Works on the thorough reconstruction of the former Post Office building on Sava Square will commence in January 2024, and the masterpiece of the great Serbian architect Momir Korunovic will become a Cultural Centre, intended primarily for the youngest ones.
The conceptual solution for the reconstruction of the monumental building on Sava Square foresees the removal of the existing building, and the building with a facade renovated according to Korunovic’s original drawings will be built instead. This means that Belgrade will get back one of the most beautiful pre-war buildings, in its original dimensions and with an impressive original decorative facade. With the help of archival documentation and authentic photographs, even details that were not on the drawings were reconstructed.
The interior of the building is adapted to the numerous cultural contents that will be located in it. The state-of-the-art theatre stage, as well as an interactive children’s museum, will dominate the interior. The artistic offer of Belgrade Waterfront will be complemented by galleries, workshops and art schools for the youngest, located in the former Post Office building. The main entrance will face Sava Square, while the longer facade with two side entrances will extend along Savska Street. Both the building and the plot on which it is located will retain the status of public property.
The Old Post Office building was built in 1929 in an authentic contemporary Sebian-Byzantine style, the originator of which was the great Momir Korunovic, also known as the „Serbian Gaudi“. Unfortunately, it was badly damaged during Allied bombing during World War II. After the liberation of Belgrade, three years later, Korunovic’s edifice was restored in the prevailing style of socialist realism, so the building of once luxurious beauty, with an authentic facade decorated with ornamental elements with Art Nouveau and Expressionism motifs, was „barely stripped“, flattened, shortened and reduced to today’s appearance, which in no way resembles its predecessor.
Thanks to the Belgrade Waterfront company, which is dedicated to the restoration of Belgrade’s rich architectural heritage, the former pearl of Serbian architecture, which is rightly considered to be Korunovic’s best work, will once again shine in its full glory. The restoration of another gem of the capital – the Bristol Hotel – is underway, and the Belgrade Waterfront also financed the renovation of the former Belgrade Cooperative, which was completed in 2014.
