Televizorke Belgrade

Perception changes as time goes by and some of the things that made New Belgrade, the child of socialist Yugoslavia, unpopular are now considered praiseworthy. Among several sights that have become iconic are Televizorke, the "TV sets" buildings in Blok 28, named after the square shape of their windows - very similar to what TV sets looked back then. Though huge and made out of only a few pre-made concrete elements, the façades of Televizorke are not boring due to a playful combination of windows and terraces.

These buildings are known to everyone in Belgrade and are receiving more and more recognition as something essentially connected to the 1970s, a time of prosperity and of Belgrade's fast development. For me they also hold an emotional value since I lived in one of them when both me and the Televizorke were very young. Much has changed since then - most regretfully the old playgrounds made to look like a Red Indian village and made completely out of wood have all but disappeared - but the mere sight of Televizorke is enough to take many of us back to those idyllic times.

These two buildings are not the only interesting things here: the whole of Blok 28 was constructed in the same period and other creations carry the same signature. Check out the futuristic looking primary school or the kindergarten in the shape of a UFO, or at least what they thought an UFO should look like back then.