fire escape of the Internacional Hotel, Brutalist example in Zenica
We didn’t plan to go to Zenica at all. After all, what on earth is there to see? But through our newly developed interest in brutalism, or socialist modernism, suddenly a couple of ideas had popped up, mostly centered around hotels. Some specialist website mentioned the Hotel Internacional, and the Hotel Dubrovnik, both in Zenica. And anyhow, it was more or less on the way.
the Lamela building, with its curious step-up construction from low-rise to 25 floors
again, the Lamela building, with focus on the high-rise
and some stairs leading out of the first floor of the building
But driving into town every thought of hotels is quickly overshadowed by a huge apartment building, the Lamela building, a residential tower 25 floors and 101 meters high. According to one of the local residents we get to talk to, it was built in 1975, and at its time it was the tallest building in the Balkans. And it is a fabulous example of Brutalist architecture, as far as I am concerned.
this is the Internacional Hotel, closed and fenced off
the concrete, Brutalist credentials of the Dubrovnik Hotel are obvious, even after refurbishment
the concrete here is equally, if not more obvious
with an impressive, once again concrete, entrance
and more concrete construction details
The Hotels
In fact, Lamela is literally overshadowing the hotels, Dubrovnik on one side – now neatly refurbished and looking like a flash hotel, and therefore not that interesting anymore for those truly focussed on Brutalism -, and Internacional a little further on the other side. The latter one is, indeed, a gem, all you want from social modernism, lots of concrete, strange angles, the inevitable fire escape, and slowly rotting away. Apparently, the hotel folded not so long ago, and maybe auctioned off in the future, to attempt a new start in private hands. I hope so, it is worth it!
one curious apartment building, refurbished on the right but in original state on the left
Brutalist is not confined to the centre of town, these are apartments on the outskirts
and this, too, is a fabulous example of Brutalism
And then it turns out that Zenica has a lot more to offer, in terms of socialist architecture. The town was rapidly developed after the war, and its population grew from 15,000 in 1948 to 30, 000 in 1961 to 60,000 in 1981. To accommodate all these people construction of apartment buildings – many a bit higher than the standard pallatis – was booming. Everywhere you look are residential high-rises, one even more extravagant than the other.
The Factories
It is only when we drive out of town that we realise why. This is the industrial heartland of Bosnia and Hercegovina, with factories bulging out their smoke, as well as iron- and metalworks, apparently. Manufacturing plants as far as the eye can see. Which, at least at that time, needed workers, of course.
No regrets stopping off in Zenica!
outside town, the factories, great examples of communist rust buckets
and a couple of cylinders which can be climbed, too
rust being the dominant colour here, too
lots of metal construction, walkways and stairs
RSS – Posts
