Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts: Belgrade Fair to be Declared a Cultural Monument, General Staff Complex a Cultural Asset

Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences (Photo: PrintScreen YouTube)

The Executive Board of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) requested on June 17 that the Belgrade Fair complex be declared a cultural monument, and that a group of buildings including the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense be categorized as a cultural asset of exceptional significance for Serbia.

The SANU has cautioned in a release that the demolition of the two complexes, paving the way to a radical change to their original purpose, will completely eliminate a highly valuable and significant part of Belgrade's cultural identity.

The organization also requested that international architectural and urban planning competitions be called for the renovation, rearrangement and enhancement of the Belgrade Fair complex and the entire area in downtown Belgrade where the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense were located.

"The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts trusts that care for this complex (General Staff) is not only a matter of architecture, but also a matter of self-respect, ethical principles and norms, ultimately mirroring Serbia’s attitude towards its own history, being a point of very special remembrance. For the aforementioned reasons, this area needs to be marked with special care, remembrance and reverence," SANU concluded in the release.