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Yugoslav Ministry of Defence building
Савезни секретари за народну одбрану
Savezni Sekretarijat za Narodnu Odbranu
File:NATO damage in Belgrade.jpg
File:NATO damage in Belgrade.jpg
The bombed Yugoslav Ministry of Defence building in Belgrade in 2002
General information
StatusDamaged / disused
TypeGovernment building for the Ministry of Defense[1]
LocationSerbia Nemanjina Street, Belgrade, Serbia
Coordinates44°48′20.2″N 20°27′40.5″E / 44.805611°N 20.46125°E / 44.805611; 20.46125Coordinates: 44°48′20.2″N 20°27′40.5″E / 44.805611°N 20.46125°E / 44.805611; 20.46125
Construction started1957
Completed1965
Design and construction
ArchitectNikola Dobrović

The Yugoslav Ministry of Defence building (Serbian: Savezni Sekretarijat za Narodnu Odbranu - SSNO, Савезни секретари за народну одбрану) is the building that was previously occupied by the Ministry of Defense of Yugoslavia, a governmental department responsible for defending the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from internal and external military threats. Considered to be a masterpiece of post-war architecture, it was bombed on 30 April 1999 during Operation Allied Force.[2]

The building was built between 1957 and 1965 and it was designed by Serbian architect, Nikola Dobrović.[1] It is divided by Nemanjina Street, and its design is meant to resemble a canyon of the Sutjeska river, where one of the most significant battles of WWII in Yugoslavia was fought, with the street as a river dividing the two sides. As Nemanjina Street comes up the hill from the main railway station, the two parts of the building form a symbolic gate.[1]

Severely damaged by the 1999 bombing, the building has not been repaired and is Belgrade’s most famous ruin. It is a protected monument, although there have been talks about turning it into a luxurious hotel.[3][4]

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