Modern and Post-modern Belgrade: New Belgrade and Renewal of the Belgrade Heritage

New Belgrade: realization of old “modernist’s” vision

New Belgrade is a part of Belgrade planned and mostly built in second half of 20th century as connection between two cities: Belgrade and Zemun. Doctrinal and design concepts were based on Le Corbusier and CIAM postulates.

Erected during the socialist period, New Belgrade becomes a symbol of new type of a city and society. In the second half of the last century, New Belgrade was primarily Belgrade’s dormitory with good public services (schools, kindergarten…), wide boulevards, modern communal infrastructure, good connection with rivers and very rich greenery. New Belgrade attracted a lot of domestic and foreign investors after 2000, and today it is the most progressive “building site” in Serbia.

In this decade we can see spectacular development of an integral, complete urban area erected on values formed in a previous time — infrastructure, serviced building land, a lot of non-build parcels etc. Commercial architecture of all kinds (malls, offices, shops, culture, entertainment…) forms the basis of recent New Belgrade growth which builds upon previously developed housing blocks.

New Belgrade will be explored via:

Libeskind’s vision of Port of Belgrade area

Belgrade is not yet in the “urban recycling” phase. There are two reasons: a) “Re…” (re-use, re-cycling, re-form, re-construction, re-build…) requires a substantial national/city economic and financial maturity and b) Belgrade has little serious historical stock for such actions. Few historical buildings and sites survive since Belgrade has been destroyed and rebuilt more than 40 times. Transformation of the Port of Belgrade is the first big project of this type.

The Port of Belgrade is located between the city neighborhood of “Dorćol” and the Danube, occupying one of the potentially most exclusive pieces of land Belgrade has to offer at the moment. Today it is characterized by large old warehouses, chaos, transit traffic and disorganization of space. The city center, located 10 minutes away, has no contact with it. Since the Port was privatized, ambitions have risen, and the new development company, The Port of Belgrade, A.D., has not wasted any time, engaging Daniel Libeskind to create a master plan for the Port area. The presentation of this design was in March 2009.

—Vladimir Macura, Int’l. Assoc. AIA, Conference chair