The Nikola Tesla Museum pays tribute to the life and work of one of Serbia’s greatest inventors. The futurist and engineer Nikola Tesla is known worldwide for his contributions to electric power and his eccentric personality. Peruse thousands of documents, books and historical relics for a sense of who he was and what he gave to society.
Inspect the various museum sections to learn about Tesla’s life and inventions. One display uses photos and documents, including his birth certificate and passport, to tell his life story. See the house in which he grew up and the church where his father worked as a priest. Read letters between the scientist and other preeminent figures, such as Albert Einstein and Mark Twain.
Learn about his extravagant personality through the collection of his personal objects. Here you will find his hat, his traveling case and the embroidered bag his mother knitted for him. Another museum section reveals the secrets behind his work on electricity. Examine his patents and see the uses for his innovative poly-phase induction motor, oil transformer and mechanical turbines.
Among Tesla’s most intriguing contributions is the remote control. Inspect the reconstruction of a small boat he used to demonstrate potential wireless control as far back as 1898.
See the shimmering golden urn containing the ashes of Nikola Tesla, who died in New York City in 1943. Note that many of the items in the museum were returned to Serbia from the United States after the inventor’s nephew was deemed his rightful heir. Today, Tesla’s face marks the 100-dinar note in Serbia.
The museum opens Tuesday through Sunday from morning until late afternoon. There is an entrance fee, which includes a guided tour.
The Nikola Tesla Museum is a little northeast of Hyde Park in the central region of Belgrade. Take a train to Vukov Monument station and walk west for a few minutes to get here. Many bus and tram stops line the surrounding roads. Visit nearby landmarks, such as the Finansijski Park, the Church of Saint Sava and the Faculty of Law.
