What next for the Ljeskovac palace?

In the 1880s King Nikola built a winter palace at Ljeskovac. Sources give the year as 1884 or 1886. Next to it stands the Church of the Ascension, built in 1889. After the First World War, the American Red Cross used the palace. Today it is roofless and derelict.

Who owns it, and why it is stuck

The palace is owned by the town. It is not on the heritage register, the official list of protected monuments. Heirs of the Karađorđević family have a restitution claim on it. A restitution claim is a request to get back property that a family once owned. According to Radio Skala, this claim blocks any restoration.

A new request

In July 2026, the Lučindan foundation of the Serbian Orthodox Church asked to restore the palace and to use it. The sources we used do not report a decision on this request. They also do not report a reply from the town or from the heirs.

Where things stand

For now, three things are true at once. The town owns the palace. The heirs have a claim on it. And a church foundation wants to restore it. While the claim blocks restoration, the building stays as it is.

We will add new decisions or statements from any of the three sides as soon as we can confirm them, with sources.

Not the only monument in need

The palace is not the only old building in the area that needs care. Unlike the palace, Danilo’s Bridge is on the heritage register: it has been a protected cultural monument since 1950. Even so, poor cement repairs have damaged it, and it needs proper conservation.

Learn more

You can read the palace’s story on our Ljeskovac palace page. Its years with the American Red Cross belong to the twentieth century. Do you know more, or see it differently? Please tell us.