THE WINTER OF DISCONTENT An Architectural Tour
Clarisse Wean - 2020
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Brief History
2
4-9
Who Walked
10 - 15
The Route
16 - 55
3
A BRIEF HISTORY
4
A student performance named “Turn back their picture to them” in which mirror
rs were placed in front of policemen’s faces.
5
The Belgrade Protest of ’96/’97 was in
Nov. 19
response to president
Socialist Party of
Milosevic annulling
Serbia questions
elections because
election results in
of the victory of the opposition party.
those municipalities where the Left won
Protests lasted for 84 consecutive days.
2nd round of local
Annulment of
elections ends -
election results -
the Left coalition
Zajedno coalition
wins a majority in
invite citizens to
134 municipalities
protest
Nov. 17
Nov. 20
66
a brief history
Nov. 21
Nov. 27
20,000 citizens
Zajedno
hold a protest
demands the
rally &
resignation of
a protest walk
Milosevic
First Municipal Court annuls election of 33 Zajedno coalition candidates
Nov. 24
7
Jan. 11
Feb. 13
“Cordon against
City Election
cordon” action
Committee confirms
begins - continues
the victory of the
for 180 hours
Zajedno coalition in Belgrade
100,000 - 200,000 demonstrators walk, throwing eggs at key city buildings
Nov. 30
88
a brief history
Mar. 11 More than 10,000 students protest for the 110th time
More than 50,000 After 88 days the
students celebrate
protest of citizens &
victory & end of
Zajedno ends
student protest
Feb. 15
Mar. 20
9
WHO WALKED
10 The most significant banner of the walks read “Belgrade is the World.”
11
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Center proper 31%
Villages outside Belgrade 1.0%
Belgrade suburbs 7.1%
Area around the center 52.5%
12 who walked
Cities outside Belgrade 8.1%
MARITAL STATUS
Unmarried 41.4%
Married 47.5%
Divorced or Widowed 11.1%
13
PARTY AFFILIATION
Unaffiliated 30.3%
Members other parties 3.0%
Zajedno members 13.1%
Zajedno sympathizers 38.4%
14 who walked
Sympathizers other parties 15.2%
READINESS TO HURL EGGS IN FRONT OF A POLICE CAMERA
Yes 65.8%
Don’t know 6.9%
No 33.3%
15
THE ROUTE
16 City Election Commission showered with toilet paper with the inscription “We’ve
e had enough of your crap.”
17
URBAN SPACE The architecture, monuments, previous historical experiences, and present institutions made the Belgrade’s streets the perfect “stage for a revolutionary theater.” Protesters often followed a similar, circular route on their way from City Hall to Republic Square. Along the way, certain institutions became targets of the urban protesters. A basic characteristic of this “revolutionary theater” was to debase institutional architecture in an attempt to invert symbols of power and oppression. Primary Route Secondary Route Architectural Destinations Park / Public Space
18 18 the route
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1 CITY HALL Dragoslava Jovanovića 2 0 km. Once built as a royal residence, City Hall was regularly showered with eggs and red paint. The Serbian word jajara stands for “thief”. It is derived from jaje, which means egg. Thus, the act of throwing eggs on buildings was meant to symbolize that the inhabitants were corrupted.
20 20 the route
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22
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2 SUPREME COURT Nemanjina 9 850 m. Hanging 100 condoms on the court building, mocking the court as the protector of justice on the World Day of Struggle against AIDS.
24 24 the route
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26
27
3 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECH. DEVELOPMENT Nemanjina 22-26 1.21 km. Alongside the civic protests of 1996/97’ were also student protests. These student walks often traveled to the Ministry of Education.
28 28 the route
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30
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4 PARLIAMENT Trg Nikole Pašića 13 2.26 km. Sprayed rat poison and insecticide on the exterior - in response to the postponement of the parliamentary session - allegedly due to the need for rat extermination.
32 32 the route
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34
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5 CONSTITUTIONAL COURT Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 15 2.44 km. The Constitutional Court was the court authorized to perform judicial review in Former Yugoslavia. As such, it was frequently the victim of protester’s paint and eggs.
36 36 the route
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38
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6 STATE TELEVISION Takovska 10 3.15 km. A pillar of the Milošević regime, the State Television building was attacked daily with eggs, red paint and paper planes to conquer the “Bastille”.
440 0 the route
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42
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7 RADIO BELGRADE Hilandarska 2 3.90 km. Radio Belgrade was a state=owned and operated station - a pillar of the Milošević regime. During the early protest walks, some demonstrators threw stones, as well as eggs, to break window-panes. The act of throwing stones was quickly disavowed by the Zajedno coalition.
444 4 the route
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8 POLITIKA PALACE Makedonska 29 3.98 km. Politika daily was the oldest active daily in the Balkans - representing a pillar of the Milošević regime. As such, it was a logical ending point for the daily walks.
48 48 the route
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50
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9 REPUBLIC SQUARE Trg republike 3.98 km. The final destination of each walk, Republic Square became a ‘liberated’ space, appropriated by protesters and their near constant presence.
52 52 the route
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Associated Press. “Serbia: Belgrade: Protests as Opposition Elect
Associated Press. “Serbia: Belgrade: Striking Teachers Protest Ov
Associated Press. “Serbia: Belgrade: Student Demonstrations: S
Associated Press. “Serbia: Belgrade: Students Protest Over Cour
Associated Press. “Serbia: Belgrade: Teachers Rally to Demand H Jansen, Stef. “The streets of Beograd. Urban space and protest
Lazic, Mladen, ed. Protest in Belgrade: Winter of Discontent. Belg
Milic, Nela. “Balkanising Taxonomy : How to capture and transfer ‘96/’97.” http://www.kulturklammer.org/nm/
Miljački, Ana. “Anti-Lobotomy: The Visible Evidence of Resistance
Petronijewic, Edita. “Streets of Protest: Space, Action and Actors 123 (1998): 267-286. Žilnik , Želimir. “Throwing Off the Yolks of Bondage.” Filmed 1996, throwing-yolks-bondage
56 56 bibliography
ction Victory is Annulled”, filmed November 24, 1996. Video, 01:54.
ver Overdue Pay”, filmed February 12, 1997. Video, 01:33.
Situation Update (2)”, filmed December 5, 1996. Video, 03:36.
rt Ruling”, filmed November 25, 1996. Video: 02:57.
Higher Wages”, filmed February 16-17, 1997. Video, 03:10. identities in Serbia.” Political Geography 20, (2001): 35-55.
grade: Central European University Press, 1997.
r an experience of the event - the case of Belgrade protest in
e in 1990s Belgrade.” Perspecta, vol. 34 (2003): 94-107.
s of Protest 96/97 in Belgrade. Polish Sociological Review, no.
FR Yugoslavia. Video, 2:55. https://www.zilnikzelimir.net/
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Clarisse Wean - 2020