Sava Centar ( sr, Сава центар) is an international congress, cultural and business centre of various multi-functional activities located in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, the capital of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. It is the largest audience hall in the country and entire former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
and one of the biggest in Europe. It has been host to numerous large-scale events and performances.
In April 2021, the building was declared a
cultural monument
A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage regist ...
.
[
]
Location
Sava Centar is located in the Block 19, in the 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 ...
. It is situated at 9 ''Milentija Popovića'' street. The complex is bounded by the streets of ''Vladimira Popovića'' to the east, ''Milentija Popovića'' to the west and Bulevar Arsenija Čarnijevića to the south. To the north are other buildings, which occupy the northern section of the Block 19, including the Crowne Plaza Belgrade
Crowne Plaza Belgrade is a four-star hotel located in New Belgrade, Serbia. With its 387 rooms and 29 suites, it is the biggest hotel in the city in terms of capacity.
Opened in 1979 after being built with state funds provided through the General ...
and Savograd.
History
Origin
In 1975, after the First Conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
, held in Helsinki, Finland, the President of Yugoslavia
The president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, or the president of the Republic for short, was the head of state of that country from 14 January 1953 to 4 May 1980. Josip Broz Tito was the only person to occupy the office. Tito ...
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
accepted that Belgrade will host the next summit. However, Belgrade had no congressional facility which could accept so many delegates so it was decided to build a new object. The author of the project, chief designer and team manager was Stojan Maksimović, who had only one month to submit the concept. He was chief designer of the Belgrade Construction Directorate and was given the task in March 1976, directly from the Tito's office. Maksimović spent that month either in seclusion in his office in the City Assembly of Belgrade
The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of the City of Belgrade, capital of Serbia. It is a representative body that executes the essential functions o ...
or on the planes, visiting Paris, The Hague (Babylon), Copenhagen and Helsinki to inspect the existing facilities of this type. Chief engineer was Radomir Mihajlović, Maksimović's colleague. Urban plan for the area was done by Miloš Perović.[
]
Construction
Works began in April 1976 and after a bit over a year, the object was ceremonially opened on 14 May 1977 by Tito. Construction itself lasted for 11 months. Works on the first stage had to be rushed due to the scheduled OSCE conference, planned for 15 June 1977. This date is today marked as the birthday of Sava Centar, though it was only opening of Block A, followed by Block 2 in 1978 and Block 3 in 1979.[ The second phase, a large performance and conference hall, opened on the occasion of the 11th Congress of the ]League of Communists of Yugoslavia
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, mk, Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na komunistite na Jugoslavija known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, sl, Komunistična partija Jugoslavije mk ...
. The planned stage at the main hall, which had been fancied as revolving, was scrapped and a fixed large stage was placed instead. By 1979, Hotel Beograd InterContinental, now the Crowne Plaza Belgrade, was added to the complex to host the annual meeting of the World Bank.[ Supporting architecture such as roads and highway conjunctions were also built during this period around the Sava Centar complex.
The complex, due to its design and speed by which it was finished, attracted international attention. It was among the nominated projects when the inaugural ]Pritzker Architecture Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is an international architecture award presented annually "to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produ ...
was awarded in 1979. Local press of the day named it "spaceship", "glass garden", "beauty on the Sava", "concrete ship of peace", "goodwill house", etc.[ As initial period of construction overlapped with the finishing works of the ]Centre Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...
in Paris, the two structures were often compared at the time. While the famous ''Beaubourg'' was equally praised and criticized, Maksimović's work on Sava Centar was universally applauded.
Later developments
On 17 August 2006, the parking lot at Sava Centar was renovated to capacitate 410 cars. As a result of the renovation parking fees were introduced for the first time at Sava Centar but are as of 2016/2017 lifted.
In its jubilee year of 2007, when Sava Centar marked its 30th anniversary, a substantial financing was utilized on the reconstruction of the glass façade. Also, the city authorities funded the reconstruction of broken glass on the sideways-facing façade, acquisition of the stage audio equipment for concert appearances and replacement of the main hall seats.
Failed privatization attempts
By 2017, the 40-years old complex was in a bad financial situation. After it was built, investments into preserving and enhancing the object were minimal. City, which owns the facility, decided to find a strategic partner A strategic partnership (also see strategic alliance) is a relationship between two commercial enterprises, usually formalized by one or more business contracts. A strategic partnership will usually fall short of a legal partnership entity, agency, ...
who will take 49%, while the city will retain 51% in the future joint company. The bidding was announced in 2016 and two companies, Delta Holding
Delta Holding is a Serbian holding company with the headquarters in Belgrade. Delta Holding performs a variety of services, such as agribusiness, real estate and wholesale. It employs around 3,600 people, making it one of the largest non-governmen ...
and a consortium headed by the Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport ( sr, / ) or Belgrade Airport ( sr, / ) is an international airport serving Belgrade, Serbia. It is the largest and the busiest airport in Serbia, situated west of downtown Belgrade near the suburb of Sur ...
showed interest. City then four times prolonged the deadlines and decided to change some of the conditions of the bidding, so Delta Holding backed off. After the second bidding, the Airport also withdrew not giving any reasons. When the third bidding was announced in June 2017, no one applied.[ In November 2017 the city hall announced another bidding in the future, but ordered to three city companies (Belgrade power plants, Cleaning and Belgrade waterworks and sewage) to write off all the claims they have from Sava Centar, in order to make it more attractive for the buyers. The bidding was open in December, with city asking for at least €12.5 million.
Despite writing off many debts, Sava Centar remained one of the Serbian companies with highest tax debts with 558 million dinars (€4.7 million) in the early 2018. Delta Holding reappeared as an interested investor, claiming willingness to pay double, €25 million, than what the city is asking for, to build a ]footbridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
to the future Hotel Intercontinental, planned by the Delta Holding in the vicinity, to accept the entire venue's debt but to split the eventual profit with the city. Instead of announcing the bids, city extended the deadline to 20 March 2018.[ Delta Holding was the only bidder but their application was rejected as "incomplete", saying that Delta didn't specify how many employees will keep. The commission executing the bidding recommended the direct negotiations with the company, which city administration accepted in July 2018, before changing its mind again in February 2019, opting for the concession, and in November 2019 when city decided to sell the venue.
In January 2020 city confirmed it will sell the building with the starting price of €25 million, while the new owner would have to preserve the function of the venue and to invest €50 in the next 5 years. In August 2020, city conducted a bidding, but raised the price to €27.4 million, keeping other stipulations.][
By this time, architects, economists, citizens' groups and political opposition began to criticize city's dealings in the matter, especially in the summer of 2020 when the similar, failed process was conducted for another symbol of Belgrade, the ]Beograđanka
The Beograđanka ( sr-Cyrl, Београђанка; , lit. "Belgrade Lady"), officially ''Belgrade Palace'' ( sr, Палата Београд, Palata Beograd, ) is a modern high-rise building in the Belgrade downtown area.
A tall structure, it ...
skyscraper. City itself appraised the Sava Centar to €108 million in 2016, but constantly kept offering it for 4 to 9 times lesser price, all the time changing the course and evading to close the deal. Opposition politicians openly accused city administration of corruption and theft. Through repeated, failed bidding, the price of the object is being reduced each time, as allowed by the law, until it is sold to some tycoon
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
close to the ruling establishment for a very low price.
On he other hand, some real estate consultants claim that the city is asking too much for the venue. Miloje Popović, the first manager of the center, said that the city is making a mistake by selling it, that they should devise the right policy for congressional tourism instead, as such objects are never built to be commercial on their own. They attract thousands of people and their spending benefits the entire community.[ Some economists add that the city's claim of lacking funds to invest in the Sava Centar is false, as the city administration is wasting money on all sides.][ Public also pressured the administration, calling it incapable of managing the object and opposing the selling.]
On 22 August 2020, city announced this bidding failed, too, as no one applied. Delta Holding stated they are still interested, but that almost €80 million of investment into the venue is too much. City said they will probably repeat the bidding before the year's end, without clarifying will they reduce the price for 20% which are they now eligible to do.[ Designer Maksimović accused city of mismanaging the venue and raised concern that the venue will change its purpose after being sold to private owner. It was also pointed out that city actually never tried to manage the venue properly: appointment of professional and experienced management instead of the party's apparatchiks, ignoramuses and family members; hiring foreign management; serious financial injection based on the detailed and worked-out recovery concept; domestic and foreign patrons; finding the partner through the net of the European Congressional Cities; re-hiring of the original authors to fix architectural and structural problems. Instead, city went right away to sell it.][
]
Delta ownership
On 11 September 2020, city again offered the object, reducing the price to €21.9 million, with the unchanged amount of future investment, but two weeks later the process failed, too, as again no one applied, so the city offered it again for even more lowered price of €17.5 million on 19 October. The "Delta Holding" appeared as the sole bidder, finally purchasing the venue on 9 November 2020, and announced an investment of €60 million, even higher than stipulated by the contract. Reconstruction was announced for the late 2021.
Replacement of the facade will be the first task, starting at the end of 2021. Delta Holding announced that only foreign architects will be included in the reconstruction. Works will be finished in 2023, and the company expects that the investment will paid off in 12 to 15 years. They continued to claim the price was too high, even though they paid the venue only 180 €/m2. With the building, Delta Holding also acquired some 40 valuable works of art, including paintings, tapestries, sculptures, clock with time zones, etc. Some will also be repaired as they got damaged in time.
Some architects suggested that Sava Centar should be protected by the law and declared a cultural monument. The objects is placed under the preliminary protection, which means it should be treated as protected, until the final decision on protection is made by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.[ Five months after the venue was sold to the private owner, the government declared Sava Centar a cultural monument on 8 April 2021.][ When the ]City Assembly of Belgrade
The City Assembly of Belgrade ( sr-cyrl, Скупштина града Београда, Skupština grada Beograda) is the legislature of the City of Belgrade, capital of Serbia. It is a representative body that executes the essential functions o ...
announced its next session for 29 April 2021 in the venue, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
restrictions, they referred to the structure as the "Delta Congressional Center, former Sava Centar". The management of the Delta Holding reacted, stating the name "Sava Centar" is a city symbol and brand of its own, and that it will not be changed.
The reconstruction began on 23 December 2021, with estimated deadline at late 2023, or early 2024. Despite previous claims, all companies involved in the reconstruction are domestic. The main project was done by "Centroprojekt" studio. The reconstructed venue is planned to resurface as the congressional hub of this part of Europe, with capacity of hosting up to 7,000 visitors. The interiors will be changed to a certain degree, in accordance with Stojan Maksimović, the original designer. The center will consist of two, equally sized sections: business-commercial, and congressional-cultural. Number of seats in the main, "Blue hall", will be somewhat enlarged. The congressional zone will have 45 rooms, instead of 16 as it had before. The "Delta Holding" claimed in July 2022 that it already has booked congresses for the late 2023 through 2025, and that total cost of purchase, investment and renovation will be north of €90 million.
Structural details
Sava Centar has of useful and of overall area, including a theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
hall with 4,000 seats, 15 conference halls, an exhibition area and a number of other facilities. It annually hosts more than half million visitors. Sava Centar is connected to Crowne Plaza Belgrade
Crowne Plaza Belgrade is a four-star hotel located in New Belgrade, Serbia. With its 387 rooms and 29 suites, it is the biggest hotel in the city in terms of capacity.
Opened in 1979 after being built with state funds provided through the General ...
via an underground hallway. The complex includes restaurants, bars, offices and shops.
The building is situated on the easily accessible location. The great hall, nicknamed the Blue Hall due to its blue seats is the largest audience hall in the country with the above-mentioned 4,000 seats, both ground and upper level included. The hall has the ability to completely change its look depending on the stage set-up. As a result, the seats can be taken out.[ It is also the place major cinema premiers are hosted.
In terms of architecture, Sava Centar is fitted into the larger urban area, which developed later under its influence (especially the green glass facades), and consists of the Blocks 19 and 20, encompassing buildings in the modern, glass and steel, style. The complex includes:]
* Block 19: Sava Centar, Crowne Plaza Belgrade, Genex apartments, Delta Holding building;
* Block 20: Hyatt Regency Belgrade, NIS
Nis, Niš, NiS or NIS may refer to:
Places
* Niš, a city in Serbia
* Nis, Iran, a village
* Ness, Lewis ( gd, Nis, links=no), a village in the Outer Hebrides islands
Businesses and organizations
* Naftna Industrija Srbije, Petroleum Industry o ...
building, unfinished headquarters of the "Rad" construction company;
Architecture of the object has been described as excellent, elegantly "landing" in the New Belgrade's lowlands. The venue was labeled as spacious, comfortable, airy and visitors friendly. Unlike the exterior, the interior was changed a lot since the construction was ended.[ The art critics hailed it for the modern design, sharp lines, unusual outline, wide spans of the construction, cascade terraces, concrete brise soleils, and visible, vividly colored architectural construction. It was noted that "hardly any other building...will communicate with the surroundings so perfectly".][
]
Events
Sava Centar has hosted among others Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky, CBE (russian: Генна́дий Никола́евич Рожде́ственский; 4 May 1931 – 16 June 2018) was a Soviet and Russian conductor.
Biography
Gennady Rozhdestvensky was born in Moscow. H ...
, Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mehta's father was the foun ...
, Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (russian: Вале́рий Абиса́лович Ге́ргиев, ; os, Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери, Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russian conductor and opera company d ...
, Eiji Oue
is a Japanese conductor.
Biography
Oue began his conducting studies with Hideo Saito of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1978, Seiji Ozawa invited him to spend the summer studying at the Tanglewood Music Center. There he met Leonard Bern ...
, Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...
, Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng (usually pronounced ''HEN-r-ik SHEH-r-in-g'') (22 September 19183 March 1988) was a Polish violinist.
Early years
He was born in Warsaw, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy Jewish family. The surname "Szeryng" is a Poli ...
, Ivo Pogorelić
Ivo Pogorelić (also Ivo Pogorelich; born 20 October 1958) is a Yugoslav-born Croatian pianist. He is known for his sometimes unorthodox interpretations, which have brought him a sizable following and both praise and criticism from musical ...
, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...
, Plácido Domingo
José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French ...
, Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé i Folch or Folc (full name: María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch (, , ; (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), known simply as Montserrat Caballé, was a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano. She sang a wide v ...
, Johan Strauss Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953. It is most associated wit ...
, The USSR Ministry Of Culture Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Okazu Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra ( sr, Београдска филхармонија, Beogradska filharmonija) is an orchestra located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is regularly considered one of the finest in the country.
History
Unlike most Eur ...
, Metropole Orchestra
The Metropole Orkest (Metropole Orchestra) is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz, big band and symphony orchestra. Com ...
, Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
, Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
, Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...
, Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...
, Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...
, Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...
, Johnny Winter
John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...
, Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray V ...
, Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...
, Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist.
His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres.
Early life and background
Kenn ...
, B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
, Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
, Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
, Jethro Tull, Sting, David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
, Simple Minds, Laurie Anderson
Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...
, Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...
, Jason Donovan, Slobodan Trkulja, Bilja Krstić
Biljana "Bilja" Krstić (Serbian Cyrillic: Биљана "Биља" Крстић, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: ǐʎana bǐːʎa kř̩ːstitɕ born 9 November 1955) is a Serbian singer. She was born in 1955 in Niš and brought up on the folk t ...
, Gotan Project
Gotan Project is a musical group based in Paris (France), consisting of musicians Eduardo Makaroff (Argentine), Philippe Cohen Solal (French) and Christoph H. Müller (Swiss), a former member of Touch El Arab.Madlen Albrecht ''Le développemen ...
and Madredeus
Madredeus () are a Portuguese musical ensemble formed in 1985, in Lisbon. Their music combines traditional Portuguese music, fado and folk music.
Madredeus are one of the most successful music groups from Portugal, having sold over 3 million alb ...
.
It also serves as the venue of the Miss Serbia competition, the Serbian Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
selection music festivals, Beovizija
''Beovizija'' ( sr, Беовизија) was a music festival established in 2003. Since 2007 it was the national selection for Serbia's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest. ''Beovizija'' is organised and broadcast live each year by RTS1 ...
and was the host place of the Jugovizija Jugovizija, Cyrillic: Југовизија, English: Yugovision, was the Yugoslav national final to select their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the Yugoslav broadcaster Yugoslav Radio Television (JRT) and its subnational publ ...
(in 1987).
Sava Centar has been the host of significant congress gatherings and artistic programs: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
, Annual General Meeting of the International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
and the World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
, 55th Annual General Meeting of Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
, 6th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...
, General Meeting of UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
, FOREX
The foreign exchange market (Forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. It includes all as ...
, FISIT and 9th Summit of the non-aligned countries.
In January 1990, Sava hosted the 14th (and last) Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia.
In total, from May 1977 to May 2017, over 35,000 events of all kinds were held in the venue, with a total of 15 million visitors, of that 10,000 congressional meetings with 2 million participants.[
In June 2018, it held the 6th WordCamp Europe.]
References
External links
*
Page at official Belgrade site
{{List of culture institutions in Belgrade
Buildings and structures in Belgrade
Buildings and structures completed in 1977
1977 establishments in Serbia
New Belgrade