Blokovi ( sr-cyr, Блокови, English: "Blocks") or Novobeogradski blokovi ( sr-cyr, Новобеоградски блокови) is the semi-formal plural name for a group of
urban neighborhoods in
Belgrade's municipality of
New Belgrade
New Belgrade ( sr, / , ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. It is a planned city, built since 1948 in a previously uninhabited area on the left bank of the Sava river, opposite old Belgrade. In recent years, it has become the central bu ...
.
The neighborhood is located in the southeastern urbanized section of the New Belgrade municipality, on the left bank of the
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
river, across from the islands of
Ada Međica
Ada Međica ( sr-cyr, Ада Међица) is an island and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd. Ada Međica is an ovally shaped river island in the Sava river, a lo ...
and
Ada Ciganlija
Ada Ciganlija ( sr-cyr, Ада Циганлија, ), colloquially shortened to Ada, is a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula, located in the Sava River's course through central Belgrade, Serbia. The name can also ref ...
. It is bound by the neighborhoods of
Bežanija
Bežanija ( sr-cyr, Бежанија, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd, in the Syrmia region.
Location
Bežanija is located west of the downtown Belgrade, across the Sa ...
and
Bežanijska Kosa from the north, Block 58 from the southeast (neighborhood of
Savski Nasip) and the neighborhood of
Dr Ivan Ribar from the west.
When construction of New Belgrade began in 1948, the area designed for the future urban expansion was divided in 72 blocks (with several sub-blocks, like 8-a, 9-a, 9-b, 70-a, etc., and some numbers are missing). Not having any specific name like most other parts of the newly built New Belgrade, over time, this area became colloquially known simply as ''Blokovi'' (The Blocks).
The population of the neighborhood is 79,310, including the neighborhood of Dr Ivan Ribar. But the boundaries of the Blokovi neighborhood are very informal and roughly can be divided into two sections separated by the
Yuri Gagarin Street: the north part or, so-called
Bežanijski blokovi ("Bežanija Blocks") and the south part or
Savski blokovi ("Sava Blocks").
Sava Blocks
Characteristics
The neighborhood is known for its two rows of over one hundred residential buildings, especially blocks 45 and 70 with original setup of two sets of 21 (totalling 42) identical four and two-story buildings close to the river, with large playgrounds in between, and two sets of over 40 (totalling 80) similar red brick skyscrapers close to the ''Jurija Gagarina street''. The area close to the river is a continuous embankment on the
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...
river, stretching throughout the whole neighborhood, known as the Sava riverbank ( sr, / ).
The rows of two-story and 4-story buildings in Block 70 and especially Block 45 are also known as ''Naselje Sunca'' ( sr-Cyrl, Насеље Сунца, English: "The Sunny Community"), because of the peaceful environment ideal for kids and optimism and positive energy that prevailed in 1970s Belgrade. Also, the Block 45 was inhabited by a large number of artists and intellectuals, though the structure of the population has changed a bit since the 1970s.
''Omladinskih brigada street'' divides Block 70-a from Block 70, ''Gandijeva street'' Block 70 from Block 44 and ''
Nehruova street'' Block 44 from Block 45. Through the middle of the whole neighborhood curves the long ''
Lazaro Kardenas promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...
''. At the end of the Gandijeva street, on the Sava riverbank, a monumental
bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of Indian leader
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
(after whom the street was named) was erected in 2007, as a pre-celebration of October 2, Gandhi's birthday (
Gandhi Jayanti
Gandhi Jayanti is an event celebrated in India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adop ...
) and the
UN proclaimed
International Day of Non-Violence
The Galovica canal, which flows into the Sava, drains the large area of the east Syrmia and the
Fruška Gora
Fruška gora ( sr-Cyrl, Фрушка гора; hu, Tarcal-hegység) is a mountain in Syrmia, administratively part of Serbia with a part of its western side extending into eastern Croatia. The area under Serbian administration forms the country ...
mountain, due to its interconnections with the
Jarčina
The Jarčina ( sr, Јарчина) is a system of rivers and canals in the Srem region of Vojvodina province of Serbia with a total length of 53 km, which empties into the Sava river. The system includes the ''Međeš river-Jarčina Galovica ...
river-canal system. As streams in the upper watershed flow through the numerous settlements, farms, industrial and artisan complexes and warehouses, wastewater pollutes Galovica. In addition, various smaller drainage canals also pollute the Galovica, which then empties large amounts of untreated sanitary and technological wastewater into the Sava.
A new park, Park Block 70, was opened in 2011 and is one of the youngest parks in Belgrade. It is located in the east-central section of the Block 70, along the
Lazaro Cardenas promenade. It consists of the open green areas, children's playground, fitness equipment in the open, small wooden pavilion and 158 tree seedlings.
In January 2022, city announced that new buildings will not be built in the remaining non-urbanized areas of blocks 44, 45, 70 and 70-A. They might eventually be turned into the playgrounds, parking lots, sports fields, etc.
Block 45
The residential complex of Block 45 was built from 1968 to 1972, when the first tenants moved in.
[Nemanja Rujević - Blok 45]
/ref> The block was fully settled in 1973 and 1974.
Prior to 1968 the land along the river was a thick forest while the inland was a swamp which was drained and filled with sand. The area was known for its wildlife, especially the water bird
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...
s. The block covers an area of and has 45 skyscrapers and 23 4 and 2-storey buildings. Chief architects were Grgur Popović (who designed the skyscrapers), Mihailo Čanak (8-storey buildings) and Rista Šekerinski (4 and 2-storey buildings).[
The complete urban arrangement of the block continued in the next several years: green areas (trees, lawns), promenades, school, kindergarten, etc.][ By 1974, the quay along the Sava was finished.][ In the westernmost extension of Block 45, where the canal Petrac flows into the Sava, there are two wild beaches on the river bank, "Bombaj" and "Petrac". Until the Block 71 in the future neighborhood Dr Ivan Ribar was built, Block 45 was the last section of urban Belgrade on this side, after which the Syrmian arable fields began and the Galovica canal was located.][
The neighborhood was colloquially named ''Naselje sunca'' ("Sun Settlement"). It was described as an "utopian, ]biopolitical
Biopolitics refers to the political relations between the administration or regulation of the life of species and a locality's populations, where politics and law evaluate life based on perceived constants and traits. French philosopher Michel Fo ...
project, constructed in the sunset of the Yugoslav socialism".[ An exhibition titled "45 years of Block 45" in the artistic ]Savamala
Savamala ( sr-cyr, Савамала) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac and Stari Grad.
Location
Savamala is located south of the Kalemegdan fortress and t ...
neighborhood in March 2019 marked the 45th anniversary of the block.[
]
Economy and transportation
The neighborhood is entirely residential, without any industrial facilities. A commercial sector began to develop alongside the ''Jurija Gagarina street'' in the 1990s, and expanded in the 2000s.
Major commercial or social facilities (almost all of them on the ''Jurija Gagarina street'') comprise:
* Block 70-a: one of the rare privately owned farmers markets in Belgrade, "Mala Sava", founded in 2004; Delta-auto car dealership, large Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
car dealership, Hellenic Petroleum
Hellenic Petroleum S.A. is one of the largest oil companies in Southeast Europe and with its roots dating to 1958 with the establishment of the first oil refinery in Greece (Aspropyrgos).
It adopted its current name in 1998, changing from the P ...
gas station and the Omega-beton gravel selling facility on the Sava bank;
* Block 70: several shopping malls including a Chinese market, OMV
OMV (formerly abbreviation for Österreichische Mineralölverwaltung Aktiengesellschaft ('' en, Austrian Mineral Oil Administration Stock Company'')) is an Austrian multinational integrated oil, gas and petrochemical company which is headquart ...
gas station and large postal facilities (including two separate post offices); it also has a primary school "20. oktobar", kindergarten and its own ''local community'' (Serbian: mesna zajednica) of Savski kej.
* Block 44: green market, several shopping malls including one of the first modern super-malls in Belgrade, the ''Piramida'' (Serbian for ''pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
'', because of its shape) and a McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
restaurant; it also has two medical clinics.
* Block 45: four shopping malls, including "Enjub"; it also has a primary school ''Branko Radičević
Aleksije "Branko" Radičević ( sr-Cyrl, Алексије Бранко Радичевић, ; 28 March 1824 – 1 July 1853) was a Serbian poet who wrote in the period of Romanticism.
Biography
Branko Radičević was born in Slavonski Brod on 1 ...
'', once the biggest elementary school in the Balkans, which had elite quality education - winning many federal level prizes at competitions in subjects such as mathematics, literature etc., kindergarten, nursery, FK Sava's soccer field and its own ''local community'' of Sava.
Chinese Shopping Center in Block 70 was opened in the 1990s as the regular, outdoor shopping center, with clothes shops, goldsmiths, tailors, shoemakers, and coffee shops. First Chinese shops were opened in the late 1990s and soon prevailed. In time, it expanded into the proper shopping mall with two floors, consisting of the old building (with over 360 shops), divided in blocks A and B, and the new, even taller separate building. Block A was badly damaged in the massive fire which broke out on 12 August 2021. Over 100 shops were destroyed, despite some 130 firefighters were employed. In May 2022, construction of the new Chinese shopping center further on the city outskirts, in Block 72, was announced. Shop owners from the old center asked to stay on present location, asking help from the Chinese embassy, stating that the old shopping mall became recognizable brand in the city (as an unambiguous destination for the phrase "let's go to the Chinese").
Routes of the public transportation lines pass through all of the streets in the neighborhood: bus lines 45, 68, 73, 76, 81, 82, 89, 94, 95 and 610 and tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
way lines 7, 9 and 11.
In March 2020, construction of the first pedestrian-cyclist bridge in Belgrade in 2021 was announced. As the continuation of the Omladinskih Brigada Street in Block 70, it will connect New Belgrade with the island of Ada Ciganlija across the Sava. Public, partially underground garage with 300 parking spots is planned at the end of the street. This is the second part of the project city administration alleged is the result of citizens' online voting (first part is relocation of the Old Sava Bridge
The Old Sava Bridge ( sr, Стари савски мост, Stari savski most) is a and bridge, crossing the river Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the smallest road bridge in the Serbian capital and is used both for car and tram traffic. The mai ...
on dry land, in the Park Ušće to become an "attraction"). Reporters and public either distanced from the voting or debunked it as being rigged. City then announced plans for a completely new bridge on the location, instead of relocation of the old one, and in December 2020 announced it will be finished in 2022.
Local residents in the Sava Blocks protested, claiming the bridge will disrupt neighborhood's green zones, create even larger traffic jams, and turn Block 70 into the vast parking lot for Ada visitors. The 2020 petition against the bridge was signed by 8,000 residents.[ City said the bridge will be built regardless, but moved the start of the construction for the late 2023 or early 2024. When the plan was opened for public viewing in December 2022, citizens filed 3,500 complaints.
In December 2021, city announced restoration of the riverine public transportation, which was discontinued decades ago. One of the first two proposed lines should be Block 45-Sports Center Milan Gale Muškatirović, at ]Dorćol
Dorćol ( sr-cyr, Дорћол; ) is an affluent urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad.
Located along the right bank of the Danube, Dorćol is oldest surviving neighborhood ...
. In the first, testing phase, it would be shorter, connecting Block 70 and Branko's Bridge
Branko's Bridge ( sr, Бранков мост, Brankov most) is the second-largest bridge (after Gazela) of Belgrade, Serbia, connecting the city center with New Belgrade across the Sava river. Built in 1956 on the foundations of the 1934 King A ...
. New mayor Aleksandar Šapić
Aleksandar Šapić ( sr-cyrl, Александар Шапић; born 1 June 1978) is a Serbian politician, and former professional water polo player serving as mayor of Belgrade since 20 June 2022. A member and current vice-president of the Serb ...
, however, stated in July 2022 that the riverine public transportation project will not be pursued further, calling it too expensive and "pointless".
Nightlife
The neighborhood is known for numerous ''splavovi'' (singular ''splav''), barges adapted into cafés, clubs and restaurants along the Sava Quay. By 2019, there was basically no free space along the Sava bank as it was completely occupied by the barges that are the hubs of Belgrade's nightlife. The first was "Savski Galeb". Opened in 1987, it occupied an adapted old freight barge. The "Pingvin" was opened in 1988, but soon changed to "Estrada" which sparked the boost of similar facilities. The first purpose-built barge-discothèque, it was a blueprint for all the future venues of this type all over the city. It was the first barge with a DJ and with a separated dance floor and booths for sitting. It was well visited since the opening, but the clientele changed in time. Originally, it was made from the "roamers" from all over the city, but with the general criminalization of the society, it became the gathering point for the members of the criminal clans from Zemun and New Belgrade. Next to "Estrada", a much larger "Triton" was opened. One of the most popular barges at the time, it originally functioned as a "disco on the water". "Triton" was a location of numerous criminal shootouts. None of these venues exist today.
Proposed projects
Aqua Park
Aqua park Belgrade, announced as the second water park
A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
in Serbia after the one in the town of Jagodina )
, image_shield = Jagodina-grb.png
, image_flag = FLAG Jagodina.png
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_map = File:Municipalities of Serbia Jagodina.png
, map_caption = Location of Jagodina w ...
, was an ultimately failed project in Block 44. Construction began in August 2005 and it was supposed to be open on 25 May 2006, but as of August 2006 only 75% of the preparatory works had been completed and the works stopped. Investors claimed it would be open for the 2007 season and it would feature the longest "family waterslide" () and lazy river () in Europe so as the largest indoor pool in Europe with an area of , and children's complex (Kids City). Also, in phase two, the surrounding area of was to be arranged with covered pools, bowling alley
A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...
s, ice rink
An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...
and other sport facilities. In total, 11 pools, 21 water slide (including the tall kamikaze water slide, also the tallest in Europe), and of water area was planned in the complex of . One of the leading investors in the project, basketball player Žarko Paspalj
Žarko Paspalj (Serbian Cyrillic: Жарко Паспаљ; born March 27, 1966) is a retired Serbian professional basketball player and sports administrator. The EuroLeague Final Four MVP in 1994, his sixteen and a half seasons career was mostly sp ...
, announced that the opening had been postponed for 2008. The construction resumed in January 2008 and the new opening date was set for late May 2008.
The investors changed, almost a dozen of them by 2007, but the construction site never looked like anything more than a dug meadow. Despite quite strong public campaign for several years how Belgrade will get aqua park, which was supposed to be an investment of €15 million, “due to the financial problems”, the project was scrapped in 2010. After 2010 city tried to reacquire the parcel but failed, officially due to the "complicated procedure".[ In 2014 plans were made to build a residential block on the location, but the idea was abandoned. In June 2019 city reaffirmed it will repossess the lot as the leaseholder failed to build aqua park, but that the purpose of the lot won't be changed and that aqua park will be built in the future. By the summer of 2021, the abandoned structures and pools were described as an ugliness which resemble the set of a horror movie.][ In February 2022 city announced that the complex will be turned into the "state level water sports center".][
Gondola lift
In 1922 company "Čavlina and Sladoljev" from Zagreb drafted the project of connecting two banks of the Sava river by the cable car. In 1928, building company "Šumadija" again proposed the construction of the cable car, which they called "air tram" but this project was planned to connect ]Zemun
Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; hu, Zimony) is a municipality in the city of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown Belgrade. The developme ...
to Kalemegdan
The Kalemegdan Park ( sr, / ), or simply Kalemegdan ( sr-Cyrl, Калемегдан) is the largest park and the most important historical monument in Belgrade. It is located on a cliff, at the junction of the River Sava and the Danube.
Kal ...
on Belgrade Fortress
The Belgrade Fortress ( sr-Cyrl, Београдска тврђава, Beogradska tvrđava), consists of the old citadel (Upper and Lower Town) and Kalemegdan Park (Large and Little Kalemegdan) on the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, in a ...
, via Great War Island
Great War Island ( sr, Велико ратно острво, Veliko ratno ostrvo) is a river island in Belgrade, capital of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of Sava and Danube rivers. Though uninhabited, the island is part of the Belgrade ...
. The interval of the cabins was set at 2 minutes and the entire route was supposed to last 5 minutes. The project never realized. Engineer and CEO of the Yugoslav institute for urbanism and dwelling "Juginus", Mirko Radovanac, revived the idea in the 1990s. After conducting extensive surveys (traffic analysis, interviews with the commuters, climatic, geological, urban and other researches), "Juginus" presented the project in 1993. They proposed that the terminuses should be at the Sports Center Košutnjak
Košutnjak ( sr-cyr, Кошутњак, ) is a park-forest and urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica (upper and central parts) and Rakovica (lower part). With the adjoin ...
and Block 44. Stops in between would include the major public transportation roundabout in Banovo Brdo
Banovo Brdo ( sr-cyrl, Баново брдо, ) is a neighbourhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica.
Location
Banovo Brdo is bounded by the neighborhoods of Čukarica and Čukarička Padina in the we ...
, Makiš
Makiš ( sr, Макиш) is a forest and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Čukarica.
Location
Makiš is bordered by the Sava river and Sava Lake to the west and north, Ču ...
and Ada Ciganlija
Ada Ciganlija ( sr-cyr, Ада Циганлија, ), colloquially shortened to Ada, is a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula, located in the Sava River's course through central Belgrade, Serbia. The name can also ref ...
, five in total. They called it the "ideal route". The plan also included construction of commercial areas around the terminuses, which would cover and help with the profitability of the project. Apart from being ecological and an attraction, it was estimated that it would shorten the trip for 45 minutes. City government included the project into the city's GUP, which envisioned the construction in phases, the first being a long section Block 44-Ada Ciganlija. It would lay on 8 steel pillars, above the ground and the trip would last for 3 minutes. The cabins were projected to receive not just the commuters, but also the bicycles, skateboards, sledges and skis, as the cableway was planned to work year-round. The complete facility would have of 27 pillars, it would be long which would be travelled in 15 minutes by 2,000 commuters per hour. Despite the project has been publicly revived by the mayors Dragan Đilas
Dragan Đilas ( sr-cyr, Драган Ђилас, , born 22 February 1967) is a Serbian businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Belgrade from 2008 to 2013.
From 25 November 2012 until 31 May 2014, he served as the President of the ...
(2008–2013) and Siniša Mali
Siniša Mali ( sr-Cyrl, Синиша Мали, ; born 25 August 1972) is a Serbian economist and politician serving as deputy prime minister of Serbia since 2022 and as minister of finance since 2018. A member of the Serbian Progressive Party ( ...
(2013-2018), as of 2019 the project still didn't start.
Bežanija Blocks
Characteristics
Bežanijski blokovi are built on the southernmost uninhabited area of the former Bežanija village, thus the name. However, it is completely urbanized and even though different architecturally from the southern section, it also features a series of residential skyscrapers in two parallel rows, stretching through the blocks 61, 62, 63 and the western section of 64. There are over 50 skyscrapers altogether (22 parallel ones with several additional in between).
Bežanijski blokovi are also known as "Oficirski blokovi" (or, in English, "The Officers' Blocks"), since a large portion of the apartments in the buildings were owned by the old Yugoslav army, which housed its personnel there. Consequently, a large portion of the inhabitants of the Bežanijski blokovi are the families of the retired army officers who bought out their apartments from the Army.
Southern border marks the ''Jurija Gagarina street'' while the northern, separating it from Bežanija
Bežanija ( sr-cyr, Бежанија, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd, in the Syrmia region.
Location
Bežanija is located west of the downtown Belgrade, across the Sa ...
is the '' Vojvođanska street''. In between, the ''Dušana Vukasovića street'' divides Blocks 61 and 62, the ''Nehruova street'' Blocks 62 and 63 and the ''Gandijeva street'' divides Blocks 63 and 64.
"Park of the Republic of Argentina" is located in Block 62. It has a proper rectangular shape and is bounded by the streets of ''Dušana Vukasovića'' on the west, ''Japanska'' on the north and ''Evropska'' on the south. It was called "Park Block 62" until 15 June 2017 when it was officially renamed to Park of Argentina. It was named in honor of the park in the Belgrade street in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, ''Plazoleta Andrés Chazarreta''. The park, formed in 2009, was renovated in October 2017 when it was announced that Buenos Aires will get a park named after Republic of Serbia. ''Plaza Republica de Serbia'' was ceremonially open in Buenos Aires on 23 November 2017, and it contains a mural with painted motifs from Belgrade and Serbia.
Economy and transportation
Despite being constructed as a continuation of the highly industrialized central section of New Belgrade from the east (heavy industry like ''IMT'', ''Minel'', ''FOB-FOM'', etc.), the neighborhood is entirely residential with commercial facilities developing only recently. Major commercial and social facilities include:
* Block 61: a kindergarten, a gas station ''Sunce'' (Serbian for ''sun'') and a local community of Bežanijski blokovi
* Block 62: an ice skating rink with a gym and a primary school of '' Užička Republika'', IDEA superstore, Technomarket consumer electronics store, Univerexport superstore and DM drogerie
* Block 63: Maxi superstore, gas station "Lav Petrol", tennis court, a primary school ''Jovan Sterija Popović
Jovan Sterija Popović (; sr-cyr, Јован Стерија Поповић; 13 January 1806 – 10 March 1856) was a Serbian playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. Sterija was recognized by ...
'', Orion Telekom headquarters
* Block 64: ImmoOutlet trade center, a primary school and a ''local community'' both under the name of ''Mladost'' (Serbian for ''youth'')
In April 2018, Indian tractors factory TAFE purchased the bankrupt IMT tractors factory. IMT owns the vast industrial complex in the Block 64, but the TAFE didn't obtain the ownership on this land. The area, which covers , will be transformed into the commercial-residential complex. In October 2019, city announced that the complex, with the surrounding area (total of ), is planned for the residential-commercial neighborhood with buildings up to 12 floors and the possibility of settling 18,000 new residents. The problem makes the land directly occupied by the former factory as the soil is contaminated after the decades long engine and tractors production. Though the project was later reduced to and planned population of 15,000, it gained notoriety as one of the worst examples of "investors' urbanism", since there is not one park, cultural building or green area in the project.
In addition to other bus lines, additional lines passing through or around the neighborhood are 89, 94, 95 (right through the middle), 45, 71, 72, 82, 601, 602 and 610.
Population
Population of the local communities within the neighborhood was 89,561 by the census of 2002, out of which 44,505 in Bežanija and 45,056 in Sava section. Due to the major changes in the boundaries of the local communities in parts of New Belgrade, at the census of 2011, combined population was 79,310 (Bežanija 39,418, Sava 39,892).
Neighbourhood culture and public image
Blokovi inhabitants represent a cross-section of the Serbian population. Because most people in Blokovi received their apartments through government-funded social programs, the population is very socio-economically mixed: it is not uncommon to have a bus driver living next door to a neurosurgeon in the same apartment block.
The blocks near the Sava river, especially the four and two-story buildings, were inhabited by a large number of artists and intellectuals in the 1970s.
The neighbourhood is ideal for young children, with many playgrounds and a popular boardwalk built along Sava's left bank. It is also considered as a healthy and a quiet place to live in as it has a lot of green areas, sports terrains and also a bicycle trail alongside the river.
On the other hand, the officer blocks, and their grayness and drabness have earned Blokovi the reputation of some sort of urban ghetto during the 90s. This image was perpetuated by recent Serbian movies such as '' Rane'', '' Apsolutnih sto'', ''Jedan na jedan'', ''Sutra ujutro'', and '' Sedam i po''.
However, recently the erection of Delta City
Delta City is a brand of shopping center, with malls in Belgrade, Serbia and Podgorica, Montenegro.
Delta City Belgrade
Delta City Belgrade construction began on 22 March 2006. Designed by Israeli architects MYS, the project cost €74 million ...
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
, plans for Aquapark and Tennis courts near Block 45 have doubled the value of real estate in this area, at the time when New Belgrade with numerous development plans becomes one of the more desirable parts of the city.
The well-known Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba has made a song with the title ''Neću da živim u Bloku 65'' (''"I don't want to live in Block 65"''), which can be found on the CD ''Buvlja pijaca'' released in 1982.
Also, a grunge band from Belgrade's Block 19a, named , has a song called ''Blokovi''.
Streets
* Yuri Gagarin Street
References
Sources
* ''Beograd - plan grada''; M@gic M@p, 2006;
External links
Blokovi.com
Blok72.com
{{Panel buildings
Neighborhoods of Belgrade
New Belgrade