BELGRADE'S COMMUNIST UTOPIA - Exploring the Brutalist Bloks with Marina of Yugotour

A Film for Lovers of Yugoslavia, Lovers of Belgrade, and Lovers of Brutalism!

In post-war Yugoslavia, under the gaze of President Tito, there was a desire to develop a new way of living with an approach to architecture and planning that was a radical break from the past. gargantuan Bloks housing thousands of people that would provide for a family’s every need. The objective was a communist utopia. Nowhere in the country epitomised these ideals more than Yugoslavia’s capital, Belgrade, where a whole new city was laid out on the west bank of the Sava river. It was called New Belgrade and these days it is a district renowned for some of the world’s best examples of the forms of architecture known as brutalism and modernism.

For a trip back in time to Yugoslavia what better than a Yugo (courtesy of Yugotour). Now the Yugo was regularly voted the worst car in the world. And for good reason. Luckily I’m not driving it - Marina (architect and fan of brutalism) is far more used to the challenge of driving this car.

Come with us as we visit the Western Gate (Genex Tower), Blok 23, the Contemporary Art Museum, the Palace of Serbia and the Eastern Gate. Learn how these Bloks really did try to enhance the lives of their thousands of residents during the communist times - when social clubs were preferred to shops, common areas were kept tidy, and graffiti was unheard of.

Communism, Tito and Yugoslavia have all drifted into the history books. New Belgrade may not quite have delivered the promised utopia but thousands of residents are still proud to call these bloks home.

For your own tour of Belgrade in a Yugo check out the tours offered by Yugotour on their website - www.yugotour.com

Filmed - May 2024
Jonathan Wheeler
Travel Obscurer
YouTube, FB and Instagram
(see also Eye Scotland YT channel)
Music licensed through Artlist
Drone footage from Envato

#brutalism #bloks #brutalistarchitecture #belgrade #communistarchitecture #modernism #yugotour