WALLPAPER*CITY GUIDE BELGRADE BY PHAIDON IS OUT NOW!
The leading global authority on design and style, UK’s Wallpaper* magazine, finally decided that Belgrade deserves to be on their esteemed list of cities worth a Wallpaper* City Guide. In Wallpaper* magazine’s latest edition – Wallpaper* City Guide Belgrade – visitors will be able to learn about the Serbian capital from the viewpoint of one of the world’s best travel and design writers Viia Beaumanis, assisted by the local experts from Belgrade Design Week.
Wallpaper* City Guide, a Phaidon Press edition, sold in more than two million copies worldwide, is a guide with useful, concise information for tourists, with recommendations for places one shouldn’t miss in over a hundred world destinations, whether going on a short trip or staying for a week, whether traveling for business or pleasure. In the Wallpaper* production, each guide is being researched thoroughly in order to present the best of what a destination has to offer: design, architecture, hotels, restaurants, shops… It is a wonderful travel companion, helpful to anyone who wants to truly experience the spirit of a city and return home with unforgettable memories. As for the people of Belgrade, the nod from Wallpaper will make us respect our city even more.
What made it into the Wallpaper* City Guide? Belgrade’s world famous reputation of hospitality and hedonism: cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and party hotspots which visitors love and praise so much, are just tip of the iceberg: there are city’s famous landmarks (Genex Tower, St Sava Temple, Ada Bridge, Palace of Serbia, Avala Tower…), first class hotels (Moskva, Square Nine, Excelsior…), museums and galleries (Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Aviation, Zepter Museum…), sport facilities, shopping districts and, if you wish to expand your horizons further, the guide can take you to a tour of places to escape the city (Macura Museum, WWII Memorials, Drvengrad, Kustendorf…).
Sitting at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, Belgrade has served as the “Gateway to the Balkans” for centuries. Conquered by the Celts, the Romans, the Ottomans and Austro-Hungarians, decimated by two world wars, ruled by communists, and the site of myriad regional conflicts, it’s one of Southern Europe’s oldest and most tumultuous cities. The hardships suffered here shroud this often overlooked yet cosmopolitan capital in a distinct world-weariness, while infusing it with history and soul.
Named after a pale stone from which it was first constructed, Belgrade, or Beograd (White City), abounds with urban green space, although it is not a city that announces all of its charms straightaway. many of its historic buildings have been destroyed or are sadly neglected, covered in decades of grime and graffiti. At the same time, peppered with buzzing restaurants and cafes, Belgrade is authentic, unfiltered and brimming with energy.
Every resilient, Serbia’s careworn capital is dusting off (once again) and revealing itself as one of Europe’s most unique, and least explored, hotspots. This is, after all, a metropolis that, in its pre-WWII heyday, was celebrated for its avant-garde culture and progressive architecture. The collective memory of Belgrade now fuels a young generation as they reclaim their city’s mantle and redefine the Balkans’ most dynamic destination for a new age. One that will surprise you with how much it has to offer.
Icing on the cake: The Insider’s guide to Belgrade – Belgrade Design Week’s CEO, Vesna Jelovac recommends sites to visit, for “full immersion” into the city’s charms:
A former model who now oversees Belgrade’s Design Week, Vesna Jelovac lives and works in Dorćol. She likes to start her day with a macchiato at Pastis or a fresh juice from Elixir.
Browsing Distante, further up the street Kralja Petra, she keeps tabs on Dušan Reljin, the New York-based photographer and designer who is known for his chic shades and is a cult hit with fashion insiders. Bajloni Farmers’ Market is on every Belgrader’s daily schedule, and Jelovac also visits Šarlo to buy bread with raisins, berries and nuts.
Madera is a fabled lunch spot, where Jelovac likes to order from the ‘Daily Ready Meals’ menu of home-style dishes. She pops into DJ, one of Belgrade’s oldest artisanal confectionery shops, to pick from its selection of classic Viennese- and Turkish-influenced treats, such as slices of kitnikez, a sweet cake-like jelly, which locals enjoy with an ice-cold boza.
Sunset cocktails? Jelovac heads to the rooftop of Square Nine. Afterwards, she may catch a screening, perhaps a classic with Jean-Paul Belmondo or Alain Delon, at nearby venue Kinoteka, home to the Yugoslav Film Archive. The collection that grew out of Tito’s film-a-day habit is extensive.
Wallpaper* City Guide Belgrade can be ordered online:
Via Phaidon.com
