A view of Hotel Yugoslavia, once a symbol of progress in the former socialist state of Yugoslavia that collapsed in the 1990s and a favorite gathering place for locals as well as world leaders, in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Oct. 3 2024. | Photo: AP
Belgrade’s iconic Hotel Yugoslavia, once a symbol of progress in the former socialist state of Yugoslavia that collapsed in the 1990s and a favorite gathering spot for locals as well as world leaders, now stands in eerie silence, awaiting its probable destruction.
The once-bustling landmark – a leading example of modernist architecture when it was built in the 1960s – has fallen into disrepair, its future clouded by debates over its historical significance and the push for advanced development.
Its white facade, once polished and welcoming, is marred by crumbling concrete and graffiti. Inside, debris litters the once-pristine red-carpeted floors, while scattered pieces of broken furniture hint at the opulence that once filled the rooms and lobbies: faded velvet armchairs, torn bed mattresses, sagging curtains and broken windows are all that remain of luxury. who once was. The wood-paneled presidential suite, where top dignitaries would stay, is now home to pigeons that fly through the shattered glass.
As the Serbian capital grapples with booming growth and new high-rises dotting its skyline, the hotel’s near-certain fate has sparked controversy, with some seeing it as a relic worth preserving and others envisioning new opportunities rising from its ruins .
In its heyday, after welcoming its first guests in 1969, it was a five-star hotel with one of the largest chandeliers in the world, made of 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 5,000 light bulbs.
The guest list included Queen Elizabeth II, United States Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, astronauts including Neil Armstrong, and Belgian and Dutch royalty.
The hotel, with spectacular views of the Danube River in the capital’s Novi Belgrade district, was damaged by NATO bombing in 1999 in an armed intervention against Serbia’s bloody crackdown on Kosovo Albanian separatists.
Only parts of the hotel were fully renovated and it continued to host guests until a few months ago, when private investors announced plans to demolish the structure and build a new one in its place. According to the new owners, two 150-meter (500-foot) tall towers will be built, containing a luxury hotel, offices and private apartments.
Asked why the landmark hotel should be completely demolished instead of being included in the new project, Živorad Vasić, a spokesman for the investors, said there were several reasons.
“One is that during the bombings in 1999, quite a few parts of the hotel were destroyed. Second, the hospitality industry has changed completely and tremendously. “When you look at the hotels now and what they looked like before, they were completely different,” he said.
Architect and tour guide Matija Zlatanovic, who often takes tourists to the hotel to explain its rich history, said the plans for the new hotel were “quite controversial”, especially because “there are legitimate concerns about the size of the buildings that will be erected here.”
“It follows the trend of going up in Belgrade and going up huge skyscrapers everywhere,” he said. “And we have yet to see the impact they will have on this neighborhood.”
Neighbors faced with living in the future shadows of the planned skyscrapers are not happy. Some are holding weekly protests against the new project, saying they will stop the demolition with their bodies if necessary.
Svetlana Gojun, one of the protesters, said Hotel Yugoslavia “represents a huge part of our history”.
“Half the world came to this hotel, from actors, musicians, politicians, writers,” she said. “Everyone is tied to this hotel. The whole world knows about this hotel. And now we’re going to let something like this disappear?’
Published – October 19, 2024, 1:53 PM IST
