Hotel Yugoslavia was opened in 1969. It is a modernist building, but one that has not stood the test of time. Despite the protests of local residents, the building is disappearing from the landscape of the Serbian capital. A completely new building will be built on the site.
The history of the hotel dates back to the 1940s. Belgrade lacked a modern hotel that could host foreign tourists and investors. A competition for the design of the building was announced in 1947, and the winner was a bold concept by architects from the Croatian Institute of Design. Mladen Kauzlarić, Lavoslav Horvat and Kazimierz Ostrogović proposed the construction of a modernist building whose form was in keeping with the idea of New Belgrade as a modern, developing metropolis.
Construction of the hotel began in earnest in 1948, with plenty of concrete poured on site to create a strong reinforced concrete foundation and structure. However, as early as 1949, work was stopped due to the economic crisis. Work did not resume until 1960, but a slightly modified design was already underway, developed by architect Lavoslav Horvat – one of the authors of the first design.
The grand opening of the hotel took place in 1969. The building was impressive, with seven floors, 1,500 rooms and a total of 1,100 beds. The most luxurious were the 23 suites. Guests of the building could also enjoy a restaurant designed for 600 people and another for 200. In the following decades, the biggest stars of music and cinema slept in the building. President Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter spent the night here. Queen Elizabeth II slept here in October 1972, when she was touring Central and Eastern Europe.
The building was not renovated for years and was closed in 2006. In 2013, attempts were made to bring the hotel back to life. However, without much success. The old furnishings and the poor quality of the service made it one of the cheapest hotels in the city in the category of three-star facilities (at that time the building operated as Hotel Garni). Other restaurants, a hairdressing salon and shops began to operate in the building and part of the space was used for offices.
The low-cost hotel operated until September 2024. A few months earlier, in March 2024, the facility was sold. The plan is to build a complex on the plot with two high-rise buildings 155 m high. A Ritz-Carlton hotel is to operate in the middle section, while the towers will house residential and retail space. The concept for the changes was prepared by architects from UNStudio.
Serbian architecture fans tried to defend the building against demolition. However, their protests did not help. Demolition of the modernist edifice began a few days ago. The Hotel Yugoslavia is now just history.
source: kurir.rs
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Hotel in 2008 during Belgrade Design Week:
