Modernism in the Case of Cultural Architecture in Yugoslavia

Abstract

As a result of very strong and organised antifascist resistance on domestic territory during the World War II and historical conditions in the rest of Europe, new established socialist country Yugoslavia on geostrategic games was planned to stay part of the eastern block in the new division of post-war Europe. But just three years after the war Yugoslavian political establishment led by charismatic president Tito, despite the serious threats from USSR and Stalin, he decided to start with their own way of socialism based on self-management with reduced influence of the state into the economy, society and culture. The result was an atypical socialist system for that time, which was very open to the world, but especially to Western Europe and the USA. During the whole history, architecture was always the best representation of historical developments and social circumstances in different civilisations through different periods. Yugoslavian modernist architecture developed by domestic architects, influenced by modernist ideas from Central and Western Europe and with phenomenological support of the state can be considered as an indicator of social and cultural movements during the existence of that avant-garde socialist country from 1945-1990. Through the research of different study cases and examples of architecture from socialist Yugoslavia and studies of relevant scientists from the field of architecture and sociology, as a predominant methodology for this study, relations between architecture and socio-economic and cultural conditions will be investigated. In accordance with the declared ideas for general modernisation of the entire society, modernist architecture in Yugoslavia was widely accepted as a tool for the realisation of proclaimed ideals for open, human oriented and contemporary society. The architecture of cultural buildings was some of the best examples for the mentioned direction in the content, but even more in conceptual and visual expression. The Yugoslavian architecture of the representative cultural centres, museums, libraries and concert halls are some of the most successful realizations of modernism in the region of south east Europe, but even much wider. At the same time, these buildings were witnessing well organized, state supported institutional work that was able to arrange some of the most prominent cultural activities on the highest world level.