Estela Radonjić Živkov, a conservator and former deputy director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, has raised serious concerns over the planned construction at the General Staff complex in Belgrade.
She warned that the entire area around the General Staff building would be completely devastated both urbanistically and functionally, calling the plans “even more frightening” than the initial architectural renderings.
“The planned three high-rise buildings on the site of the current General Staff complex will devastate the most important intersection in Serbia, a place where Serbian statehood was historically formed,” Radonjić Živkov said.
She added that heritage sites like the 7th Regiment Barracks and the Old General Staff building would remain, but trapped within a modern high-rise complex, resulting in total destruction of the historical and functional character of the area.
Concerns Over Legal and Constitutional Violations
Radonjić Živkov highlighted that the special law (lex specialis) enacted for this project effectively removes cultural protection and violates Serbia’s Constitution, which requires the state and local authorities to protect and preserve cultural heritage.
“Those representing Serbia who signed this contract have essentially agreed to strip protection and demolish cultural property to suit a foreign investor, which appears fundamentally unconstitutional,” she explained.
Threats to Belgrade’s Urban Symbols
The proposed architecture, she warns, clashes with the city’s urban landscape and threatens landmarks such as Beograđanka, a historic symbol of Belgrade.
“The new construction will impose a symbolism that does not belong to Belgrade and diminishes the city’s historical identity,” Radonjić Živkov stated.
She further criticized the project’s planned museum, calling it a mockery of historical victims, arguing that “in such a meaningless architectural context, it would be better not to have a museum at all.”
