Belgrade: Yugoslavia History Tour by a classic Zastava Car｜Serbia

The tour starts at the beginning: the Second World War. The Staro Sajmiste concentration camp was based in the middle of the city and its buildings are now used for living and working. There’s even a restaurant! You will hear how this place went from a concentration camp to a nice, green area and how Yugoslavia was created out of the devastation of the Second World War.

The tour continues to what once was the political heart of Socialist Yugoslavia: SIV, or now called the Palace of Serbia. This impressive building and its interior are unchanged since it was built in 1961. Its architecture is symbolic for the politics of the country. How did leader Tito keep together the different peoples of Yugoslavia who during World War 2 were enemies?

From here on we cruise through New Belgrade, completely designed and constructed from scratch as the ideal socialist city. While getting a grasp of the urban planning we’ll arrive at the most iconic of all brutalist buildings in Belgrade and possibly the entire Yugoslavia: Genex Tower. This building consists of two imposing towers connected at the top floor by a concrete bridge, with a UFO-like restaurant on top of the right tower. It is also known as the West Gate, welcoming everybody arriving in Belgrade via the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity.

A story about the rise and fall of Yugoslavia has to end at the grave of its leader, Tito. We’ll visit the mausoleum and get to know more about this fascinating character. We will also visit the gallery with a selection of the thousands of gifts he got from leaders and others from all over the world, including an actual piece of the moon delivered to him personally by Neil Armstrong.