THE HISTORY
After the adoption of the General Urban Plan in 1950, Novi Beograd began to develop more intensively following the political and economic crisis caused by the break in relations with the USSR. Block 1, along with Block 2, was designed in 1958/9 as an experimental block, and both blocks were completed in 1963.
The architects were Branko Petričić, Tihomir Ivanović, and Dušan Milenković. Architect Branko Petričić, as a student of Le Corbusier, was inspired by his project of the idealized city, the so-called Radiant City.
The project designers planned apartments that would, on average, be suitable for families of three.
The residential block contains five types of residential buildings with ten different types of apartments. According to the original plan, 12 residential buildings were constructed.
Since schools were a required institution in almost every block, the elementary school "Duško Radović" (formerly known as "25. Maj") was built here.
The Elementary School Duško Radović
The name "25 Maj" was also given to the local community center building, popularly known as "Fontana." This building housed a restaurant, library, and one of the first cinemas in New Belgrade. The "Fontana" complex, named after the fountain in its atrium, was designed by architect Uroš Martinović.
There is another fountain within Block 1 that features two figures, a young man and a young woman, called "The Dance of Youth." It was installed in 1968 and is the work of sculptor Velizar Milošević. The entire composition was reconstructed in 2008.
THE DESIGN
The style of the block belongs to industrial modernism. The block is dominated by long buildings and high-rises and the structures are positioned to allow for large green areas.
About 1,000 conifers, 2,000 deciduous trees, and many flower beds were planted in these green areas, so today the central part of the block has dense vegetation. What is particularly noticeable even today is that green spaces and playgrounds make up more than 50% of the block’s total area.
The community center building “Fontana” is interesting because of its triangular shape, which breaks up the rectilinear and uniform structure of this and the surrounding blocks. In the central courtyard, there is a fountain with three pools placed on different levels.
The blocks of New Belgrade are often marked with fan murals, but in contrast to Block 2, there are fewer such murals here. Although the building facades are generally well-preserved with minimal graffiti, there are two controversial political murals: one depicting Russian President Putin alongside former U.S. President Trump, with the slogan "Kosovo is Serbia" between them.
The mural on a building in Block 1
The mural on a building in Block 1
The second mural depicts the late commander of the Russian paramilitary formation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic, Arsen Pavlov, also known as Motorola, who was involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Motorola died in 2016, and shortly after his death, a mural in his honor was created in this block.
Skulptura belog medveda
An interesting feature of this block is a sculpture of a white bear in the park between the buildings, created by an unknown artist.
