11th Anniversary of the NATO Bombing

Last week Belgrade commemorated the 11th anniversary of the 1999 NATO bombing that began in March of that year. Most of the buildings and bridges destroyed have been repaired or replaced. There are two large buildings left from the bombing, however, that have not been repaired. The building above is the one that is not often photographed by tourists. The other building, the former defense ministry headquarters, is often photographed and discussed because it is closer to the central, downtown area. I guess more tourists see it than this one.

The building was the federal police headquarters. It is a huge building and there are three large holes where obvious bombs were dropped. The building is located on the same street as the defense ministry, Knez Milosa, but further from the downtown. It is not far from our house in Senjak, just to the other side of the main freeway going through Belgrade. I think it is good that at least one of these buildings remains destroyed. It is a physical memory that is striking. It is similar to the ruins of the national library that was destroyed by the Germans in World War II. I’ll blog about that sight next month as the anniversary of that event is coming up in April.

Recently, two large billboards have been erected on the building. I wonder how long these sites will remain? Serbia marked the occasion with a minute of silence at noon followed by the sounding of the air raid sirens.