bg Belgrade

Belgrade Main Railway Station

- Savski Trg 2 -
The one-story building, which was built for commercial purposes, was constructed in the period that lasted from 1882 until 1885. The building, which serves as the main railway station for the city of Belgrade, was built according to a project drafted by the Austrian architect , while the definite elaboration of the project was done by the Serbian architect and engineer . The foundation stones for the railway on July 3, 1881, and for the station on April 15, 1883, were laid by Prince . The building of the station lagged behind the construction of the railway and the bridge over the river Sava, so when the time came for the first train to pass through Belgrade, the object wasn't finished. As it was obvious that the station wouldn't be finished on time, it had to be ceremonially opened, even though it was still covered with scaffolds. The first train from this station departed towards with courtly honors, on September 1, 1884. The fully finished station became operational on September 21, 1885. At the time, the central section of the building was occupied by the offices of the station's personnel, telephone exchange, telegraph, cashier boxes, wardrobes, and police offices. The left wing of the station was adapted into the royal waiting room, while the right one was for the regular passenger. In this section, there were also restaurants, while the upper floor was occupied by the living quarters for the station's employees.
The building in 1929
After the building was put into use, it soon became the most important railway hub in this part of Europe. In 1888 it became a stop on the route and in 1892 a ceremonial reception for was organized here. The very first car in Belgrade arrived by train, via the main station, on April 3, 1903. The building originally had gas lighting, which was later replaced with an electrical one. As it was a major consumer, it was decided that the building would have its own power generator. A mini electrical plant was built next to the station building in 1909, which was later demolished in 1929. During the , the building was badly damaged and was hit during the of Belgrade as part of the German attack on Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941. The station was further damaged during the heavy , conducted by the Allies in 1944. The post-war reconstruction was headed by Russian contractors. On 25 September 1968, three steel-made bombs exploded in the station's cloakroom, injuring 13 people. planted the bombs and was later apprehended, sentenced to death, and executed in 1978. On June 30, 2018, the last train left the main station, and since then, all trains have stopped at the newly built Belgrade Central Station.
The building during the Second World War
The southern wing of the building, which is built in the styles of Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Classical, features several , of which the central one is topped with a adorned with a and two . The latter is decorated with the of Serbia, which is surrounded by two . The tympanums in this part of the building, as well as the that are abundantly present, are all embellished with . The , which is surrounded by four garlands wreaths, as well as the surrounding two friezes contain an . The part underneath the architrave is decorated with four , a adorned with a mascaron and , and two adorned with . Either a pointed or a straight is placed above some of the windows.
An old postcard that show part of the southern wing
Above the entrances, you can see a clock, some of which are placed within a top gable. The balustrades that are placed on top of some parts of the northern wing are incorporated with . The spandrels in this part of the building are adorned with even more festoons and coats of arms. Some of the keystones here are embellished with foliage and three rosettes. The all around the building are crowned with either a Doric, a Corinthian, or an Ionic , some of which are adorned with an motif. Some of the that can be seen around the entire building are decorated with .
An old postcard that show part of the northern wing