Architecture of New Belgrade - Brutalism Decoded

Overview

You'll have a close up on 5 exemplary buildings of Yugoslav socialist architecture, with the art historian guide who grew up in a brutalist block. In 2.5 hours you'll understand 50 years of Yugoslavian utopia. You’ll discover the buildings for the socialist elites, buildings for socialist business, buildings to impress the Non Aligned comrades and public housing blocks for the classless society: Museum of Contemporary Art, Palace of Federation, Genex Tower, Block 23 and Sava Center. You'll see how and why the architecture changed from the Soviet-like to modernism to brutalism. This architecture, gaining international recognition from institutions such as MoMA and Venice Biennale, will tell you about the Socialist Yugoslav values of equality, unity and fraternity, its unique politics of Third Way and its ambition to produce and build everything the Western society could. The guide will share own experience of living in Yugoslavia during the golden 1980ies and gloomy 1990ies.

Itinerary

1. Musée d'art contemporain

   You'll meet the guide in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art at Ušće. You'll explore its modernist 1960-ies volumes and find out why its precious marble facades contradict the stereotypical expectations from socialist architecture.

   · 20 min· Admission not included

2. Park of Friendship (Park Prijateljstva)

   This is our spot do touch upon the Non-Aligned Movement of 120 countries. It was founded in 1961 in Belgrade, when the heads of states planted the trees in the Park as the symbol of peace.

   · 15 min

3. Palata Srbije

   Next, we'll drive by the huge Government Building, a telling monument of an earlier phase of YU politics, a building that experienced the switch away from Stalin while under construction.

   · Non-stop passage

4. You’ll have a close up of Genex Tower, aka Western City Gate of Belgrade, a 30 floor structure that has won instagrams and hearts of many Belgrade visitors. Built 40 years ago, it was the first smart building in the Balkans and entered the international architecture reviews as a fine example of brutalism.

   · 20 min

5. Sava Center

   Your final stop is a gigantic congress center, built at the end of 1970s in record times. It was the first building of that sort in this part of Europe. It’s still in function and includes some surprisingly well designed interior solutions that seem fresh even after 40 years.

   · 15 min

6. Inside the Block no. 23, the most representative public housing project, again in style of concrete expressionism, you'll discover the concept that provided everything for the inhabitants. The apartment buildings, school, the kindergarten, the sport courts, the mini shopping mall. You’ll hear the guide's personal stories of life in the blocks in their golden decades of 60s, 70s and 80s. And the stories of living not so great in 90s.

   · 15 min

Meeting and end point

What to know before you go

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• You will receive confirmation immediately when you book.

Travelers

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

• From 1 days before : 100% refunded
• From 0 days before : 0% refunded

Reviews

Product code: 64973P5

Activity offered by Walking Belgrade via Viator.