Contribution of architect Danilo Vladisavljevic to the transformation of the public space of Belgrade in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century

Abstract

Architect Danilo Vladisavljević belongs to the generation of architects who, at the turn of the XIX century, left a significant mark in the Serbian architecture. His public buildings in Belgrade, which were mainly designed in cooperation with other architects, contributed to the representativeness of the city, which, at that time, began to intensively take on the characteristics of major European centres. The main feature of his work was a pluralist style, which involved evoking romanticism, use of academic postulates and art nouveau facades. He built various residential buildings for influential citizens and implemented pioneering urban projects on the territory of Belgrade, Military Hospital Complex in Vračar. He also built facilities for military purposes such as the military barracks in Niš, Valjevo and Smederevska Palanka and two hotels in a prestigious location at the very centre of Belgrade - the 'Splendid' and the 'Union'. Especially fruitful was his collaboration with the engineer Miloš Savčić on multi-storey outlet buildings such as The Trade and Export Bank, Vračar Savings Bank and the industrial complex of the Belgrade Slaughterhouse. During this cooperation, Danilo Vladisavljević was responsible for the facades and for further development of Miloš Savčić's designs. His collaboration with architect Svetozar Jovanović on the Officers' Cooperative Building produced one of the most representative examples of secession architecture in Belgrade. In the process of transforming public spaces in Belgrade, architect Vladisavljević particularly gave important contribution through cooperation with Milo Savčić in realization of the complex of the Belgrade Slaughterhouse, as well as the pioneering urban complex of the Military Hospital in Belgrade. As an important architect from the turn of the XIX century, Danilo Vladisavljević deserves contextualization and actualization in Serbian architectural historiography, and his structures should be treated as an important part of the Serbian architectural heritage.