New Belgrade – Brutalist architecture

With respect to Socialist Realism and Brutalism, the Architecture of New Belgrade is a city landmark. At the core of the creation of this settlement was the idea about the creation of a new system, in both political as well as social, economic and cultural terms. In the spirit of Le Corbusier, it was designed as a modern town functionally divided into zones – administration and government, industry and production, residential zone, recreational zone etc. For this reason, New Belgrade’s residential blocks were popularly called ‘dormitories’ for many years. After World War II, the establishment of a new state led to the transformation of this part of the city, from green spaces and swamps into an urbanized area. After the conflict with the USSR, the original idea based on the foundations of Socialist Realism was reshaped into a tendency towards a modern, pro-Western style of construction. The first structures made were the Palace of the Federation (SIV building), Studentski Grad (Students’ Town), hotel ‘Yugoslavia’, Clinical Hospital Center ‘Bežanijska Kosa’ (at the time, Faculty of Forestry), Tošin Bunar residential settlement (Paviljoni – Pavilions),followed by the other residential blocks. The variety of styles applied includes: ‘Socialist Estheticism’, International Style, Brutalism and Metabolism, Postmodernism and New Constructivism.