🇷🇸 BRUTALIST BELGRADE, Serbia | A Love Letter to BRUTALISM | BANJICA & NOVI BEOGRAD | Travel Serbia

🇷🇸 Belgrade, Serbia (Београд) - We’re back in Belgrade for Part 9 of my 2022 Serbia Travel series! Brutalist and Modernist architecture made a return as a ‘love letter to Brutalism’, highlighting my favourite examples of brutalism in Novi Beograd, common in 1970s Yugoslavia, from the past such as the Genex Tower (Western Gate), Rudo (Eastern Gate), Blok 23 and Televizorka, as well as new locations such as Banjica!
This is my final series of videos before KZbin retirement coming soon, so Beograd is a legacy character location! Hence, some of the buildings have been covered before. This video is just as much for a new audience as it is for me! Brutalism may not be for everyone (especially those who think travel is only valid if it involves ‘pretty locations’ - outdated AF). Do what fascinates you, not what the sheep on Instagram tell you to do!
This is my 5th visit to Serbia (I was first here in 2019). In 2021 I managed to explore quite extensively, visiting outstanding locations such as Kruševac, Subotica, and Kragujevac. I'm currently based in Užice!
MY ‘EVERYTHING SERBIA’ PLAYLIST - • Everything Serbia
MY FULL BALKANS PLAYLIST (mainly Serbia)! -
• Balkans Bingewatch
MUSIC - (Epidemic Sound)
“Tristesse de Martin” - TAGE
“SS22" - Blue Steel
“Strict Believer” - Elliot Holmes
TIMESTAMPS -
00:00 - Brutalism Returns
01:09 - 1970’s Mecca
03:11 - Genex Comeback
05:29 - Thatcher & Reagan
06:38 - Televizorka
07:11 - Badass Bloks
08:43 - Bird’s Eye Blok
10:08 - Urbania
11:22 - Sylvia’s Forest
13:04 - The Six Idiots
15:22 - Hotel Cali-Banjica
16:20 - Going Commando
17:20 - Eastern Obelisks
19:25 - Final Season Belgrade
Thank you to the following Patrons and KZbin Channel Members. Your continued support helps me produce new videos!
Cynthie Thomas, Tim Johns, Ian Ang, Maria Marquez, Barry P, Dawn Davis, Louis Puente, Camila Paez, Greg Helton, Millie Nunez, Adam Wilson, Jake & Anna, Jose Padilla, & Fred Miller
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#Serbia #Belgrade #Brutalism #Srbija

[@davidostrowski679]

🇬🇧 Hi everyone! If you're a new viewer, keep in mind this is like you're watching the final series of a show instead of the first one! Much of what is in this video has been featured in previous ones over the years, thus this is a summary of one of my favourite aspects of Belgrade after 6 years of travelling full-time. As I CLEARLY described in this video, of course there is FAR MORE to Belgrade and Serbia than concrete buildings. Brutalism is purely the focus of this one video. *Do you like brutalism? Or are you one of those people who think travel should only highlight fake-positive pretty and colourful things?* LOL 🇷🇸 Zdravo svima! Ako ste novi gledalac, imajte na umu da je ovo kao da gledate poslednju seriju emisije umesto prve! Mnogo od onoga što je u ovom videu je prikazano u prethodnim godinama, tako da je ovo rezime jednog od mojih omiljenih aspekata Beograda nakon 6 godina punog putovanja. Kao što sam JASNO opisao u ovom videu, naravno da u Beogradu i Srbiji ima DALEKO VIŠE od betonskih zgrada. Brutalizam je isključivo fokus ovog videa. *Volite li brutalizam? Ili ste jedan od onih ljudi koji misle da putovanje treba da ističe samo lažno pozitivne lepe i šarene stvari?* LOL

[@janseb6750]

Belgrade is an interesting combination of influences over it's long history. The Ottoman, the Austro-Hungarian, Communist, Brutalist, Futuristic and now Modern, everything and all at once.

[@davidostrowski679]

Absolutely, an amazing mix!

[@stevasteva4982]

Ne postoji nikakva osmanska arhitektura u BG

[@BUYSICKLE]

​@@stevasteva4982 Sta je Skadarlija onda masjtore

[@jobrock1079]

@@BUYSICKLE The Austrians and Turkish would destroy what the other built each time they'd take over Belgrade. But they would also damage Serb properties and would try to prevent Serbs from rebuilding.

[@zoranstanisic4130]

Timothy John Byford did so many beautiful things for my childhood and that of all the children of this country. Serbia will never forget him ❤️

[@davidostrowski679]

That's great to hear! I'm not surprised I'd never heard of him, he was already in Yugoslavia when I was born

[@frostflower5555]

This is the first time I learnt of him. Sadly, he got cancer. Born in Wiltshire. Wife was Serbian, has 3 sons.

[@movingenglishlessonswithan2032]

I enjoyed seeing all of these different angles of the city! Thanks ❤

[@GM-hu2xj]

Thank You for sharing such beautiful art-chitecture! Your channel has always been a favorite, dead honest about travel and life. Best wishes for whatever you choose to do David 💕 Don't go Commando..go Sylvia!

[@davidostrowski679]

Sylvia for life!

[@antipolitika4552]

Your videos are so much fun and educational at the same time! I think you are bringing on board many new fans (or at least people who appreciate) brutalist architecture. This is cultural heritage, we'll probably have tours of these buildings one day.

[@davidostrowski679]

Definitely cultural heritage! I wonder if there's a tour already? I'll have to look it up

[@ezcambranis702]

Top tier. It became my favorite video from you (alongside Metro Balderas). I love brutalism. The concrete monsters of the 20th Century. Those buildings are more common than we think, some of them are just a concrete block (I still love those) or a magnificent architectural gem. And often, they were created for the middle class, massive buildings promising a stable future, with ample free space and blue skies. That’s brutalism.

[@davidostrowski679]

It's bloody top tier and there are some awesome examples in neighbouring countries too. Is this Guanajuato?

[@frostflower5555]

I love that area Banjica! Good shots of that quarter. I can see myself living there lol.

[@davidostrowski679]

It was surprisingly cool especially the community aspect!

[@Aotruba]

Wow! ✌️Such interesting architecture! I'm the Art Deco fan, but learning from you other architecture styles is amazing! Thank you for sharing! 👍🥰👍

[@davidostrowski679]

I must find some art deco! It's been a while!

[@MariaMarquez-ok4hf]

Thank you for including the walk through the beautiful forest! Interesting video.

[@jorgovan-ni9kz]

I am from Belgrade, been watching since ur Serbia videos this year and i have to say that i admire u not having fear of stray dogs... Like i live near the Eastern Gates place and i just know there are dogs there, i have got so much fear that i know where dogs are near my place and i avoid them all times, lot of times driving to places even if they are close so i don't bump into some stray dog... Sorry for the long comment, good video and cheers from Luka/Лука :D

[@davidostrowski679]

No worries лука! I have spent a lot of time in Northern Mexico where the dogs became affectionately known as 'Mexidogs' for their unique character, hence 'Serbidogs'! In Mexico I was cornered down a dead end by 3 Rottweilers once but a cat appeared and they became more interested in that lol

[@guybeingaguy]

It’s in your head (you know that) and you exude that fear in your body language and believe it or not in your smell that they pick up on. What are you a master at? no fear can do it blindfolded ? Cooking, adding #’s, gardening, you must have something. You know the confidence you have doing it? No fear, you know how to do it, same great result every time ! Next time walk with that confidence. Think to yourself no fear, who DARES fuck with me! Dog, your not stupid enough to even THINK about messing with me. Stare them down, HULK out, PUFF OUT, walk right at them with purpose, stare them in the eye, they hate that and fear it. It’s an attitude of “don’t even think about messing with me, IVE HAD A BAD DAY”. Walk with confidence and no fear. Once you show your leader of the pack they will respect you and act accordingly. I’ve owned some pretty dominant Dobermans so I know of what I speak.

[@jorgovan-ni9kz]

@@davidostrowski679 oh thank god nothing bad happened. Take care wherever u go :D

[@SpankIEkzs]

Nice and honest review man! I`m glad you did such an honest, unbound, and cool review of Belgrade as it is in the other parts of the center :) Hey, and your reading of ћирилица is really great! I didn`t spot any errors when you pronounced the readings...

[@ACKE1389]

Great video! Greetings from Novi Sad, Serbia ❤

[@mihajlomit1]

David loved your comment I dont give a sh1t 😂👍 Excellent video again

[@davidostrowski679]

Haha that sums up the #finalseasondavid attitude. Fake KZbin personalities are so 2018 lol

[@dzonikg]

Now i want to buy apartment in that Banjica buildings

[@nikola9443]

Some YU nostalgia for you: The flats in those settlements would be given by companies to their employees. Who will get the flat was based on points system, Like, how many children you have, how long you've been working, are you single parent, do you have some kind of illness, etc... So in order to get the points, people would try various tricks. There was a Yugoslavian comedy film, exactly about that (parents getting "temporary divorce", to get the points, or even there is a scene where a man sits in a refrigerator to get pneumonia or something, 'cause that'd bring some points as well :). The film was taped exactly in Banjica skyscrapers :)

[@davidostrowski679]

Haha amazing! I must check this out. Sounds like the lengths people go to in the UK to receive benefits. 'Can't work' ok but you can carry a new sofa into the house lol

[@My-nl6sg]

the temporary divorce thing is hilariously relatable, it was a thing in China too in the last decade when there be quotas limiting the number of units a family can own, so people fake divorce to buy more homes

[@katr2773]

crazy! xD do you remember the name?

[@MariaPerez-pl9tc]

Once again our Perennial Traveler showing cities like Belgrade ....Places that many of us will never be able to see in person, but with your videos feels like we are there along side with you, walking and appreciating every scene...Thank you, Dear David for doing these wonderful videos and sharing them with us .....and doing all the walking......😄

[@davidostrowski679]

Gracias Maria! I think I will need new feet very soon! Thankfully in an upcoming video I actually get a local bus instead of walking 5km at 100mph!

[@cmarovic]

Great video LOVE IT👍🇷🇸

[@davidostrowski679]

Thanks!

[@awilsonatl]

Great video. Very interesting. Fantastic camera/drone shots. I kept waiting for you to show us the Condesa of Belgrade in a big revealing, dramatic manner..

[@davidostrowski679]

There is Skadarlija which was in one of my first ever Belgrade videos in 2019... it's the closest thing to Condesa lol

[@pedjamilosavljevic6235]

This is the second time you were in my neighborhood (eastern gate (Rudo) is about 150 meters from my house , as crows fly) , so , next time you visit , announce it in advance and we can have a cup of coffee (or tee , if you prefer it) :). Coll video as ever !

[@davidostrowski679]

Definitely! I'm hoping to back in Belgrade now that I have 2 passports. Much easier! I'm definitely a coffee person (iced only - I hate hot drinks). I've never drunk tea because I hate the smell. Weird Brit I know!

[@elkamaleon]

un muy monito lugar! Saludos David!

[@robbar42]

your videos are great, I would have never visited all those places. Although struck by "brutalism" they have their own appeal, it feels like a nostalgic era, it makes me think of the 80's, the berlin wall and all of that....

[@davidostrowski679]

Totally! Me too! I remember being a kid in the 80s watching news reports about the Eastern bloc, Berlin wall etc. It's definitely a nostalgia thing

[@mildew1]

The swimmers are waterpolo players. Serbia won the Olympic titles in 2016 and 2021

[@davidostrowski679]

What! This is brand new information! Go Serbia! thanks for letting me know!

[@mildew1]

@@davidostrowski679 people like their water polo

[@sabflash]

👏👏👏thank you

[@nickthomas181]

Yes, I'm loving that 1970s Eastern Bloc vibe. A great vlog cheers! Have you seen any documentaries on Whittier Alaska you'd like them. There's a new out . One tower block city with a shop, a sea man's mission and a church. There's a tunnel leading to a school when the winds to fierce. One tunnel under the mountain one wat tunnel half hour wait for cars for traffic to change direction and trains on the same tunnel for the cruise ship port.It closes at night at 10.30 if you don't make it you sleep in your car.

[@fredericktmiller]

Still better than all the new building with shiny glass skins. Brutalist vs glassinine. Sounds like King Kong and Godzilla. Nice video! Looking up!

[@milenailic1437]

I don't like these concrete buildings, but their surrounding parks with nice paths with lots of trees and flowers and children playgrands are my favorite places in Belgrade for a stroll.

[@milos4779]

Brutalism reminds me of the movie Matrix, so it may look old to some people but it's actually kinda futuristic and nostalgic, you can really feel the vibe of 90's

[@chrisb236]

We really like Belgrade...Have been here for 3 months in total. Big fans of Serbia in general. Lots of these buildings remind me of Judge Dredd. Not sure if you've been to the intergalactic diner....I recommend....good vibe that it pretty difference from everything else.

[@FinnDelMundoTravel]

GENEX drone revisit was so worth it!! The Eiffel Tower has nothing on it! (in my honest pro brutalist opinion). That cantilever on the town hall building had me in awe! Seemed to be a common trend in the 1960s for architecture worldwide to push the limits as was previously not possible with older building technology. I have never seen anything as majestic as the mammoth brutalism apartments!! Wow! LOVED this episode. EASTERN GATE!!! I have no words!!!! 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌 #brutalism4life

[@davidostrowski679]

Cantilever! That's the word I couldn't remember! ELITE!

[@jayne16]

Suffice it to say I'm currently without much speech, apart from.....thank you, thank you, thank you, for the architecture porn! I'm going to need several moments to recover. ❤

[@davidostrowski679]

Praying for you hun! Get well soon lol

[@kapicic011]

I am from Belgrade and I absolutely love brutalist Architecture.

[@RainDelay]

Hey David, what do you mean by "final series"..? Are you leaving Serbia for good?

[@davidostrowski679]

Hey this year is my final year of making videos before I move on to different things in life (I've been doing this and travelling full-time for 6 years now). The plan for this year was always Brazil, then Mexico and Serbia (the latter 2 have featured on and off for years). I have to leave Serbia at the end of October. I have 2 passports now so I may return later in the year, I just won't be making videos (either permanently or a year off, I'll see what happens next year!), but the whole full-time travel aspect is going to be coming to an end soon. I'm exhausted lol and want to do something different.

[@ventilatorbgd]

Quite dissapointed you didnt visit Cerak, Vidikovac and Labudovo brdo, great examples of brutalism and modernism a bit devasted during time but still great to feel. Cerak specialy - its not fully example of brutalism but late moderna, but still large protected area since 2019 and built in 1980-1986. Also block 65 in new belgrade made by same architect's. I would add Banjica complex just next to the banjica 5 idiots you have visited, you somehow missed it, and it has fantastic spaces between buildings that also has that same brutalistic vibe.

[@davidostrowski679]

I've never heard of the first 3 until now! I was planning to go to some other bloks after 22 and 23 but unfortunately a classic Belgrade monsoon hit and by the time it finished I was exhausted. I'll be back in BG though, thanks for letting me know! Re Banjica I went to surrounding buildings as well but my camera was charging in my bag at the time. I said to someone recently that I think Banjica could have a full video devoted to it

[@EnriqueMarq]

I did not appreciate the market comment.. and yes, that did seem to be the same market. Recognized the roof structure.. very cool drone takes of “eastern gate”.. and, very cool supermodel shot of windy hair

[@davidostrowski679]

Haha come on markets do sell crap! Also I was joking!

[@aleksandarvujanic7914]

There are also more hoods in Belgrade with brutalism acrhitecture, like Labudovo Brdo (Swan hill), Vidikovac (View point), Julino brdo, Mirijevo and Cerak.

[@Boban83]

great Video...actually theyre not bad...little paint, colour make some nice parks around clean the garbage and it would look much better

[@davidostrowski679]

Absolutely. Definitely better maintenance should be on the agenda, but the kids playing always seem happy enough and the community spirit I've often felt is something lacking elsewhere!

[@AnatolyDyatolov]

Yay you visited pet solitera, shame you didn't go inside but still great video nonetheless. The inside is very nice btw with classic serbian lifts and creepy looking hallways

[@davidostrowski679]

Thanks man! I did go inside (got in while a door was closing before the light turned red lol) but it got cut for length reasons (among other things) and the same with the Eastern Gate. I went up Genex, Blok 23 and Eastern Gate in previous videos so I wanted to focus on the exteriors in this one. There's another deleted scene where I mentioned I didn't want to intrude on people's everyday lives, maybe I should do a separate deleted scene video! Other bits were complaining about being kicked out of Genex and a whole bit at that overpass (when the wedding went past) about Only Fools and Horses. CLASSIC

[@AnatolyDyatolov]

@@davidostrowski679 deleted scenes videos would be a great idea, would love it If you did that

[@jayne16]

@@davidostrowski679 It's a yes please from me too to the deleted scenes video!

[@davidostrowski679]

Haha I usually delete most footage after upload to save space. i don't have an external hard drive thingy!

[@korallrev3497]

you should visit the beutiful city in croatia called SPLIT. On one side its a magnificant old vacation home of the old cesar (yes you can live in a 1700 yr old building with wifi) and on the other side MASSIVE brutalism buildings but in mediteranian style with light paint on. Check out the building called "kineski zid" or "chinese wall" its very wide.

[@frostflower5555]

I love these styles of buildings, made strong and inside they must have some character. The buildings of today have no style, they all look the same, just glass as if you're locked in without any air.

[@davidostrowski679]

The elevators in these buildings can sometimes be an adventure in themselves lol

[@la_veroynomas]

The 6th is here ... lmafo 😆😅🤣😂🤣😅😆😆😂🤣😅😆😅😅🤣😂🤣😅😆

[@janellek21]

Some of those brutalist apartment blocks wouldn't look too out of place in Nezahualcoyotl or the rougher parts of Mexico City 😆

[@garethVanDagger]

Love brutalism. So nice to finally see this stuff instead of generic tourist spots

[@pameti.dragoblago]

i don't mind 'brutalism', as you call it, maybe because i grew up with it and it was just 'normal' (although 'televizorka' is a bit strange. having said that, in Sarajevo, i remember a building covered with some kind of sliver-colored metal, aluminum perhaps. i found it rather strange as well. (i never thought of it as 'brutalism' either. there is one building in Newcastle, NSW Australia, which definitely looks brutal - i would actually feel heaviness on my shoulders and in my heart each time i drive-passed it.)

[@simapark]

Can anyone tell me if those apartments in New Belgrade are privately owned or owned by the local municipality ? If both then any idea of the proportions. I'm curious if there is public housing for poor people or whether its all private landlords.

[@ChaosPrototypeIX]

Those are all private apartments just like in any other city.

[@simapark]

@@ChaosPrototypeIX Of course it's not the same everywhere else . I live in Leeds ,UK and we have about 100 tall tower blocks. The ones in the City business area are nice modern ones and private ( maybe 20 blocks) but the other 80 out in the suburbs were all built in the 1960s so look similar to 'New' Belgrade . These 60s built ones are mainly council run and occupied by the poorest people many of who have their rent to the local council paid by the central Government via our taxes . This free accommodation and other benefits is why all the economic migrants pass through Serbia , then pass right through rich Western European countries like France then cross the English Channel on Dinghys to enter the UK illegaly .They are housed for free in these blocks and given free money to spend on mobile telephones, drugs and alcohol and anything left over they send back home so their relatives can make the journey too .

[@davidostrowski679]

Oh Mike, everything you just said - I know exactly where you're coming from!

[@didi_mega_dudu]

that isn't the stock exchange, but the national archive building

[@dkz1302]

15:10 Careful with calling water polo players swimmers 😁😉

[@davidostrowski679]

Haha classic someone told me they were polo players I probably should've looked at it more closely!

[@nemanjacocic2370]

Come in Kruševac

[@davidostrowski679]

I filmed a video there last year and should be back briefly in a few weeks

[@djukatursunovic6703]

A kako je kod vas ?Sve same straćare od kartona i beskućnici svuda.

[@EnriqueMarq]

Let’s see what this is about

[@frozen1762]

Don't know have you in your brutalist adventures visited Blocks 61-64 They are probably the biggest chunk of New Belgrade brutalism in one place, going down the appropriately named Yuri Gagarin Street. Trams 7,9,11,13 if you ever go back.

[@davidostrowski679]

thanks I don't think I've been there, will definitely be back!

[@jesusruiz3832]

Unconventional tourist "Pop socialist images" from Belgrade. Interesting!

[@davidostrowski679]

Always be unconventional!

[@dejan6722]

Srbija, a posebno Beograd su odabrani za ARHITEKTONSKO IŽIVLjAVANjE stručnjaka nacionalsocijalistčke orijentacije.

[@jazmaj6417]

David these are awesome videos of my country,I hope some from government see your videos and honor you in some way.Thanks again and come to city of Nis on south,there are plenty more stuff to see

[@davidostrowski679]

thanks man! I've been to Nis twice before BUT (I haven't told anyone yet lol) I might be back soon. I'm currently based in Sofia but honestly I have more of a connection with Serbia and really miss it, and I loved Nis when I was there previously, so watch this space!

[@jazmaj6417]

@@davidostrowski679 contact me next time you visit,there are maybe places you have not seen

[@ovdeja]

Have to check out East Serbia also. Trust me

[@davidostrowski679]

I trust you! I'll get there at some point for sure!

[@invader7191]

The most depressing city in the world.