HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Crown Princess Katherine attended today a solemn ceremony marking the completion of the reconstruction of the monument to HM King Alexander I in the village of Tabanovac near Petrovac on Mlava River. His Royal Highness on this occasion unveiled the monument to his grandfather, the Knightly King the Unifier.
“Before World War II, there was almost no place in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia where King Alexander I did not have a monument. The people themselves raised these monuments out of great love and respect for their King, who suffered as the first victim of Nazism and fascism. The great ruler fell, but his memory continued to live on, through memories but also through his work and merits, through everything he did in the service of the welfare and progress of the people and the Homeland.
The undemocratic authorities after World War II tried to erase the memory of King Alexander. They demolished all the monuments that survived the Nazi destruction, they were spreading slanders about the great King. Today, after decades of untruths, his greatness and merits, which were indeed numerous, are being revealed and respected again. That is why the restoration of this monument is very important, for the sake of historical truth and the culture of remembrance of our people. We must respect our past, because it is the foundation of our future. It is important to preserve the memory of great people like my grandfather, King Alexander I. In the memory of the people of Serbia, he lives forever,” said HRH Crown Prince Alexander in his speech.
In addition to the Crown Prince, the attendees were also addressed by Mr. Dobrica Milosavljević, Assistant to the Mayor of Petrovac on Mlava. On this occasion, the Crown Prince also presented personal letters of gratitude to the families who made a great contribution to the first restoration of the monument in the 1990s.
After the monument unveiling ceremony, Their Royal Highnesses also visited the Elementary School in Tabanovac, where Crown Princess Katherine delivered a donation of books for the school library, and gifts for children.
The monument to King Alexander I Karađorđević in Tabanovac was erected in 1935, as the work of a local village teacher. The ceremonial unveiling was attended by representatives of the clergy and leading figures of the then Mlava District. After World War II, in 1946, the monument was demolished by the communist authorities.
In 1991, an initiative was launched for its restoration, and in 1993 the monument was restored exclusively with voluntary contributions from the residents of Tabanovac. On 15 October 1995, the monument was ceremonially unveiled and consecrated, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Dragoljub Kavran, a deceased member of the Crown Council, and His Eminence Archbishop of Požarevac and Metropolitan of Braničevo Ignjatije. In February 2002, as part of an official visit to Petrovac on Mlava, the monument was visited by HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Crown Princess Katherine.
After almost 30 years since the restoration, the monument and its surroundings were in very poor condition. The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Smederevo applied to the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs and received funds for the complete restoration of the monument and the development of the entire area, and the works were completed in May 2026.
