NOTHING AGAINST SERBIA

Skopje Architecture at the ETH Zürich

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:53:00 +0000

To rebuilt the city of Skopje after the devastating earthquake of 1963 , a masterplan was made by Kenzo Tange. The plan which was supported by the United Nations, was executed by local architects like Janko Konstantinov and was partly completed by 1980.
Tange’s master plan included urban planning and architectural design, a big scale composition with axis, city walls and gate situations was put over the little city on the Vardar river. Tange effort was to create symbols for the new Skopje. Being part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia made the project possible, also because the land was not mainly private properties and so the big scale master plan could be implemented.

The first time I noticed the rich architectural examples in Skopje was when I wrote this post back in 2010. Then in 2011 I finally managed to visit the city and put my impressions of dissapointment down in this post. I loved Skopje but was really worried how the actual Macedonian government tries to transform the city in a historic capital with roots in antiquity of period of Alexander the Great.
Why couldn’t Kenzo Tange’s masterplan serve as base for the future of the city? It was a bit far from the traditional Macedonian legacy but blessed the city with a lot of attention an great buildings.
Now the political attempt to rewrite Macedonian history throughout architecture is doing more harm than good and a lot of citizens do not support this development.
On the other hand, how can a plan of an architect used to cities like Tokyo (wich has a density of about 15'000 inhabitants per km2) be transfered to a city like Skopje (wich has a density of about 950 inhabitants per km2)?

The Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture of the ETH Zürich (In collaboration with Damjan Kokalevski, a doctoral student at the ETH Zurich and the Museum of the City of Skopje) discusses urban reconstruction on the example of Skopje and is holding an exhibition on the subject until october 31st.
http://www.gta.arch.ethz.ch/events/performative-archive-skopje-e

Calling it a performative Archive, the exhibition shows models, study books, plans and photographs which provide a rich historical testimony and is used as site for academic exchange. The dialog is not only about the masterplan and urban planning but also about how to approach, like in that case, precarious archives.

Comparing old pictures and today's we see that Tange's visions didn't fit much into the city development, the economic and political situation didn't support the reality for hundreds of 80 meter-highrise buildings and generous park avenues.

The reality goes toward a historical retro thing..that is equaly difficult to understand (picture from skyscrapercity.com)

Skopje 2014: The new archeological Museum along the Vardar river

And here two links I reccomend:

Great pictures of great buildings of Skopje (including indoor shots) can be found on Peter Sägesser’s website:
http://www.ostarchitektur.com/Macedonia-Mazedonien-Makedonija-Skopje.html

There's a pdf of Kenzo Tange, Skopje urban plan, in “The Japan Architect”, n. 130, May 1967. If you like to get this file send an email to nothingagainstserbia (at) gmail.com and I will mail it to you.

Belgrade - NATO Bombing Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 07:02:00 +0000

From March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999 NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War left marks in the Serbian capital.
It's easy to forget, that not so much time ago, the beautiful country of Serbia was bombed, but the idelible signs of destruction are still there like memorials!

Years ago I made a guide to visit the NATO-destruction-sites around Belgrade and to commemorate this sad chapter of European history, I share the link again!

a page from the NATO bombing trail guide


There is a description to every bombed building (like here USCE tower)

Architecture in Presov, Eastern Slovakia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:25:00 +0000

The last stop on my little itinerary through Eastern Europe that started in Prague (Soviet Style Architecture in Prague), then went to Brno (Brno Architecture) , Ostrava (Socialist Realism in Ostrava), Krakow (Brutalist architecture and soc realism in Krakow) and Zakopane (Zakopane Style Architecture) was Presov, an interesting town in Eastern Slovakia.

The city is a showcase of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic architecture. In the historical center, the main street is lined with churches and other buildings built in various historical styles.

Historical buildings in Presov old town

In the suburbs, however, the Soviet influence is clearly evident through the massive concrete panel buildings (paneláky) of the housing estates (sídliska) most of all in the Sekčov district.

A pretty good example of Soviet-style architecture in the center of Presov is the impressive government building with its monumental park.

The fountain has seen better times but the viewer can immagine what a spectacle it might have been.


The fountain offers interesting views from different angels

The park side facade is composed following the typical features of Socialist Classicism

The Street side facade with access control :-)

This fountain in the city center is another tribute to the socialist era

Presov, instead of removing any memorials to do with Russia, decided to keep theirs as the 40 years of communism was part of their history.

Bosakova Bank (picture source)

Near the historical center there is a stunning Art Nouveau building designed by Engineer V. Glasz around 1923. The name Bosakova Bank was a tribute to Michal Bosak (1869-1937) a Slovak expat that became an important banker in the U.S.

Renaissance House Sigismund Rákóczi (picture source)

The The Rákóczi palace is one of the rebuilt houses from the main street in Renaissance style. Today a musesum is lokated inside.

Presov is worth a trip, so here are some useful links:

http://www.presov.info/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre%C5%A1ov

Pictures on Panoramio

Zakopane Style Architecture in the Carpathian Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 07:20:00 +0000

In the South of Poland there is a picturesque highland region known as Podhale, the beginning of the Carpathian Mountains. I made a stop in the touristy town of Zakopane, a place that since the mid 19th century is a rising resort area. What is special regarding architecture, is a particular building style called Zakopane Style or Witkiewicz Style architecture.

When the place began to become a mountain resort the swiss chalet- or austro-hungarian alp-style where common for cabins and villas.
Until Stanislaw Witkiewicz, an art critic, architect, painter, novelist and journalist, was chosen to design a villa for Zygmunt Gnatowski around 1892. In his plans, Witkiewicz decided against using these foreing building styles and instead chose to utilize the local traditions used by the native people of the region (the Górals) and their modest but richly decorated houses, incorporating selected elements of Art Nouveau.

This building is now known as Villa Koliba (Koscieliska Street in Zakopane) and is now a museum of the Zakopane Style of Architecture.

Today even new villas and hotels are built in this style and give the area that special atmosphere.

More works by Stanislaw Witkiewicz

"Dom pod Jedlami" in Koziniec (picture source)

"Dom pod Jedlami" in Koziniec
Villa "Oksza" Zamojski Street in Zakopane
Church of the Holy Family on Krupówki Street inZakopane
Korniłowicz family chapel in Bystre

Stanislaw Witkiewicz once wrote on the idea of the Zakopane style:

"The idea was not to build yet one more beautiful, typical house. The focus was something else entirely: to build a home which would settle all existing doubts about the possibility of adapting folk architecture to the requirements deriving from the more complex and sophisticated needs of comfort and beauty. To design a home that would inherently withstand all common grievances and undermine all customary prejudices. To erect a house that would prove that one can have a home, a dwelling in the dominant style of Zakopane and yet be confident that this home will not disintegrate, that it will effectively protect one from storms, gales and the cold, that it will possess the full range of comforts yet simultaneously be beautiful in a fundamentally Polish way."
The Zakopane Style soon found proponents among other outstanding architects, including Jan Witkiewicz-Koszyc, Wladyslaw Matlakowski, and Walery Eliasz-Radzikowski.

A beautiful example of Zakopane Style (picture source)

This is the fifth post of my little itinerary through Eastern Europe Prague-Brno-Ostrava-Krakow-Zakopane-Presov-Beograd.
First post: Soviet Style Architecture in Prague
Second post: Brno Architecture
Third post: Socialist Realism in Ostrava
Forth post: Brutalist architecture and soc realism in Krakow

Brutalist Architecture and Soc Realism in Krakow

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 15:06:00 +0000

Krakow is full of great historical architecture, no question. what I show in this post however are interesting brutalist (as in beton brut) building and what is left of the soc realist Nowa Huta district.

Szkieletor or NOT Tower in Krakow

Rising high over the Rondo Mogilskie (K-2) is one of Krakow’s biggest blemishes and its most overt reminder of the follies of communism. Officially named NOT Tower, but known locally as Szkieletor (from the Polish word for ‘skeleton’), this 22 storey bare beams structure ranks as the tallest building in the city, standing unfinished and unoccupied for over a quarter century.
Originally designed in 1968 to serve as a congress hall and office block, work began in 1975 with local authorities pressuring architects to make it as tall as possible. Another eight floors were hastily added to the original blueprint, with a TV studio, hotel and panoramic terrace all part of the master plan. Alas, Poland’s economic crisis hit soon after and all work on it was abandoned in 1979, never to be resumed.
Today the 91m tower stands fenced off from the public, a ghostly reminder of the golden dawn promised by the nation’s leaders. Over the years shoddy construction work has made the tower a crumbling death trap, and despite ownership changing hands numerous times, no one has taken on the expense of doing anything more with it than making it available for large advertisements.
(from In your Pocket guide Krakow)

How the tower looked before it was covered with billboards (picture source)

Hotel Forum
Address: Marii Konopnickiej 28

This enormous concrete-building (build from 1978, the opening took place only in 1989) is one of the most futuristic buildings in Krakow.(picture source)

From In Your pocket guide: Awarded four stars, the hotel featured perks unknown in 80s Krakow: air-conditioned rooms, an outdoor electronic clock with temperature displays, swimming pool, mini golf and casino. Having passed from the Orbis brand to the Sofitel in 2001 the hotel was closed at the end of 2002, apparently because of a construction fault that led to frequent flooding of the basements. Today the vacant building is owned by the Wawel-Imos group, and though its future is uncertain it presently makes a handsome living as Poland’s longest billboard, while lending its former reception area to one of Kraków's trendiest bars (Forum Przestrzenie), and its parking lot to a go-cart track.(picture source)

How the Hotel looked when it was at it's best! (picture source)

Central Square (Plac Centralny) in Nowa Huta

With the propaganda architecture and social realist art of the 1950s and 60s the Central Square in Nowa Huta is placed on the list of cultural heritage.
Nova Huta, a town in the vicinity of Krakow, was a good example of Communism in Poland in the years 1950-1989.The Government forced Stalinist monumentalism and the doctrine of Socialist Realism. It involved all domains of art, but its most spectacular achievements were made in the field of urban design and Architecture as weapon in establishing the new social order by the communists. The ideological impact of urban design was valued more than aesthetics. It aimed at expressing communist ideas and to arouse a feeling of persistence and power. This form of architecture was implemented in the new industrial district of Nowa Huta, full of huge apartment buildings constructed according to a Stalinist blueprint, with repetitious courtyards and wide, tree-lined avenues.

old picture of the Central Place and avenue of Roses (picture source)

Nowa Huta's central Avenue of Roses featured a countrywide known statue of Vladimir Lenin unveiled on April 28, 1973. The bronze monument was pulled down in 1989 by the city, as a result of numerous protest actions by local citizens. Several thousand onlookers came to watch the dismantling. Then communist names of Street and Places where changed, also the Central Place changed its name into Ronald Reagan Place.

The Solidarity Monument in Nowa Huta

In the 1980s Nowa Huta became a place of many demonstrations and violent street protests of the Solidarity movement, fought by the police. At that time, almost 29,000 of the 38,000 workers of the then Lenin's Steelworks belonged to the Trade Union "Solidarity".

Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks in Nowa Huta

This Steelwork facility is the second largest steel plant in Poland since 1954.
During the Communist rule, the plant was called Vladimir Lenin Steelworks. The name was changed in 1990, following the collapse of communism, and the factory was renamed to commemorate the scientist and engineer Tadeusz Sendzimir. In its heyday – in the 1970s – the plant employed around 40,000 people and annually produced almost 7 million tons of steel. In the 1980s, it was one of the most important centers of anticommunist resistance, with numerous strikes and street demonstrations.

old picture of the steel work (picture source)

The Steel Facility today

Krakow Center

A brutalist Building with 3D-effect facade near the historical center

The Main Market Square in Krakow with its historical architecture

The Cloth Hall has a nice souvenir gallery in the ground floor

Historical Bridge in the City Center

Who's interested in taking a architecture tour visiting communist architecture in Nowa Huta (it's not a Communist Glorification Tour!) will find some tour opportunities on this site:
www.seekrakow.com (http://www.seekrakow.com/communism-basic/#)

This is the forth post of my little itinerary through Eastern Europe Prague-Brno-Ostrava-Krakow-Zakopane-Presov-Beograd.
First post: Soviet Style Architecture in Prague
Second post:Brno Architecture
Third Post: Socialist Realism in Ostrava

Socialist Realism in Ostrava

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 16:14:00 +0000


Sport Hall Ostrava

Ostrava is the third and most eastern city of the Czech Republic.

Exploitation of high quality black coal deposits during the communist era of Czechoslovakia gave the city an industrial look and the nickname “steel heart of the republic”

Though many of the heavy industry companies are being closed down or transformed and the city is one of the most polluted in the European Union, the city surprises with some good examples of soc-realist architecture.

Socialist realism in architecture (called SORELA in communist Czechoslovakia) is characterised by monumentalism and historicism seeking inspiration in the Renaissance and Classicism. Many buildings were inspired by Russian Stalinist style, which represented the then-peak of perfection.

In the town center of Ostrava there is a unique display of architecture and urban planning from the turn of the 20^th century.

Elektra Palace (side facade)

Soc realism and strange art

The house was built in the thirties of the last century, and has been a cultural and social center since the beginning. In 1996, after a complete reconstruction of the building it was declared a cultural monument. It is now a Hotel.
The spaced out piece of art in front of the building makes an interesting combination with the soc realism statues of the facade!

The House of Fine Arts

The House of fine arts at Jurečkova 9 in the center of Ostrava

In 1923, the Association for the Establishment and Maintenance of an Exhibition Pavilion in Moravian Ostrava was created, and held a design competition. Two second places were awarded, one to architect Kamil Roškot, the other to the team of František Fiala and Vladimír Wallenfels. It was the later submission which was eventually realised in 1926. The House of Fine Arts, built in an unusually original yet simple style, was the most modern building of its kind in the region at the time.

The New City Hall

The new City Hall at Prokešovo náměstí 8 in Ostrava center

The new building from the 1920's was to house not only the administration of greater Ostrava, but regional offices as well. Brno architect Vladimír Fischer was awarded the contract for the simplicity and balance of his design. His project was later completed by František Kolář and Jan Ruby. From 1925-1930, the new four-storey functionalist building with two three-floor wings and a lookout tower of light steel was built that would come to dominate the centre of Ostrava.
It's the largest City hall in the Czech Republic with the country’s highest City Hall tower (85,6m high with a lookout 72m above Prokeš Square). In the late 1990’s, the building underwent a considerable reconstruction, including the council room and mayor’s office.

Sorela in Ostrava-Poruba

https://www.czechtourism.com/getmedia/16e7d82e-a906-44b8-b79a-41ef98f7aa81/Hlavni-brana-Ostrava-Poruba_3987.jpg.aspx?width=793&height=641&ext=.jpg&maxsidesize=800

The Stalin Baroque a.k.a. SORELA a.k.a Socialist Realism in Architecture is what the official style of the Communist era in the Czech Republic was called. A good example is the Ostrava borough of Poruba.
The ground plan of streets and squares forms a regular pattern full of right angles. Blocks of flats are of the same height and form virtually closed complexes of residential buildings of light sand colour, with the large courtyards typical of Russian urban buildings. The sorela style includes a number of actual or implied Classicist columns and triangular or stepped gables, as well as historicising elements on the facades of buildings, celebrating national motifs and the building of a new country. Despite this, sorela does not have only negative aspects; the positive aspects include spacious boulevards, sufficient greenery and a traditional system of street blocks. Life in Ostrava-Poruba is definitely more pleasant than, say, on high-rise housing estates.
(excerpts from http://www.czechtourism.com)

Air View of Ostrava-Poruba (http://czechofil.pinger.pl/a/2011/2/6/)

Monumental, historicist, symmetrical, decorative and full of Stalinist ideology – this is Socialist Realism, or ‘sorela’.

old industrial building in the Ostrava suburbs

This is the third post of my little itinerary through Eastern Europe Prague-Brno-Ostrava-Krakow-Zakopane-Presov-Beograd.
First post: Soviet Style Architecture in Prague
Second post:Brno Architecture

Brno Archtecture

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Interesting highrise facade in the suburbs of Brno

Brno is wellknown as the City of Bauhaus, Functionalism and Modern Architecture with the Villa Tugendhat and Hotel Avion as main pilgrim places for architects.
For the enthusiast of functionalist and modern building the following site provides 14 architecture trails to visit the most important works.

http://www.bam.brno.cz/en/

House Tugendhad by Mies van der Rohe

Villa Tugendhat from the entrance (visits only by appointment)

Hotel Avion

Hotel Avion how it looks today

Avion Hotel logo by Emanuel Hrbek

Miroslav Kostelecký, a restaurant owner, decided to modernize his restaurant in Česká Street in 1926 and had a new hotel designed by Bohuslav Fuchs built in place of a former ground-floor inn. The architect had to deal with the extremely narrow, originally medieval parcel (8 x 34 m). Fuchs use of a ferro-concrete skeleton resulted in remarkable spatial effects in the interior.

Besides those architecture classics there are some less known buildings that got my attention:

Hotel Intercontinental Brno

http://madeinczechoslovakia.org/2011/07/hotel-international-brno-advertising-postcard-1963/

This Hotel, once a state run representative house is now operated by the Best Western company. Above the building in an old postcard.

The dining area how it looks today (with witnesses from the past)

The facade today (source)

Brno–Tuřany Airport Departure Building

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2144121

View of the Construction of the check-in airport terminal Brno-Tuřany built September 2005 – September 2006.

The departure lounge consists of a steel structure covered by specially developed Titanium-Zinc hexagon template which creates a compact roof and facade tiles at the same time.

The building was awarded with the title “Building of the Year 2007” by an expert panel. The lounge was also appreciated by the public, as it received the title “Prize of the Public – Building of the Year 2007”.

Length and height of the hall: 112m x 13.3 m

And here two buildings that I photographed around the city that grabbed my attention..and couldn't find out more about them.

renovated building in the old town center

Námesti Svobody (Brno's central square)

This is the second post of my little itinerary through Eastern Europe Prague-Brno-Ostrawa-Krakow-Zakopane-Presov-Beograd.
(The first stop was Prague featured in my post: Soviet Style Architecture in Prague

Soviet Style Architecture in Prague

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 21:10:00 +0000

Metro Station Staromestska

The city of Prague will not like this, but what I'd like to share in this post is not the picturesque old town and the majestic palaces along the Vltava river but the witnesses of the great Soviet style and Czech Brutalist Architecture that impressed me while visiting the Czech capital.

Metro station Jiriho z Podebrad

The first great surprise are the tunnels of the Line A of the 1970's Prague Metro Stations that are covered in a colorful patchwork of metallic tiles in flat, convex and concave shapes in hues of gold, silver, green, blue and red. This color concept is made by artist Jaroslav Votruba and the color scheme differs by station to make them recognizable.
On this site you can find analyzes of the color composition:
http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2010/10/07/pragues-colorful-metro-stations

The Kotva Department Store

kotva department store by vladimir and vera machonin

The Kotva Department Store (Revoluční 655/1) is famous for its strange Communist era architecture and for its separate kiosk stores located inside. Kotva designed by Vladimir & Vera Machonin was finished in 1975 and consists of an iron and concrete skeleton that is divided into six units giving the building a unique design. Each of these six units features different shops and different spaces but put together form a rather dynamic space. This extraordinary building sticks out in Republic Square as it was built in between historic houses and is neighbored by some of Prague’s Art Nouveau masterpieces.

kotva department store by vladimir and vera machonin

The Zivkov TV-Tower

Czech artist David Cerny added the crawling babies on the tower (not so sure if it was a good idea....)

The Zizkov Television Tower with 216 meters is the highest structure in the city of Prague. Built between 1985 and 1992, started by the Communists, the tower was once resented by local inhabitants, as the megalomaniac tower forever changed the skyline of Prague and also destroyed part of a centuries old Jewish cemetery where the foundations of the tower are located.


the tower has a panorama restaurant and a one-room Hotel

eero aarnio chairs at the observatory platform

The lounge of the observatory

This building is famous for being the second ugliest building in the world (I couldn't find out which one is number one) and of course it's not ugly at all (I mean for me) and it makes a fantastic lookout point to enjoy Prague's skyline from the observatory floor.
For more information: http://www.towerpark.cz/en

The lounge at the entrance

the tower entrance

The former Czechoslovak Federal assembly

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=462856&page=6

The building of the former Czechoslovak Federal assembly was designed by Karel Prager in the 1960's and built around 1972.

Prager designed the Federal Assembly as a „house over house“. He then developed the principle into a „city over city” when he suggested using bridge structures to grow the city into a third dimension instead of its growth out into the surrounding areas.

A symbol of its time – often hated and ignored – it was declared a cultural heritage in 2000.

Nova Scena Theater

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20792787@N00/41479296/

Another project by Karl Prager from 1983

The brutalist buildings in Czech Republic are often associated with the soviet domination period (which lasted until Spring 1968, however most of the brutalist building were built after that) so they tended to have a bad reputation in a very Western oriented Czech Republic.

(This is the first post of my recent Eastern Europe Tour. Here in short the itinerary: Prague-Brno-Ostrawa-Krakow-Zakopane-Presov-Beograd.)

Travel tips for Serbia 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:29:00 +0000

When I decided to travel to Serbia for the first time (that's quiet a long time ago...) you could not find ANY advise for travelling there, but just recomendations to NOT go to that area of the world. The war was over, the NATO agression fresh in the back an internet was not yet sharing many links regarding that area.

Today it's easier, tourism is wide spread also in Serbia and even less informed people know that the entire Balkan region is not only of a stunning beauty but also a safe place to explore and makes it also a good and cheap place for simply spending a vacation.Of course you can just jump into a plane and land in the middle of Belgrade and have a perfect stay without even knowing where you are.

The advise I'm giving here, is for a traveller like me, the one that enjoys the preparations and getting inspired for the journey as much as the travelling itself!

If you wish to have the best of the Serbian experience, here my advise:

Preparations for visiting Serbia

1. read something about serbian history

Serbia is a country with an important history and everything you see is loaded with history! So I suggest to read at least this historic summary, that will put the things you see in the right historic contest.

2. learn the serbian cyrillic alphabet

Learn to read cyrillic characters or at least print this cyrillic alphabet out and carry it with you. Most of the signs are written in cyrillic, however in Belgrade and where big communities of hungarians (in northern Vojvodina province) or albanians (in Kosovo and Metohija province) live, you'll find a lot written also in the latinic alphabet.

3. learn about serbian cuisine

The Serbian eating style is something that delights tourists the most: it's absolutely fantastic! In this overview about serbian food you find an explanation to all the dishes served in restaurants, a good guide to drinks and eating habits. (For vegetarians, well what to say? if you decide to eat meat once in your lifetime, do it in Serbia...)

Since the food is so good you might come back from Serbia and have the wish to cook the nice things yourself. So here my 4 favorite links to serbian recipes:
astal - Vera's recipes from the Vojvodina region
palachinka - serbian food in stunning nice pictures
mezze - my favorite cooking magazine from Serbia (my favorites are the ethno recipes in each issue)

moje grne - The vaste recipe collection from Dragana from Bor

Љубав на први залогај - the recipes from Dragana from Belgrade

kad ja kuvam - Irena from Montenegro has good recipes with great pictures

Formal matters for Serbia

Here some general information to get the administrative things right when entering and leaving Serbia. It's not complicated, but it's nice to have it here all in one place:

French embassy in Belgrade (vis-a-vis Kalemegdan)

1. Here a list of all foreign embassies in Serbia (listed by countries)

2. Here is an overview for Visa regimen with the list of countries
Foreigners should register their arrival in Serbia (if you're staying at a Hotel, they will do that automatically for you) with the competent authorities (according to the place of residence of the foreigner - the police department). It's not a big deal and it doesn't cost much (a couple of cents for the papers).

3. It's never a bad idea to check border customs (here an overview) As a tourist you shouldn't have any troubles with customs officers. Be just sure to get an "Entrance to Serbia stamp" in your passport, that will avoid troubles when travelling out of the country again.

That's what I usually bring out of Serbia!

General advise for Serbia

1. It's forbidden to take pictures of any military facilities.

2. Don't panic if you read some bad facts about Serbia.It's still some anti-serbian propaganda going on, and whatever unpleasant happens in Serbia is displayed as a big thing in western european medias (there are however some sites, like at de-construct and Serbia's Ambassador to the world oposing against that). Remember that statistically it's more likely you happen to get harassed in a western european city that somewhere in Serbia. Be respectful and you get respected!

3. Stay out of politic debates and go easy on spreading your opinion about themes like Balkan Wars, religion, Kosovo and gay-parades.
In the entire balkan region people are still very sensitive about war themes and if you're not part of them you can not 100% understand it. So keep the good advise for your diary and not for the table at the local Kafana. If you are interested in following politics in Serbia (and it's really entertaining) here an overview of the political parties, their leaders and their ideas.After these more general links, the next few posts will be about 4 itineraries to discover Serbia.After these more general links, the next few posts will be about 4 itineraries to discover Serbia.

With these basics you just need to get your itinerary and depart!

Ideas for itineraries in Serbia:

Travel tips for Belgrade
Travel tips for Kosovo and the Raska region
Travel tips for Tara National Park and Kopaonik
Travel tips for Ethno Villages in Serbia
Travel tips for Fruska Gora Monasteris

Stara Planina (the old mountains -heart of the balkan)
Vranje (the city of Bora Stankovic)
Sremski Karlovci (beautiful town at the border of Fruska Gora National Park)
Zasavica Nature Park (Nature, Ethno, Food, Culture)

Architecture of Bus Stations in Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:02:00 +0000

Central Bus Station in Niš (picture from wikimapia)

I got inspired for this post by Yomadic's blog entry: http://www.yomadic.com/bus-from-belgrade-to-nis-serbia/ and his beautiful picture of the Niš Bus station.

Since in the Balkans, particularly in Serbia, Railway travelling was never so popular like traveling by bus, some Bus Stations got a lot of architectural attention when they were built.

I found pictures from some interesting Bus Stations and hope to expand this collection soon!

Niš Bus Station

Entrance of the Bus Station (picture wikimapia)

One of them is the Bus Station in Nis (Ниш) built in 1977 and one of the most modern Bus Station of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with 18 platforms. Nis-Ekspress AD was the main investor.

Ćuprija Bus Station


Bus Station in Čuprija

A lot of inhabitants of Ćuprija work as "Gastarbeiter" in Western Europe, so really lots of Bus Lines serve this little town. That explains the big Bus Station at the entrance of the town.
A close up shows the lamellar structure of the roof supported by precast columns arranged in a semi-circle.

Novi Pazar

A postcard from the 70's of Novi Pazar's Bus Station

Another interesting Bus Station is the one in Novi Pazar built in the 1970's. The first time I visted Novi Pazar I was fascinated by it's frivolous architecture (read it in my post about Novi Pazar).

A newer picture on autobusi.net

The Bus Station fits in that style, and though it shows signs of age and people complain about its flaws it still looks charming.

Loving this combination: the bus station and his "soliter" a stand alone highrise building (from autobusi.net)

Zrenjanin

Zrenjanin Bus Station (from autobusi.net)

In Zrenjanin the Bus Station has a relief-like Fassade like in Niš. It/s not a big station, but with this detail it looks almost like an airport.

Communist Style Hotels 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:15:00 +0000

Hotel in Kolasin (Montenegro)

Last summer I posted about communist style Hotels in the Balkans with good example of state own Hotels built in the communist past.

To the list of Hotels I'd like to visit I will add also these 6 eye-catcher:

Bianca Resort & Spa in Kolasin (Montenegro)

Bianca Resort in Kolasin: Jumbo Alpin Architecture

The Hotel also featured in this old postcard get my thumbs up for its appereance! (The main picture is from here)

Hotel Merkur in Vrnjacka Banja

Vrnjacka Banja a Spa town in Central Serbia has a couple of cool buildings to offer. This is just one of it.

The garden side of the Hotel (Picture here)

The street side of the Hotel

Hotel Zubor in Kursumljska Banja

This building from 1982 is actually empty, as the country can not keep up with maintenance costs.

Hotel "Žubor" in Kursumlijska Banja (picture from here)

Hotel Internacional Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Hotel International Zenica (picture from here)

A masterpeace of a Hotel...and it still looks good today!

The Hotel today (picture from here)

Hotel in Vranjska Banja in Vranje

Unfortunately this one never got finished, started in 1973 it was about when the economical crises stroke the south of Serbia.

Just 50% completed (picture from here)

And at the end a little interior detail of a bathroom in Hotel Slavija in Belgrade

tile paradise (picture from here)

Links to other posts about interesting Hotel Architecture in the Balkans:

Hotel Donat in Rogaska Slatina (Slovenia)

Hotel Sirmium in Sremska Mitrovica

Hotel Petrus in Paracin

Hotel Palas in Mojkovac (Montenegro)

Hotel Srbija in Vrsac

Interesting Architecture in Rogaska Slatina (Slovenia)

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:15:00 +0000

Hotel in Rogaska Slatina (street side)

Rogaska Slatina is a well known Spa in eastern Slovenia. Usually touristic pictures from Rogaska Slatina show some belle epoque clinics and wellness centers and would not really grab my attention. But when I ran into this old postcard from the 70's of Hotel Donat I became curious....

An new picture from Hotel Donat (garden side) from here

The Hotel still loos like a huge concrete boat and the brutalist facade was preserved. Just added housing technology and sunshades were added on the roof. Also the interiors have been renovated and is now a wellness Hotel (Grand Hotel Donat)

Cultural Center of Rogaska Slatina from here

Also the Cultural center of this Spa town got my attention: a cluster of octagonal buildings with mint green facades! Rather daring but interesting!

A floor plan of the complex

In the Spa complex the medical center with the drinking hall (Rogaska Slatina is wellknown for its magnesium rich spa water) are another interesting buildings.
The overhauled condition of the structure needs a renovation but the starting situation is good: a neat modernist ensemble.
Maribor based architects from Styria Arhitektura d.o.o. made an inspiring suggestion in 2011 for a make over. A pergola and outdoor pools will be also added. I like that the existing vibe of the architecture will not be lost, it will be just slightly adapted.
What follows are the before/after pictures of the Styria architects (from the architects website):

Medical Center Rogaska Slatina today

Medical Center Rogaska Slatina proposition

See also a good renovation of a mid-century hotel in my post of Hotel Avala in Budva (Montenegro)

Stara Planina Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 08:03:00 +0000

Stara Planina

The Stara Planina (that means old mountains) is a part of the Balkan mountain range and lays in Eastern Serbia on the border with Bulgaria. The Balkan range runs 560 km from Vrška Čuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea.

The Stara Planina is remarkable for its flora and fauna, and also with steep cliffs, the highest waterfalls in the Balkan peninsula and lush vegetation.

Geologically, the Balkan Mountains is a 'young' part of the Alp-Himalayan chain which stretches across most of Europe and Asia.

It can be divided into two parts: the main Balkan Chain and the Pre-Balkans to the north, which intrude slightly into the Danubian Plain.

On top of the Serbian part is this rock called "Babin Zub" (Grandmother's Teeth).

The surrounding are part of a ski recreational area in winter and full of nice hiking trails in summer.

I just took a few pictures while cruising around. I arrived by night at Babin Zub's Hotel after a drive through dark roads and the navigation telling that theres nothing further along. I really had no idea were I landed.

The next day I was surprised with a nice scenery while driving to see the newly errected just opened Hotel Stara Planina.

Also the new Hotel was a pleasant surprise, instead of an overstated giant facility with no relation to the surrounding, the building looks solidly adapted to the rough mountain setting from the outside and the interior is appropriately stylish.

After visiting the area in summer, I now would like to visit the area in winter.

Eastern Serbian mountains are as beautiful as the Western Serbian mountain (I wrote about those mountains here in my posts about the unique National Park Tara "Best travel tips for Serbia - TARA/KOPAONIK" and "Tara National Park in Western Serbia", the Ethno Village Sirogonjo "Etno Selo - Sirogonjo", the posts about the Zlatibor region: "More Ethno in Zlatibor", "Mokra Gora" and Ethno Village Mecavnik "Kusturica made it!".

Temska a beautiful village of eastern Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 08:45:00 +0000

Temska

While traveling through Eastern Serbia I particularly loved some of the characteristic and soulful villages driving along smaller roads. Those villages are far enough from urban centers so they're totally quiet, but still near enough to benefit from trade oportunities and public infrastructure the cities can offer. Temska is one of those really picturesque villages without being too glamed up.

Typical example of moravian style rural houses in Temska

beautiful barns, traditional wood construction

Temstica river

With around 900 inhabitants, a ground school, postal office, a few stores and a coffee shop it looks like a lively neat place along the Temstica River (a affluent of the Nisava River).

Beautiful wood constructed barns with tile roof (and a couple of goats on Temska's streets)

Near the settlement there is a small hydroelectric plant and the small Monastery dedicated to the Holy Martyr Saint George called Temska Monastery.

Erected on ruins of a fortification of the 11th century, the monastery was built in the second half of the 16th century by the Dejanovic Family (nephews of Tsar Dusan).

The Konak (Guesthouse) is beautifully restored

The monasterie's dormitory and living quarters built in the 18th century represent an excellent example of the local folk architecture

On the porch of the building various natural balm and balsams with curative effects and produced in traditional way from medicinal herbs of the Stara Planina are sold. People stop by to buy such balms for curing eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, neurodermatitis, atopic dermatitis, skin allergies, acne, burnt skin, insect bits, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, alopecia, sinusitis, inflammation of the ears and open wounds.

The Temska Monastery church has a three-nave basis with a semicircular altar apsis and a low eight-sided dome. The monastery church itself was constructed of white stone and covered by stone layers. In 1654 a vault was added above the narthex instead of the old wooden construction and the porch was painted with beautiful frescoes.

Iconostasis of Temska Monastery Church

Temska Monastery cimetery

To give you some more information on village architecture in Serbia I post the links of my 6 Lessons on Serbian Rural Architecture.

Lesson 1 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture
Lesson 2 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture:Style by Regions
Lesson 3 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture: The South Serbian Village
Lesson 4 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture:The Family Homestead
Lesson 5 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture: The Moravian House and its Interior
Lesson 6 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture: How does "new" rural architecture looks like?

Donkey Cheese from the Zasavica Nature Park in Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:29:00 +0000

From this donkey comes the most expensive cheese in the world

When I visited the famous Serbian wildlife and nature reserves Zasavica one year ago while visiting Sremska Mitrovica (my post about it here) I didn't know that the world's most expensive cheese, made of donkey milk, is produced there!

I read here that the Nr.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic is buying an entire year production of this cheese to make it one of the key attractions at a chain of restaurants the Wimbledon champion and world number one is opening in his Serbian homeland.

Beside this interesting cheese story, Zasavica Park is indeed worth a visit. For all traveller who enter Serbia by the Zagreb-Beograd speedway Zasavica is on the road and makes a nice stop.

Mangulica Pig

Mangulica is the only surviving autochthonous Serbian breed of domesticated pig. Other two, Šiška and Šumadinka died out. A breed, also known as "woolen pig", due to its good qualities, is considered a "noble", but it almost died out in the 1980s.
Its fat has up to 80% less cholesterol and triglycerides than a common, white pig. In 1998 Mangulica was introduced in Zasavica, and are left to roam free in the reservation.

Goats

Sheeps

Agriculture:
The concept for Zasavica Nature Park ist that Agriculture helps local farmers to gain income from the reserve and at the same time it is an essential tool for the management of specific habitats and species. Agriculture is restricted to grazing and hay making and famers are not allowed to use of pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. Preferably farmers use domestic cattle typical for the region like the Manguliza pig and Podolian cattle for grazing.

Cattles

Podolian-Cattle

In 1998 the cattle of the Podolian breed was introduced in Zasavica. First animals arrived in the spring of 1998 from Mionica, in western Serbia. Pasture "Valjevac", near the small Goransko-ribolovačko lake was chosen as their home. The pasture has an area of 3 square kilometers and today numbers 50 cattle. Breeding of Podolian cattle is being part of the program for the preservation of the animal species, developed by the Serbian Ministry of agriculture.

Ethno architecture from Srem Region and Vojvodina

Biodiversity
In this habitat types and species (including meadows and pastures, open water, marshes, wet forest patches and upwelling water springs) of European and Serbian importance are settle here and live in a favorable conservation status.

Educational program for schoolchildren, educational work camps and research camps are being organized with the purpose of increasing the awareness and knowledge on value and importance of protecting the wetland in general and Zasavica wetland in particular.

Here the official Website of the Zasavica Nature Park

Bukovo Monastery

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:16:00 +0000

A couple of kilometers from Negotin, on a forested hill lays the beautiful Bukovo Monastery overlooking villages toward the Dunav River and behind pieces of Romania and Bulgaria.

The layout of the monastery (source)

The monastery was founded by Serbian King Stefan Milutin (1282-1321) of the Nemanjic dynasty in the late 13th- or early 14th century.

The church is dedicated to St. Father Nikolaj the Wonderworker and by style is a special variant of the "Moravian School". The church has an elongated shape of a trefoil and was built as a single nave with arched barrel vault and without dome. The narthex was build later in the 19th century.

The wall around the monastery, the belltower and the colonnade were added in the 1930s.

In 2006 two new buildings were erected on the place of the old dorms, which were in ruinous state.

The church interior is richly decorated and in the narthex some frescoes in romantic style made in 1902 by Steva Todorovic shows some members of the Nemanjic Dynasty.

Fresco of Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia (Стефан Урош II Милутин) and founder of the Bukovo monastery

Fresco of Stefan Nemanja (Стефан Немања) 1113 – 1199, Grand Prince of Raska from 1166 to 1196 and founder of the Nemanjić dynasty.

Fresco of Tsar Uros

In this fresco:
Sveti Sava (Rastko Nemanjic) came back from Hilandar Monastery (Mount Atos) to try to make peace between his two older brothers Stefan and Vukan (Stefan as second born was put on the thron instead of the oldest brother Vukan).

Fresco of Stephen Uroš III (Стефан Урош III) , 1285 – 1331

The monastery has a good website with lots of pictures and information:
http://manastirbukovo.org

The Smederevo Fortress

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:30:00 +0000

40km south-east from Belgrade lays Smederevo a town of about 100'000 inhabitants and its Byzantine Monumental Complex: the Smederevo Fortress.
I like the setting of this fortress on the banks of the Danube.

Smederevo was the residence of Serbian prince Đurađ Branković and the capital of Serbia from 1430 until 1439, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire after a siege lasting two months.

The Smederevo Fortress was modeled after the Constantinople fortress. It's classed as a water fortress and after the fortress' completion, there was a decline in its military importance and few structural changes were made. As a result, the original architectural style has been preserved to this day.

Strategically the fortress is located on the right bank of the Danube river on the triangular plain formed by the confluence of the Danube and Jezava rivers, only 72 meters above sea level. This location allowed the Serbian capital to remain near the Christian Kingdom of Hungary, while also satisfying Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire by eliminating the uncontrolled passage of the Hungarians into the Morava valley.

The fortress' position connecting the Balkans and Central Europe has made it an important religious and commercial center for centuries.

During NATO agression against Serbia the "Jugopetrol" oil storage depot near Smederevo was bombed several times. Even though the facility is not located in the protected town zone, the force of the detonations and the burning of highly inflammable substances not only endangered the body of monuments in the town center but the strong detonations induced by the bombing caused shaking of the walls of the old town and the Fortress.

The fortress is currently used as a city park, and occasionally hosts cultural events. To the southeast, the previously open space along the Jezava now boasts a harbor. Unrestricted visits by tourists, inadequate protection, no maintenance and lack of strategy and financial resources contribute to the deterioration of the fortress.

The fortress is encircled by 1.5 kilometers of crenelated walls over 2 meters thick, and 25 towers which are each approximately 25 meters tall.

The throne hall, where Branković received his visitors, was built with four double-arched windows, fashioned in a mixed Gothic/Romanesque style.
The Donžon kula was intended to be the final line of defense. It was constructed with walls over 4 meters thick, and housed the nobility during Turkish attacks. Hidden doors were built into the Jezava wall, allowing for passage towards Hungary.
In the suburb, a sacral complex was built in phases from the 15th century onwards, and a Turkish bath was added by the Ottomans in the 17th century.
Between 1460–1480, while held by the Ottoman Empire, a larger defensive system was built, including escarpments, low walls, and more towers. During the first half of the 18th century, fortified trenches were added.

1. Main entry gate, 2. City gate II, 3. City gate I, 4. Ship gate, 5. Jezava gate, 6. Flag tower, 7. Turkish inscription tower, 8. Water tower, 9. Outer water trench, 10. Inner water trench, 11. Bridge, 12. Inner city gate, 13. Rectangular tower, 14. Keep (Donžon kula, Donjon tower), 15. Jerina's tower , 16. Despot's inscription tower (krstata kula), 17. Audience/Throne hall, 18. Palace, 19. Bath remains, 20. Church remains

Serbian Orthodox Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:10:00 +0000

Whenever I can, I like to celebrate the Serbian Orthodox Holidays in Serbia. Christmas and New Year are 2 weeks later than in the Western Christian World (Serbia follows like Russia the Julian Calender) and are a bit more spiritual and less commercially that its Western equivalent.

January 6th is Christmas Eve, it's Lenten fast day and traditionally Vegetarian Baked Beans (Posni Prebranac), Pickels (Tursija, Kiseli Kupus), Bread, Nuts and dried fruits are served.

Look here how Christmas in Serbia is celebrated.

Our family celebrates the family Patron (Krsna Slava) on Saint Stefan's Day (Стефан Првомученик) on January 9th.

This objects are needed for the ritual glorification of the Saint: A candle, the Slava Bread, the Saint Icon, cooked and sweetened grain (Koljivo) and Wine.

All over January the festive light decoration is still in use until the Holidays are over, and this is around St. Sava Day on January 27th. Saint Sava (Свети Сава) is the Patron Saint of the Schools and Students because he played a central role in education and the beginnings of medieval Serbian literature.
As the patron saint of the former Yugoslavia, St. Sava, or Sveti Sava, is commemorated on the anniversary of his death with special church services, speeches, and choral singing. Schoolchildren sing, dance, and recite poems in his honor.

The Serbian New Year is celebrated on January 13th, but I had to leave Serbia the day before, so I put together some goodies I brought with me and and cheered with some meze!

Kilim Rugs from Pirot

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 22:52:00 +0000

In the past years I worked on the renovation of our cottage in the Jablanica region of Serbia, and now what I'd like to hang on a wall of its living room is a traditional Kilim rug of Pirot (Пиротски Ћилим).

The Kilims of Pirot were usually used for covering floors, walls and for to be used as curtains, for bedspreds and for covering parts of furniture.
As part of the Serbian Heritage and Culture, those rugs are now often used for ethno style interiors and people who look at this picturesque folk art still gets inspired by its colors, ornaments, pattern and quality.

Kilim weawing was (and still is) a strenuous and laborious work, so it's often seen like a writing, a story and a diary of the person who made it. For centuries, women have been weaving their pain, joy, messages and symbols into the rugs.

Originally, these rugs were only an object of use, but slowly they became a symbol for heritage and were an inextricable part of the region in which they were created. Kilims were given as a gift only on special occasions – they decorated the salons of the Serbian dynasties of the Karadjordjevic and Obrenovic and rulers used to offer them to foreign diplomats, as a valuable gift and a unique souvenir from Serbia.

The most important ingredient for a good quality kilim is the wool (obtained from the sheep from the Stara Planina). Only a good quality wool is a guarantee for a long duration, a nice appearance and a high quality weaving.
The sheared wool gets classified by fiber length and then washed in boiling water, rinsed out, dried, bleached and dyed. By spinning the precious wool is transformed to yarn.

Pirot, situated on a caravan road between the Middle East (Among the most famous kilims are the ones from Persia, Afganistan, China and the Caucsus) and Europe, became a famous center for this ancient weawing technique.
In the 16th century, when rugs were made exclusively for domestic needs, the kilims were simple and mostly uncolored. However also multicolored rugs (called “ŝarenice”) were made.
In the 17th and 18th century the kilim making was improved and weaving was done on a vertical loom known under the name of “Pirot loom”. The Pirot vertical loom is a simple device leaned against a wall.

In the 19th century, the Pirot kilim reached the highest technical and art values with its real wealth of ornaments, colors and motifs. The kilims were earlier dyed by natural plant dyes later artificial (industrial) ones were used allowing more nuances of one color.
From century to century the kilim is crafted less and less in private houses and more and more in manufactures like the ones in Pirot during the 18th and 19th century. At the end of the 19th century Pirot had 250 looms and between two world wars a half of the whole women inhabitants of Pirot were involved in kilim making.
In 1886 the Kilim society of Pirot was founded and in international exhibitions and fairs Pirot kilims started to win gold-medals.
In 2002 Pirot Kilim became a Serbian Brand with protected geographical indication with 122 ornaments and 96 types of rugs registered.

Patterns and Motifs
The ornaments are always geometrical and the the same pattern appears repeated in different colors. Across the time they have always been transformed and enriched continually.
The most common pattern are:
rhombs, stylized “mirab” (kind of pattern), little dining-tables, amulets, German boxes and bombs, French candies, chests (“kuveri”)
then there are figurines like lizards, flames, small birds, scorpions, branches, doves in several variants, roses in several forms, pomegranates, wreaths, cross section of flowers braided into a wreath, flowers (carnations, pansies, tulips, roses).

Colors
А bold red color in several nuances – from light red to the color of rotten sour cherries prevails on Pirot kilims. The blue color is often used (gained of natural indigo) with little of yellow and white color (since mid of the 19th century, before the color beige made of onion leaves was used as white).

More information abоut Kilims:
The website of the Guild of the Kilimmakers in Pirot : Damsko Srce (http://www.damskosrce.com/)

On Wikipedia the best Information about Pirot Kilims is in German (relying on the book about Kilims from Peter Bausback, 1983: Kelim. antike orientalische Flachgewebe. Klinkhardt & Biermann, München. ISBN. 3-7814-0206-1)

A good document about the sheeps of Stara Planina is a little information brochure from Sergej Ivanov (from which I used the pictures for this post)

A good website with lots of infromation about Pirot kilims:
http://www.kilimpirot.com/

Very beautiful picture of old Kilims on Tanjica's Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanjica/2699490642/

And here my post about the Serbian Pavillon at the Shanghai-Expo with a facade inspired by Pirot Kilims http://sajkaca.blogspot.ch/2010/02/serbia-on-expo2010-in-shanghai.html

From Russia to Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:30:00 +0000

This weekend the Serbian Broadcast Company RTS aired a rerun of the great show "Sasvim Prirodno" (All about Nature) and this time author John Memedović ended up in Russia from where he brought a very unusual story.

Together with 20 Russians and cinematographer Soni Darijević he sailed on three ancient Russian sea boats – the Vityaz, the Khrabr and the Slavyana all the (water)way from Russia’s Samara Region to Belgrade.

The idea to travel 5'000 km like this came from Russian monk Father Feoktist and author John Memedović, for a good story, could not turn down this proposal…he accepted the anything but confortable way to travel, and even if he had really to struggle he jumped in and documented this trip.

"In today's time we live fast and constantly look for new things and values change all the time, so we are prone to forget the origins and we move away from the traditions ... " says Memedović.

Because of that, this intrepid crew did something completely opposite: they turned the clock 1'000 years back and slowed down the time. With great respect for history and heritage they went through this journey and made a very interesting doc.

I really enjoyed the beautiful landscapes….and listen to the beautiful song "Serbia" of Otac Feoktist (song in russian language, serbian translation underneath)

To see the documentary in Serbian her are the links: Part 1 unad Part 2

Од давнина гарде непријатеља су твоју душу тугом палиле.
Али разапети твој дух, да би угасили ватру, цео свет није могао.
Царство Христа не силази с крста, бићемо заједно са тобом!
Црни зли ветрови неће угасити ватру -- близак је наш последњи бој!
Сутра је наш последњи бој.

Рефрен:

Србијо, Србијо, ти си љубав моја, ти си сестра моја, Србијо, Србијо!

Лепотом чудесна, светла земља, острво православља.
Господу верна, Светог Духа пуна, Божја Југославија.
Мили Радивоје, златни витеже, стаћемо, брате, раме уз раме.
Богатир је с тобом, исукаће свој мач, упалићемо свећу пријатељства.

Долине и гребени, куполе, крстови, звоњава звона позива.
Дечицу да роде, у Христу да расту, ред је на српске мајке.
Много година, живела заувек, буди снажна сама у себи.
Од сестре рођене, од свете Русије, Србијо, поклон теби.

Od davnina garde neprijatelja su tvoju dušu tugom palile,
Ali razapeti tvoj duh da bi ugasili vatru, ceo svet nije mogao.
Carstvo Hrista ne silazi sa krsta, bićemo zajedno sa tobom!
Crni, zli vetrovi neće ugasiti vatru -- blizak je naš poslednji boj!
Sutra je naš poslednji boj.

Refren:

Srbijo, Srbijo, ti si ljubav moj, ti si sestra moja, Srbijo, Srbijo!

Lepotom čudesna, svetla zemlja, ostrvo pravoslavlja.
Gospodu verna, Svetog Duha puna, Božija Jugoslavija.
Mili Radivoje, zlatni viteže, staćemo, brate, rame uz rame.
Bogatir je s' tobom, isukaće svoj mač, upalićemo sveću prijateljstva.

Doline i grebeni, kupole, krstovi, zvonjava zvona poziva.
Dečicu da rode, u Hristu da rastu, red je na Srpske majke.
Mnogo godina, živela zauvek, budi snažna sama u sebi,
Od sestre rođene, od Svete Rusije, Srbijo poklon tebi!

Zaha Hadid for Belgrade?

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:28:00 +0000

The project of residential and business complex in the place of former industrial plant "Beko" is making next stage towards realization. Recently the investor presented a preliminary design of the project for the public review. The design of future multifunctional complex at the foot of the Kalemegdan fortress is an artwork of the renowned Zaha Hadid architectural studio from London.

The Greek company "Lamda development", known in Serbia as part of a holding company with EFG Bank and EKI Petrol, bought the bankrupt company "Beko" that owned a remarkable piece of the most exclusive land in the heart of Belgrade.

The very large plot (more than 38’000m2) is situated between the Kalemegdan fortress and the Dorcol riverfront near the "MilanGale Muskatirovic" sportcenter (former 25 may sportcenter).

The zone is of course protected as a monument of culture, however urban development plans allowed the construction under strict conditions with a maximum of 115,000m2 of floor space and also increased architectural standards are requested.

So the Greek Holding engaged one of the big names in world architecture, studio Zaha Hadid from London to obtain an outstanding project. And yes, the project is a stunning solution: what, at the first glance, looks like photoshop distortion at the second sight shows a subtle composition that surprises the observer!

From the architect's site:

"Sitting in the heart of Belgrade’s cultural axis the project explores the idea of introducing a habitable landscape whose undulating topography opens up the BEKO site to a variety of possibilities and views, whether into the confluence of Belgrade’s two rivers, the subtle monumentality of the Kalemegdan Castle and internally between constituent volumes of the design. Developed as a contemporary Mixed-Use Masterplan it includes Residential, Retail and Commercial areas along with a large scale Convention facility and a 5* boutique Hotel."

Hadid's proposition will hold 94,000m2 of surface (a little less than the prescribed maximum) but is fully in accordance with the terms of protection from the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia.

The Masterplan for the Beko site allows for many green spaces throught the complex with no fences and barriers for public transition that link the riverfront with the fortress. Through height control, building shape and size the complex allows interesting angles of view and surprising situations.

The city's wish is to avoid that the Beko site becomes an exclusive, but dead island in the center of the city. So it will be interesting to see what the project will provide to counter act.

If the project goes ahead after public review, the investor enters into the process of obtaining location and building permits. (to be kept updated visit: http://www.beobuild.rs)

Architecture in Zajecar, Eastern Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:14:00 +0000

Zajecar is best known for culture, music and sports and its best value is probably the nearby Gamzigrad archeological site. So I wasn't expecting much from the city's architecture. However I was pleased to find some interesting modern buildings from the 60's and 70's in the very town center. Only a few roads away the city looks picturesque with older houses with two to three stories in warm earthy colors and a simple neoclassical style.

I took pictures of the modern buildings in the center, like this highrise building in beige, olive and brown ....

.... with its decorative fire escape stairs

70's buildings on the way to the center

60's architecture for the E.D. Jugoistok(electro public supply of south-east Serbia)

80's/90's buildings with asymmetrical terraces and bulging decorations

The typical "Beograd" Chain-Store in the center (I wrote about this retail-chain here)

The new facade .....and below how it looked in the past

previously this facade was in a bronzed color

This building is not an architectural highlight: ugly proportions, random postmodern details and an off-key roof make it an unattractive landmark near the main square. This building is home to Hotel "Srbija Tiš" and although it's not a pleasure from the outside, to do justice I should mention, that the interiors are spacious and renovated and they look quiet sophisticated. Thanks to the position there is also a great view from the hotel rooms.

Some impressions of the main square: the police station ...

... the national museum on the right ....

...the monument to its famous citizen: Nikola Pasic

More posts about Eastern Serbia:
www.sajkaca.blogspot.ch/2012/09/modern-pirot-buildings.html
http://sajkaca.blogspot.ch/2012/09/traditional-pirot-ponisavlje-museum.html

Interesting Architecture in Majdanpek

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:17:00 +0000

The first time I wrote about Majdanpek I had never been there. But when I found out about this town made from scratch I was so fascinated that I made it a stop during my last travel through Eastern Serbia. Here my entire collection of pictures of Majdanpek:

Majdanpek boomed because of the the copper mine. This is the administration building.

Majdanpek is really a big surprise when arriving from the Djerdap National Park: after a 20 minutes ride through a lush forrest in a hilly surrounding you enter the town from the top where a bunch of highrise buildings are revealed. Townplanning on a big scale!

interesting facade compositions

the youth club

very urban architecture in the middle of the mountains

The main square with the hotel and and youth club

Former Hotel Kasina (now Golden Inn)

Swanky Interiors

A consistently color scheme

Wide empty roads in the city center

The first reserves of copper ore in in the South district of the Majdanpek mine, were found at the end of the 1953 and at that time amounted to 85 million tonnes of ore with an average copper content of 0.83 percent. Based on that, and assuming further research, the Federal Executive Council of the then Yugoslavia made on 16 April, 1954 a decision on the establishment of the "Copper Mine Majdanpek“.

The 70's style concrete constructions are present in the entire city

Mix of modern architecture with mountain pines

After founding the coppermines the numer of inhabitants increased constantly and went from 2'000 in 1948 up to 12'000 in 1991. When United Nations imposed sanctions against FR Yugoslavia in 1992 the economic situation became difficult. Since then the population is in constant diminuition.

Colored house row in the city center

Majdanpek Tourist Map

The Hospital

The Post office

"Gastarbajterske Kuce" in Eastern Serbia

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:55:00 +0000

Long time ago I wrote about this phenomenon on Balkan Crew: it was a post about the "Gastarbeiter"-Houses built by migrant workers (Gastarbeiter is the German word for guest-worker and referred specially to migrant worker from the Balkans who went to work in Former West Germany in the 1960's and 70's).

A row of a modest version of the Gastarbajterske Kuce

It didn't change much since then, what concerns the building of prestigious Villas and enormous Houses in the Home Country: the effort to make money in the West (under arduous circumstances) has to be showed off back home as a reward for the hassle! It's easy to impress the local people with a house that blasts in size and decorations.

Flamboyant details

I made a tour through Eastern Serbia and collected pictures of all pure traditional and modern socialist architecture. But as ridiculous and grotesque this "Gastarbejterske Kuce" (Migrant Worker Houses) look, I thought it's worth to make a little collection also of those!

Crazy details: a Eiffel Tower in the garden

To understand this phenomenon there are a few facts that needs to be explained: Eastern Serbia is the most economically challenged region of Serbia and has one of the biggest amount of migrants. Almost all migrants have a modest school background and work as unskilled workers in West European Countries (mostly Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria). Rearly one of them has a understanding of Serbian vernacular architecture or bothers about it. Main goal of the house is to impress the surrounding. The functional aspect is much less important, not rarely the house doesn't correspont to the needs of the families at all.

enormous size and many exaggerated details

Almost all those houses are in little villages far from urban vicinity, for some of them there is not even a paved road to reach them. The houses itself are made with expensive materials and fittings, the land where they stay is usually worth just a couple of dinars. The biggest part of them are occupied only for a month during the summer.

Hollywood Style in Eastern Serbia

I don't want to mention in which villages I took the pictures to respect the privacy of the owners. For me those houses are a bit of an attraction even if they're far away to fit into the surrounding and look a little bit helpless with its mix of random styles.

no limit architecture

Almost like in a fairy tale

Modern Pirot Buildings

noreply@blogger.com (Sajkaca) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:11:00 +0000

Highrises in Pirot

Pirot is a really interesting town regarding architecture. You can find well kept precious traditional buildings in a typical South-Eastern Serbian style (like I show in my last post). But there are plenty of good modern buildings as well, in fact the very center is a modern cluster of interesting 70'/80's- building.


TV Pirot Building on the main sqare: concrete structure and geometrical shapes

More peculiar buildings on the main sqare

A few years ago, Pirot underwent again remodelling of the city center. The main square was given a new look: green isles, some new planted trees, fountains, light and a lot of concrete should spruce up the city center.


a city square in a modern manner

Only after sundown people start to visit the square, in summer the hot stones and big concrete surfaces do not invite for a stay

The Square feels empty due to lack of shade and cozy corners. Also an atmosphere killer is the huge empty "Hotel Pirot" on the head of the square. The beautiful building is unfortunately closed and needs renovation works.


Beautiful but not in use: Hotel Pirot

Spooky exposure on the mains Square

The empty building is on a fantastic location: Full City Center!

Behind the empty building there is a extension of the main square......

....the extension looks like this: a "modern" pedestrian zone (from the 70's)

boardwalk behind the main square

the older modern buildings are being complemented with newer pieces

the residential buildings in the same style