Eastern Gate of Belgrade (Istočna kapija grada or Rudo Buildings, named after a Bosnian Town) is a complex of three large buildings, each with from 27 to 28 floors and over 100 meters in height and is located in Konjarnik (an urban neighbourhood of Belgrade). While Western gate of Belgrade (Genex Building) is half office and half residential, the 3 Rudo buildings are all entire residential buildings. The buildings are triangulary shaped and built in a circle so it always visually appears than one is between the other.They all have a large base of 4 storeys and above it 6 blocks of 4 storey, step-like stacked on the huge base. Build in 1976 they represent what is commonly called "communist architecture" or "socialist realism". It correspond to that style if you look at the aspect of efficient high density apartment-blocks built in short time, because of the proletariat moving from villages to the city and rapid population growth. This architecture is (following communist ideas) against cult of individualism. Aproximately 2'000 people live in this buildings and due to the nice locations, almost all have a beautiful view of the city skyline.The building had from beginning amenities like heating, plumbing, running water and electricity. Now they have cable TV and internet. But one problem of projects like this, is that the infrastructure often is neglected. Like here the elevators (just 4 per building, 1 goes to 27th, one to 23th and two to 16th floor) that like in case of Rudo 3 tower, since 2-3 years don't work or brake down all the time. It makes 800 habitants in the stairways..... Check also these beautiful pictures from „Belgrade daily Photo“.
One of the first things people can see arriving from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport is the GENEX Tower or Western City Gate. The 115 meters skyscraper located in Novi Beograd municipality, consists of two tower-buildings connected on top by a bridge and a revolving restaurant. One is an Office tower and 26 storey high and the other is a Residential tower and 30 storey high. It was designed in 1977 by Mihajlo Mitrovic and was completed in 1980. The GENEX tower is build in Brutalist-style, a popular style in architecture between 1950 and 1970, the name comes from the french „beton brut“ (raw concrete) as concrete is openly showed in his raw state in the facades. Such features though, as the bridge that joins the office tower to the residential tower and the keyholes in the sides of one of the towers, indicate a playfulness not always found in late modernist architecture.
Windows like keyholes (picture from http://www.ostarchitektur.com)Another interesting aspect for me is, how they use this building as a carrier for advertisement. The Norwegian Mobile company „Telenor“ added a „trompe-l’oeil“-style add to the entire facade that looks again like a gate.
On the little round tower toward E-75 highway the sponsor changed during time: so there was Yugotours in the 80is (like in this picture from 1980) and now it’s Komercijalna Banka.
In the 1980s, Genex was a corporate empire, with an annual $6 billion in sales from its dealings in hotels, travel, electronics, aviation and pharmaceuticals, as well as other businesses. In 1989, Milosevic fired Genex’s popular director, Milorad Savicevic, and placed political allies in top company posts. International sanctions against Yugoslavia began to take a heavy toll on Genex in the mid to late 1990s. Bozovic, a former Serbian prime minister and speaker of federal parliament who was appointed by Milosevic in March 1999, began selling key company assets and ordered hundreds of lay-offs.I’m not sure what’s in the office tower now.Today the revolving restaurant (it made one round in one hour) is closed, even if there are some plans to re-open it.The two idiots There is a saying that someone is “standing alone like an idiot”. That’s why people call these two buildings “idiots”.
An Austrian student who asks for advise in balkanfile blog inspired me to think about 5 things to absolutely do in Belgrade. Because Belgrade is such an interesting and wonderful city, it was pretty difficult to just choose 5 things.
But here are my favorites:
1) To visit the old bohemian quarter of Belgrade: Skadarlija
Skadarska Street where traffic has been deverted and the cobblestone surface has been renewed, is a charming pedestrian zone with lots of typical Serbian kafane (taverns and restaurants). This taverns were a meeting place for many of the greatest figures of the cultural scene of the late 19th and early 20th century. My favorite place is the "Sesir moj" kafana at Skadarska 27 with his typical bohemian style interiors and its sugestfull plates of cold hor d'oeuvres (meze). Try it!
2) Make a walk through Vračar quarter and visit the Cathedral of Saint Sava
Occupying the area of almost 3 square km, Vračar is the most heavily populated municipality of Belgrade. A walk from Srpskih Vladara to Slavija Circle will show you some interesting buildings (Student Cultural center, Jugoslovensko dramsko Theater, Beogradjanka Tower) some lively bars and coffee shops on Njegoseva Street and Svetog Save Street. At the end of this street you reach St. Sava Memorial Cathedral. The construction preparations have lasted for a very long time, ever since 1894. Although still under construction, this monumental temple is a symbol of the Serbian Orthodoxy and major peculiarity of Vračar and Belgrad.
Across the Temple, there is another beautiful architectural institution built up on the ashes of the previous one the National Library of Serbia.
3) To visit the landmark of Belgrade: Kalemegdan Fortress
OK, you would think about this yourself, it's THE landmark of the city. But it would be kind of weird not to recommend to see this enormous fortress who rightly deserves to be the central motive of BG. The view from there is amazing (where the Sava River flows into the Danube, Banat and Srem Plains, Hills of Sumadija....)It's worth to take a good walk inside the fortress and let me just point to a little attraction that is quiet impressing:
The Great or Roman Well (just a little after the West Gate Entrance under the Sculpture -Pobednik).
It's a well made of brick with diameter of 3.4 m and the spiral staircase descends 30 meters, and the depht of the well is 62 meters, putting it 10 meters below the Sava River.
4) To have coffee at Hotel Moskva in the Old City
The Moskva Hotel was built in 1906 for Rossija Fonsijer, an insurance company from St.Petersburg, as an office building with hotel. Today it considered a valuable architectural monument under government protection as well as a favorite meeting place of Belgradians. After looking around in the halls it's very nice to have a coffee (kafa) in the recently renovated (nicely done!) coffee shop.To compare: On the opposite side of the Terazije street there is Hotel Kasina (the oldest hotel in Belgrade...since 1856). A lovely place with a restaurant Hall (in the first floor) that deserves to be put in the category of stylish items! (look at the chandeliers!)
From the webpage of Hotel kasina: The well and modernly equiped banquet room represents an unique gatherment of tradition and quality. It's worth also to visit the Beer House in the ground floor, where they serve the Bavarian HBH beer brewed in their own mini-brewery.
5) To visit the Museum of Aviation near the Airport
The Museum of Aviation was founded in 1957 and is housed in an architecturally noteworthy geodesic-based glass building, with aircraft displayed on the surrounding grounds.It's not easy to reach by public transport, but a taxi or friends with a car will help. (Public transport goes to the airport and from there it's quiet a walk...)The museum owns over 200 aircraft that have been operated by the Yugoslav Air Force, from gliders to helicopters to jet fighters. A few of the aircraft on display are the only surviving examples of their type. The museum also displays relics of US and NATO aircraft shot down during the 1990s Balkans conflicts, including wreckage from a US F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. (source wikipedia)By the way, klick on the F-117 Nighthawk, there is some interesting trivia :-)
This week I follow news and blogs about the Jan. 20 presidential election in Serbia.The election will pit Serbian Radical Party leader Tomislav Nikolic (Svim Srcem) against President Boris Tadic, who leads the Democratic Party ( for a strong and stable Serbia).
Then there are these 4 Candidates who will get some distinctive votes to force Nikolic and Tadic to go throught "round 2" on Feb. 3. Milutin Mrkonjic from Socialist Party (he still has a great number of voters), Velimir Ilic from Democratic Party of Serbia (He is widely regarded as one of the more colorful figures in Serbian politics), Cedomir Jovanovic of Liberal Democratic Party (ready to give away Kosovo for Entry-ticket to EC) and Istvan Pastor from Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians. The last 3 Candidates are just outsiders: Marijan Risticevic of People Peasant Party (a lot of people live from farming and he has his supporters), Jugoslav Dobricanin of Reformist Party (not very famous) and Milanka Karic (The Family is the power of Serbia) the wife of Tycoon Bogoljub Karic.
The election is considered crucial for Serbia as it decides whether to press on with "pro West" integration or to go a more nationalistic direction.I'm concerned how Media will cover these elections in Western Europe. So far I found a french group who sent journalists to Belgrade who will keep their impressions in a blog. These guys just have time to speak with people in Belgrade, unfortunately this will not really be representative. The first person they interwieved was Maria a militant supporter of Liberal Democratic Party.Now let's hope they don't get wrong conclusions about that. Or better: why don't they bring Maria with them back to France?!
Because the Serbs follow the Julian calendar Christmas comes two weeks later than that of Roman Catholics. The 6th of January, in the morning, the habit is to go in search of badnjak (oak branches with leaves) and to put straw around the fireplace, to simulate the connection with the earth. Usually, Serbs put coins, walnuts, almonds, dry figs on the straw, all the gifts for the children. The traditional January 6th supper for Serbs is religious diatary meals, usually fish. Christmas Eve supper is very rich even if it is always meatless meal.In the morning of January 7th, Christmas, the first person that enters the home is called "polozajnik" and he's offered"zito" (boiled wheat Christmas speciality) and black wine. For breakfast the habit is to prepare "cicvara" (a dish made of flour, eggs, butter and cheese) and to serve it with small dry cakes, dry figs and rakija. (plum brandy). All persons gather around the table, family and guests, while the father lights the candle. That moment marks the start of "mirbozenje" (peace and reconciliation). Partecipants than kiss one another at Christmas time while saying: "Mir Bozji". If there were any disagreement, all are forgotten.During the entire Christmas day a custom is to replace a classic: "Hello" or: "Good day" with: "Hristos se rodi" (Christ is born!) and as greeting in reply: "Vaistinu se rodi" (Really born he is!)On Christmas day, lunch is very rich. In contrast to Christmas Eve that relates to All Souls’ Day, Christmas relates to the cult of agriculture. Nowadays, in the cities, before lunch the family throws the straw under the table (man’s relation to the earth).Traditionally essential part of the Christmas dinner is a type of flat, round Christmas bread called "cesnica".Advise:If you have enough of the Western Commercial Christmas with zillions of presents and stressful shopping-frenzy, come and see the peaceful Serbian Orthodox Christmas celebrated in church with big fire in front of the building and hot rakija served at the exit.
This week I follow news and blogs about the Jan. 20 presidential election in Serbia.The election will pit Serbian Radical Party leader Tomislav Nikolic (Svim Srcem) against President Boris Tadic, who leads the Democratic Party ( for a strong and stable Serbia). Then there are these 4 Candidates who will get some distinctive votes to force Nikolic and Tadic to go throught "round 2" on Feb. 3. Milutin Mrkonjic from Socialist Party (he still has a great number of voters), Velimir Ilic from Democratic Party of Serbia (He is widely regarded as one of the more colorful figures in Serbian politics), Cedomir Jovanovic of Liberal Democratic Party (ready to give away Kosovo for Entry-ticket to EC) and Istvan Pastor from Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians. The last 3 Candidates are just outsiders: Marijan Risticevic of People Peasant Party (a lot of people live from farming and he has his supporters), Jugoslav Dobricanin of Reformist Party (not very famous) and Milanka Karic (The Family is the power of Serbia) the wife of Tycoon Bogoljub Karic.
The election is considered crucial for Serbia as it decides whether to press on with "pro West" integration or to go a more nationalistic direction.
I'm concerned how Media will cover these elections in Western Europe. So far I found a french group who sent journalists to Belgrade who will keep their impressions in a blog. These guys just have time to speak with people in Belgrade, unfortunately this will not really be representative. The first person they interwieved was Maria a militant supporter of Liberal Democratic Party.Now let's hope they don't get wrong conclusions about that. Or better: why don't they bring Maria with them back to France?!
