐORĐE’S HOME’ BUILDING
The ‘Karađorđe's Home’ Building was designated as an immovable cultural heritage – cultural monument, by the Decision No. 020-75/88-01 of the Rača Municipal Assembly on November 25, 1988.
As a humanitarian institution, the home operated until 1941. After the war, in 1945, the building housed a Gymnasium, followed by an Agricultural School, and later the ‘Karađorđe’ Elementary School, until 1999, when it temporarily became a shelter for refugees from Kosovo and Metohija.
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