This cool looking building is one of the landmarks we use to find our way around New Belgrade. I took this photo from the highway entering Belgrade from the airport. We call it the “Zepter” building because of the advertising sign on the left, but it is actually called the Genex Tower. The official name is “Western City Gate” and it is the first thing one notices upon entry to the city.
Genex was a state-owned company dealing in foreign trade and tourism. They also built the Intercontinental Hotel in Belgrade and a hotel in Kaponik, a ski resort in southern Serbia. The tower was completed in 1980, the last year of Tito’s rule in Communist Yugoslavia. On the left side are 30 floors of residential apartments and on the right side are 26 floors of offices. The bridge and tower between the two buildings serves as a restaurant which we will have to eat in. It is not one of the projects featured on their web site however. They have done many engineering projects in Serbia and eastern Europe.
While researching the building, I learned that it is designed in the architectural style called Brutilism. The name comes from the French and refers to raw concrete. The style flourished in the 1950’s – 1970’s. Critics think that it is alien and out of touch with the local landscape and culture. It is the dominate architectural style of New Belgrade. Brutilism was also associated with socialist, Utopian ideals, hence the use here.
I like the look. This is my first time in Eastern Europe and I have never seen a place that looks like New Belgrade before. After WWII, the communists drained the swamps on the other side of the river and built many Brutalist buildings. Over half a million people now live in New Belgrade. I like going over because it is spread out and feels more like the USA with wide streets. I want to learn more about New Belgrade and the buildings and you will see future posts on the subject.
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