The National Museum was founded by a decree of the Minister of Education Jovan Sterija Popovic on May 10, 1844 as Serbian Museum (Muzeum serbski) whose purpose was to collect antiquities in one place and to safeguard them for posterity. In the first decades of its work it was organised as an institution of protection but also as a scientific and research institution that constituted the national identity and was a crucial participant in the development of heritage protection. The National Museum soon grew into an official representative of the state and the society, testifying to a possible strength of culture and museums in Serbia.
