Zlatna kruna Wine Museum Oplenac Topola

The Zlatna kruna /Golden Crown/ Wine Museum in Topola, located on historic Oplenac Hill is unique and extraordinary precious collection of more than 500 wine documents and items which were for decades carefully collected by the Rapajic couple – Mrs Margita and Mr Zoran Rapajic. After thorough research, this tireless couple managed to successfully use the collected material for their editions on the wine traditions and wine legacy of Serbia that best reveal numerous secrets of production of rakija-brandy and wines in this famous fertile region. The Zlatna kruna – Golden Crown Wine Museum is positioned in the Biserka Villa on Oplenac Hill in Topola, in the heart of Shumadia region, right next to the famous historical locality of Royal Endowment of King Peter the First and the Church of Saint George /must visit!/, fully encircled with royal vineyards and beautiful park. The Zlatna kruna Wine Museum in Topola has been opened in October 2024 in the historical place of Oplenac, in the close vicinity of the Wine-Grower House and the nicely appointed Royal Park of the Royal endowment, ever since it became the home of wine producers, wine lovers and all who respect wines and the rich wine traditions of Serbia.

Besides successful publishing business that resulted in numerous books and guides on wine-tourist themes, Zoran Rapajić is also highly dedicated to his another love – wine and wine growing. So, he was author of the project Traffic signalization along wine routes of Serbia – signposting and marking wineries, vineyards, individuals, small producers and other subjects involved in wine businesses that contribute to development of the integral tourist products of Serbia as tourist destination. This project determined the wine routes of Serbia and successfully marked wine regions of Serbia that today enable attractive visits, unknown wine stories and encounter with wineries, wine producers and enjoyment in high quality wines of Serbia.

The unique collections of the Zlatna kruna Wine Museum in Topola is organized in several layers of beautifully refurbished villa which covers some 270 sq meters. The exhibition of the Golden Crown Wine Museum includes rich number of various selected historical documents and items, wine promotional magazines, instruments and tools, books, archive wines, etiquette of the first sparking wines, hand-made masterpiece items of the golden crown or the coat of arms manufactured from straw by local artisan, charters and certificates on the earliest founders of the important wine cooperatives, rare archive bottles, photos of Martin Candir, art paintings of Milutin Dedic and Sava Stojkov, art works created from straw by Marija Orcic, wine-color paintings by Mira Kovacevic and other testimonies on wine history of the ruling Serbian families of Karadjordjevic and Obrenovic, arranged along nicely appointed stories and epochs they represent. The oldest exhibited item is the Cyrillic Title deed from 1832 on purchase of vineyards, while among the oldest displayed item is Ebulioskop which is tool dating from 1850 that provides measuring spread of maligans in wine shrew, found and bought in Bela Palanka with its original box, now rarely found.

Thanks to friendship with Milomir Milosavljević who is owner of the Villa Vina Winery, Zoran managed to acquire the most precious exhibit displayed in the Wine Museum which is original bottle of Župska Ružica /Zupa Rose/ from 1932. Part of the general permanent exhibition of the Zlatna kruna Wine Museum also was part of the author’s exhibition of “Vinska kraljevska Srbija u 12 priča” /Wine History of Royal Serbia in 12 stories/, which was held in 2023 in the House of Legates in Belgrade. Given that the owners-founders of the Zlatna kruna Wine Museum Topola planned numerous amenities and privileges for visitors of their Museum, they have prepared interactive options to use QR codes that lead to various foreign languages posted on their website and help understanding the interpretation of the wine legacy of Serbia.

The Winery of Queen Maria in Demir Kapija and the Royal Winery and the Zlatna kruna Wine Museum in Topola have unbreakable and close connections. The Queen Maria Winery is one of the oldest in the Balkans, erected in 1930-ies and positioned in one of the most beautiful and the best appointed estates of King Aleksandar I Karadjordjevic, located in the south of Macedonia, by Demir Kapija on the beautiful property covering 2700 hectares.

After exploration of attractive exhibitions at the Zlatna kruna Wine Museum while enjoying uniquely interesting stories told by Zoran about each of the exhibited items, there is option for tasting of selected wines of Serbian wine regions, for up to 15 visitors. Wine tasting at the Golden Crown Wine Museum includes 2 options – the Autochtonous wine tasting comes with a welcome drink /famous Tamjanika grape brandy by Milosavljevic Winery/ followed with three selected original wines carefully paired with traditional snack /cheese, smoked delicacies, homemade bread/. Another wine tasting at the Wine Museum is the Royal Wine tasting which lasts bit longer /some 1,5 hours/ and includes also welcome drink – unique sparkling Trijumf wine of Aleksandrović Winery and 3 wines of the regional recommended-representative wineries /Sauvignon Blanc of the Royal Winery, Varijanta Rose wine by the Aleksandrovic Winery and Red Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve by the Radovanovic Winery/, with cheese and smoked delicacies. There are other /longer and more comprehensive/ options for wine team building or wine lectures by famous somalliers who proudly represent the magic where high-quality wines are created.

For larger number of visitors who come to visit the Wine Museum in Topola are available resources of the nearby Oplenac Hotel – vast original Winery and Wine cellar of Stari Oplenac, a restaurant, various welcoming wine tasting with paired food, meeting room, comfortable accommodation, wellness-spa amenities and indoor pool, parking. The Zlatna kruna Wine Museum in Topola also contains a Wine shop and Souvenir Shop where visitors can buy selected wines with recommendation of the founders and original souvenirs and handwork for a lovely memory on visit of this attractive exhibition in the heart of Sumadija region.