The Avala TV Tower (Serbian: Avalski Toranj), located on top of Avala mountain near Belgrade has always represented different things to different people. To some, it’s just a TV tower, a giant antenna which helps even the most remote villages in Serbia get their daily fix of Big Brother. To others, it’s an architectural masterpiece. To some, it’s a sign that you’re approaching Belgrade if you’re coming from the south and that you better prepare yourself psychically for the upcoming traffic jam. And to some, it’s just a giant symbol for penis.
Anyway, that has all come to a stop in 1999, during the bombing of Serbia, because to NATO, the Avala Tower represented none of these things, but a powerful tool in Milosevic’s hands [but not in a giant penis kind of way], used to spread wartime propaganda which, arguably, has even worse influence on people than Big Brother. Even if we say that this is true, destroying the tower did not significantly cut the supply of state TV agitprop to households, so it’s pretty safe to say the penis was destroyed for no good reason.
Tower in process of rebuilding, video by Beobuild
But the good news is – it’s been completely rebuilt again. The bad news is it’s not very useful as most TV households today have cable. But the good news is it’s not just an antenna, there’s also a restaurant at the top. But the bad news is that it’s too far from Belgrade for lazy Belgraders to care about it. The good news is that the tower has been re-built so that it looks exactly the same as before. The bad news is that it’s two meters higher and slightly different color. But the good news is that now it glows in the dark, so there!
Among Serbs, the opinion on this matter is, like always, divided. While some [mostly Belgraders] find that the rebuilding of the Tower represents stubbornness and determination, others, mostly from other parts of Serbia than Belgrade think the money could have been spent more wisely and that Belgrade doesn’t really need yet another landmark just for the sake of it.
What do you think – money well spent, or not?
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But is it really fully finished – then how come the construction company’s website still has it at only being 95% completed according to the “Belgrade eye” section?: http://www.beobuild.rs/
What is the capacity at its restaurant?
As for if the money was well spent – I think so. From my understanding it came from donations and many of the donators were Belgraders, plus it put to work Serbian construction companies/workers.