My grandmother, an old Belgrader, always used to tell me what was Belgrade before the Second World War. It was a city that was following the European trends of life-style and architecture, with notable families raising buildings in order to match the beauty of other notable cities such as Budapest and Prague. The capital of Serbia, and afterwards Yugoslavia, in its pre-Communist period was striving to transform itself into a European city, but nevertheless never neglecting the oriental sense that it got from the centuries of Ottoman rule. Thus, Skadarlija remained intact, as well as the restaurant Znak pitanja – ?. But Belgrade was a strict city, if one was to integrate he or she would have to adopt civilized beaurgois manners, something that has rapidly changed with the Communist tyranny. But nevertheless, Belgrade from the old period was a city that was gaining a European image through its architecture and its remarkable buildings, which are even today the witnesses of old glories.
Surprisingly, I found a couple of remarkable videos on Youtube which show how Belgrade used to be before, and what was the lifestyle of Belgraders at those times. Probably some buildings you will not recognize, as some of them perished either through the German and Allied bombs, or through the sickle and hammer of the Communist tyranny.
Video 1 (I couldn’t embed this video unfortunatelly, but it’s worthwile watching it)
Video 2
Video 3
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Excellent subject.
I always enjoy watching these videos.