Bara Venecija and Savamala: The railway and the city

Abstract

Belgrade's connection by railway with the West firmed up European influences. In the first half of the 20th century and especially between the two world wars, railways expanded to the point of becoming an obstacle to the development of the city. The paper analyses the interwar plans and projects for the development of railway network in Belgrade and the behaviour of the actors responsible for putting them in place. It outlines the process of building Belgrade railway junction and its impact on the city's riverside, notably the area of Bara Venecija and Savamala, currently also called Belgrade Waterfront. It looks at how the unplanned construction of railways and railway facilities caused a number of still-lingering problems in developing the city's riverside.

Keywords

• Belgrade
• railways
• riverfront
• urban planning
• Master plan of 1923/4
• Belgrade railway junction
• Bara Venecija
• Savamala