The Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments has sent a letter to the Serbian government and the Ministry of Culture, which N1 had access to, in which it accuses the government of grossly violating the Cultural Heritage Law. The letter demands that the government immediately revoke its decision to remove the General Staff buildings from the register of immovable cultural heritage, warning that Serbia would become the only country in the civilized world not to respect its own laws, fail to heed cultural protection services, and actively destroy its cultural heritage.
The document, drafted by the expert service of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, calls on the government to reconsider its actions. „If Serbia treats its own cultural heritage in this manner, how can we ask international institutions to protect our heritage in Kosovo and Metohija? If Kosovo’s authorities follow Serbia’s example, they could declare the Church of the Virgin of Ljeviška in Prizren, devastated during the March pogrom of 2004, no longer a cultural monument. How will we protect it when we are destroying our own heritage in the center of Belgrade?“ the letter states.
The letter was prepared for submission to the Serbian government and Ministry of Culture by the expert team responsible for preserving Serbia’s cultural and historical heritage. The aim is to save the General Staff building, despite its significant damage.
Although heavily damaged, the former General Staff building of the Yugoslav Army survived the 1999 bombing largely due to its protected status as an immovable cultural property, granted in 2005. However, under the Serbian government’s latest decision to revoke this status, it may no longer survive in peacetime conditions.
The Serbian government has decided to remove the buildings of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army and the Ministry of Defense from the cultural heritage register. This decision, published in the Official Gazette on Friday, November 15, will take effect eight days after publication.
In response, the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments issued a statement that N1 had access to. The letter notes that the institute’s expert service did not prepare any report or proposal to revoke the buildings’ status as immovable cultural monuments, and stresses that there is no factual basis to justify such a decision.
The letter emphasizes that there is no legal or reasonable basis to remove the cultural heritage status of these buildings. „It is important to point out that this decision will certainly facilitate the planned processes that could result in the destruction of masterpieces of modern architecture in Belgrade, which are witnesses to an ideological vision characteristic of the mid-20th century and represent our cultural heritage,“ the letter reads.
The expert service of the Republic Institute also pointed out that, over time, the General Staff building has acquired a „memorial significance“ and now serves as a monument to the suffering of the Serbian state and its citizens during the 1999 NATO aggression.
The letter further explains that the architectural, urban, and memorial significance of the General Staff building was the reason the Institute began the process of categorizing the building as a cultural monument of exceptional importance, a procedure currently underway.
Additionally, the letter expresses concern over the government’s decision to remove two parcels (804/2 and 969/1) from the spatial cultural-historical ensemble along Knez Mihailova Street, calling this move „a gross act of destruction“ against this cultural heritage site. The expert team insists that this decision threatens the preservation of significant historical landmarks of modern Serbia’s statehood in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The letter also stresses that the government’s actions undermine the integrity of cultural heritage protection in Serbia, warning that if the government continues to make decisions to revoke cultural heritage status without consulting the expert service, it could set a dangerous precedent for the arbitrary destruction of cultural properties. „If the government can revoke the status of a cultural monument without expert consultation, it opens the door to a lawless environment,“ the letter asserts.
The Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments questions how Serbia can expect international institutions to protect its heritage in Kosovo, if the country fails to protect its own heritage. „If the government of Serbia acts in this way toward its own cultural heritage, with what moral authority can we ask the international community to protect our heritage in Kosovo and Metohija?“ the letter states.
The letter also draws a parallel, cautioning that Kosovo’s authorities, if they follow Serbia’s example, could decide to revoke the cultural heritage status of important religious sites, such as the Church of the Virgin of Ljeviš in Prizren, a UNESCO-listed monument damaged during the 2004 Kosovo unrest. „How will we protect it when we ourselves are destroying our own heritage in the heart of Belgrade?“ the letter concludes.
Jared Kushner’s Company Signs Agreement with Serbian Government for Revitalization of Historic General Staff Complex
The company Affiniti Partners, owned by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of newly re-elected U.S. President Donald Trump, signed an agreement with the Serbian government in mid-May for the revitalization of the former Federal Secretariat for National Defense (SSNO) complex, located at the corner of Knez Mihailova and Nemanjina streets.
This complex, which is more commonly known as the General Staff building, was designed by the renowned Yugoslav architect Nikola Dobrović and holds the status of an immovable cultural heritage site.
In the meantime, Prof. Dr. Dubravka Đukanović, the director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, resigned from her position after being reportedly pressured to either propose the removal of the General Staff building’s cultural protection or step down, N1 reported earlier.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
