Against the Alienation of Belgrade's Bohemian Quarter

Abstract

Skadarlija block, also known as Belgrade’s Bohemian Quarter, has gone through a major change the last decade. It is in this block, similar to what happened along the Sava and Danube river with the Splavovi, where spontaneous citizens’ initiatives created a vivid environment in which locals together responded to their needs and desires. Due to the bankruptcy of the former Bajloni Brewery (B.I.P) in 2006, multiple empty spaces came available. These spaces were later on filled in with a large number of cafes and bars, clubs, cultural and creative centers, as well as concert halls with large, small and improvised stages. Many of the new owners used to have a place located in the Savamala district until it was demolished in the beginning of 2016, paving the way for the controversial Belgrade Waterfront project. There were rumors that the vacant industrial buildings of the old Brewery would also be turned into a luxury hotel and a shopping mall, but none of that happened. As a result, a clear statement could be made in the ongoing debate of “Don’t let Belgrade d(r)own”. The ideology behind this statement would be completely in line with the ideas of many activist groups in Serbia, who choose “The Right to the City” as their slogan, as an act of resistance against the untransparent process of the Belgrade Waterfront project. The somewhat capitalistic ambitions showed in several architectural competition entries for the infill and rehabilitation of this block offered the change to search for better solutions for this block and the city itself. As Henri Lefebvre sees the city as an Oeuvre, I believe that the artistic democratic expressions which can be experienced in Skadarlija, created by citizens themselves, can influence the future of Belgrade’s city. For this reason, a function had to be brought in that doesn’t stand far from the local people and could foster and protect the current environment – the activities, the social qualities, the enjoyment, everything that is already there. To eventually keep Skadarlija in the hands of local, from the citizens of Belgrade, from the people who built the city and its Oeuvre and everybody else who would like to contribute in all its diversity. The outcome is a residential (collective) building to give the place owners, to protect it from commercial purposes and to correctly intervene amid all kinds of bars, clubs and restaurants, to in the end prevent alienation to happen in Belgrade Bohemian Quarter.