Welcome to the Serbian Reading Room in Irig – a place where books have connected people, ideas and generations for almost two centuries.
The Serbian Reading Room was founded on 14 January 1842 and is regarded as the first and oldest Serbian civic reading room. It was created at a time when books, newspapers and education were not easily available to everyone. A group of educated and enterprising residents of Irig, led by local priests and teachers, wanted to establish a place where people could read, learn, exchange ideas and follow events taking place both at home and abroad.
One of the leading figures behind its establishment was Dimitrije Krestić, a writer and the abbot of Krušedol Monastery. The institution’s first president was Kiril Neofitović, a priest from Irig. At the opening ceremony, he encouraged its members to serve their community through knowledge, work and meaningful action.
The Reading Room was much more than a library. It became a meeting place where people exchanged opinions, discussed important questions and worked together for the benefit of their town. Serbian newspapers, books and literary journals arrived here regularly, together with publications from other European cultural centres. Through them, the people of Irig were able to discover new ideas and become part of a much wider intellectual world.
Although it was founded to preserve the Serbian language, literature and cultural identity, the Reading Room also promoted openness, tolerance and understanding among people of different backgrounds. Its doors were open to everyone who respected knowledge and wished to contribute to the progress of the community.
Throughout its long history, the institution survived wars, political changes and periods of hardship. A significant part of its valuable book collection and historical archive was destroyed during the Second World War. Nevertheless, the Reading Room was restored and continued its mission, demonstrating that culture may be damaged, but its spirit cannot easily be extinguished.
Today, the Serbian Reading Room is not merely a place where old books are preserved. It functions as a modern library, gallery, publishing centre and cultural institution. Its spaces host exhibitions, literary evenings, lectures, artistic gatherings and educational programmes for people of all ages. It also preserves the memory of Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz, the celebrated writer and theatre critic born in Irig, whose name is carried by an important award for dramatic writing.
As you stand in front of this building, imagine the generations of Irig residents who came here to read a newspaper for the first time, borrow a book, attend a lecture or discuss the future of their town.
The Serbian Reading Room is more than a monument to the past. It is proof that a small town can carry a great cultural idea – the belief that knowledge should belong to everyone, and that a community grows stronger when people read, meet, speak and learn from one another.