House of Robev Family

House of Robev Family

"Tsar Samoil Street" No. 62, 6000 Ohrid
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On the spot of the current House of Robev Family in Ohrid there was another house, owned by Jakim Pendo from Gerakomija quarter until 1825, when it was bought by the brothers Angele and Anastas Robev. They had destroyed it to the foundations and built a new house in 1827. Behind the new house, on the north side, they erected a stone warehouse, above which were built barns for grain. The building of the house, with ground floor and two floors was completed on 15 April 1827. Robev family lived in it for 35 years, until January 1861, when it was burned by the notorious villain from Ohrid, Ohrid region Husref-Bey.

Two years after the fire, from 1861 to 1863, the current Robev house was rebuilt, the left half for Konstantin Robev and the right one for Anastas (Tase) Robev.

As a leading builder was engaged Todor Petkov (1814-1899) from the village Gari, West Macedonia, of the genus Ognenovci, renown Macedonian carver and builder of mid-19th century. His father Petko was a famous carver who worked with Petre Filipovski-Garkata from whom he learned woodcarving.

Under Todor Petkov was also made the interior of the house of Robev family: the carved ceilings, cupboards and other decorative elements. However, to distinguish the carvings, for the part of the house which belonged to Angele other masters-carvers from Debar were invited. During the work in both halves of the building, the groups of carvers were forbidden to see each other, so the left half of the house, where Konstantin lived differs from the other half where other masters have worked.

The House of Robev Family (actually dual-brotherly house building) according its size and architectural expression, presents a kind of status symbol for the family, whose trade relations led from Istanbul to Vienna, Trieste and Leipzig.

In such built house Robev family lived until 1900. Dr. Konstantin Robev with the family lived in the left half of the house and only in summer, and in the remaining months of the year they lived in Bitola). In the right half of the house lived the children of Anastas (Tase) Robev: Jakim, Dimitar, Nikola and Konstantin's groom, Ivan Paunche.

From 1913 to 1919 the part of Konstantin Robev housed Serbian army after whose departure the house was significantly damaged and part of the woodcarvings were removed and taken to Nish and forever disappeared without a trace despite the protests of Angele Robev to the district superintendent.

In 1920, the part of the house that belonged to Konstantin served for storing agricultural products derived from the property of the Robev family.

Even after the liberation Robev family house was protected as a cultural and historical monument.

In June 1950 it has housed the National Museum in Ohrid, and in 1951 was put under the protection of law on historical monuments. The building was nationalized in 1953, and in 1959 was handed over to the National Museum-Ohrid for permanent use. With the integration of the National Museum and the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments on March 1, 1973, the National Museum as an independent organization ceases to exist in the previous form. Then began the reconstruction of the House of Robev Family that intermittently lasted until August 25, 1990, when it was reopen as a museum with a memorial floor of the Robev family, with presentation of the archaeological wealth of the Ohrid-Struga region and with presentation of the Ohrid woodcarving in the so called "shirvan" of the house, that got the function of Ohrid residence.

In 1996, the House of Robev Family was put again under protection of the Law on Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Macedonia as a valuable cultural and historical built heritage with the distinctive features of the old Ohrid architecture from the 19th century.

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