According to unofficial information, construction work has begun on the so-called Slikarnica. The Belgrade Fair administration denied this claim and called it “untrue”.
“In the course of the ongoing works on the regulation of the Sava riverbank, two illegal structures were removed based on final inspection rulings issued by the competent authorities of the City of Belgrade. These illegal structures were partially located on the riverbank parcel,” the management stated in its announcement.
The students spoke out against the demolition in a post on the Instagram profile of the General Staff Ensemble Initiative, which, together with experts, advocates for the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of the Republic of Serbia.
“The Belgrade fair is a symbol of knowledge, modernism and meeting, not an ’empty space’ for the expansion of Belgrade on the water. Instead of experts – politically preferred personnel are appointed. Instead of protecting cultural heritage – private interests. Instead of public dialogue – demolition behind closed doors,” the students stated.
In front of the Fair, architect Miljan Salata commented for Mašina what the idea of the action is, but also the position of students and experts who deal with the protection of cultural heritage on the expansion of Belgrade on the water and the demolition of the Fair in Belgrade.
A construction permit is needed to demolish an object, which the administration does not have, because the plan document is still part of public discussion. To prepare for work, however, a permit is not needed.
“We oppose: the devastation of the Fair for the sake of commercial projects, using EXPO 2027 as an excuse for deleting history and ignoring the professional and civil public”, said the students.
Three arrested in front of the Fair
The police stopped the blockade from happening on the Vojvode Mišić boulevard, checked the IDs of citizens, and detained three people. An architecture student, a citizen, and Miljan Salata, an architect, are among the detained.
Member of Parliament Srđan Milivojević told Mašina that the police was twisting his arm and that they stopped him from doing his job.
A.M., I.P., A.S.
