The office space of the Serbian Institute is located in the Tekeljanum building, in its rented half (Vereš Palne Street, 19).
The original building on the site of Tekelijanum was built around 1756, which Sava Tekelija bought in 1837 and adapted and added to for the needs of Tekelijanum, a boarding school for young Serbs studying in Pest. Tekelijanum, founded in 1838, also housed the headquarters of Matica Srpska, until its relocation to Novi Sad in 1864.
The current representative building of Tekelijanum (Palace "Tekelijanum") was erected on the site of the old one in 1907–1908, according to the plans of the prominent Hungarian architect Sándor Fellner. On the upper part of the facade, which uses decorative elements modeled on medieval Serbian architecture, there are three reliefs (Sava Tekelija at the Timisoara Council – 1790, Sava Tekelija introduces Serbian youth into the temple of enlightenment – 1838, Laying the foundation stone of the new Tekelijanum building with the apotheosis of Sava Tekelija – 1907). The inscription from the old building "Tekelija účasčimsja!" was transferred to the top of the facade. The sculpture from the facade of the original building is today kept in poor condition in the courtyard of the entrance to the new building at number 17. Vereš Palne Street. In 1997, part of the building was returned to the ownership of the Diocese of Buda (entrance no. 17) and is now home to part of the student dormitory of the Serbian Gymnasium "Nikola Tesla" in Budapest, while the Diocese is buying up the rented half apartment by apartment. The facade of the current building has been preserved and renovated, as has the grand ceremonial hall that serves as a space for cultural events. The ground floor of the building is home to, among other things, the Serbian artists' association "Krug". The interior of the rented half of the building is less well preserved and protected. The original ornamented tiles in the open circular hallway have been replaced with uniform gray ones, and the replacement of the windows and doors of the apartments has resulted in the disappearance of the original designed bronze door handles and the shapes of the building's woodwork.
The Tekeljanum building is one of the most valuable architectural monuments of Serbs in Hungary, which is also of broader Serbian national significance.
With the photo gallery of Tekelianum, we provide insight into the current condition of the building and its architectural values.
