„ŽERAVICA“ MUSEUM, NOVO MILOŠEVO

A rich treasury of technical and cultural-historical heritage of Vojvodina and a unique museum with a fantastic collection of steam engines, tractors, attached agricultural machines, tools and objects that depict the former way of life of both farmers and landowners of Novo Miloševo - Žeravica Museum!

The family of successful businessman, Čedomir Žeravica, has worked in agriculture for generations and everything started because of a great love towards old-timers that Čedomir inherited from his father Milivoj. He came to an idea to open the museum twenty years ago. Long time ago, his father wanted to have the American tractor Fordson 10-20 HP from 1924 which he admired as a little boy.Čedomir has the photo from 1939: his father with his parents on the harvest day, next to Fordson tractor from 1928. This photo was kind of motivation for Milivoj to start looking for this model. Today it stands at the museum entrance and is the beginning of the story about this great museum of technique and agriculture.

And then the Second World War, stay in the internment camp, confiscation of the machine-building workshop and the confiscation of the same tractor and the drill. In the 70s of the last century, when the workshop were working again, Milivoj wanted back his tractor for sentimental reasons. The search was ended somewhere around Kragujevac where Milivoj found exactly the same tractor and even older models. However, the price was too high so he had to wait a better moment for buying it. Finally, he bought his first Fordsonin 1978 that became the part of the collection. Since that day, with his saved money, Milivoj and later his son Čedomir, has been buying old tractors and machines to keep them here in Serbia or to save them from melting as an old iron. Of course, there is this great love towards these old beauties and an original idea of opening the museum.

Tractors that MilivojŽeravicabought are the most valuable exhibits in the museum. In time, the collection was bigger and bigger, so there are 20 models of tractors in the hall and in the backyard of the museum. The others have been waiting to be cleaned and polished like they were before. Besides tractors, the museum has several steam machines. The oldest is Ruston Proctor & Co. from 1884. It was manufactured in February 28th, 1884 and was sold to a dealer from Budapest. To save money the dealer bought the machine without wheels and made them in his foundry. He sold it in Vojvodina first and then in Serbia from where it was ransom with difficult negotiation for the museum. McCormick, Case, Bulldog, Hoffer have a special place in the museum hall. There are more than 300 exhibits of agricultural machines: tillers, blade ploughs, long and short wooden carts, lawnmowers, rakes, harrows, seeding machines, sheller machines, beam scales, hoists and many more. You can see when looking at these exhibits, the agricultural development through the last two centuries. Most agricultural tractors are completely restored and can be put into operation. While gathering agricultural machines, Čedomir ransomed old cars, motorbikes, old furniture, radios, televisions, musical instruments, typewriters, he owns a large collection of baby carriages and toys as well as old craft’s exhibits. In the hall of the museum there are carpenter's shop, wheelwright workshop, watchmaker’s shop, blacksmith's, shoemaking, machine-tool shop, tailor's and barber shop. On the gallery are the exhibition of about 30 old crafts which show us the life of our citizens in the 19th and 20th century.

There are the collection of items from everyday life from that time: old school benches and teacher’s desks, school bags, notebooks, blackboards. One part of the gallery is specially reserved for an old room ambience with amazing collection of clocks and table clocks, chandeliers, washing machines, ironing machines which shows us the lifestyle from the past. This unique agricultural museum organizes an annual educational presentation of the museum “Dusk in Dawn”, on the second Saturday in September. On that day, with an appropriate program and a reminder of the history of the museum and interesting lectures on the topic of agricultural machines, the steam machine is put into operation and simulates the harvesting. This is great opportunity to see how the grain was harvest in the past with the steam machine. Children are always very excited when watching this just like it used to a long time ago, playing and rolling in the chaff. At the end of the day, goes old tractors defile. Guests are also welcome to drive tractors. Something interestingalways happens in the museum "Žeravica": there is another mini museum within this one dedicated to the James Bond from Novo Miloševo - Duško Popov. He was a double secret agent, born in Novo Miloševo whose life was an inspiration for creating the famous book and film character – the agent James Bond. A great chance for drinking Drive Martini in the company of this unusual man. There are photos, letters and history of the Popov family that gathers every year in Novo Miloševo even their members now live all over the world. This specially decorated space dedicated to the legendary agent is just an addition to already well known museum.

If we add that the foundation stone for the RankoŽeravica Memorial Center, whose construction is planned, is located near the museum, we can say with certainty that you have found various interesting and authenticity of our region in the right place.