"Plans to demolish Belgrade's Generalštab (General Staff) Modernist Complex and replace it with a Trump-branded development "constitute unambiguous breaches to the Serbian constitution, at least four national laws, and a series of international commitments", the Union of Architects of Serbia (UAS) has claimed in a recent open letter. The letter, addressed to the US president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, follows an agreement made last year between the Serbian government and companies linked to Kushner. If it goes ahead, the deal would see the protected landmark replaced by the so-called Trump Tower Belgrade-a high-rise hotel and mix of commercial, residential and retail spaces."
"Tensions surrounding the agreement have been rising since 7 November, when Serbian MPs voted 130-40 in favour of a lex specialis (special law) declaring the redevelopment of the complex to be a national priority, with public authorities "obliged to take all necessary measures" for its "timely" implementation. While Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vučić, has said the proposed development would represent a "huge investment" that would attract tourists and "raise the value of everything in Belgrade", the plans have proved highly controversial."
Plans to demolish Belgrade's Generalštab and replace it with a Trump-branded Trump Tower Belgrade would breach the Serbian constitution, at least four national laws, and a series of international commitments. The redevelopment follows an agreement between the Serbian government and companies linked to Jared Kushner and would convert the protected landmark into a high-rise hotel and mixed commercial, residential, and retail complex. Serbian MPs passed a lex specialis by 130-40 declaring the redevelopment a national priority and obliging public authorities to take necessary measures. Generalštab, designed by Nikola Dobrović and completed in 1965, is a protected late-Modernist cultural monument that was targeted in 1999 NATO strikes.
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