A step towards moving Nikola Tesla Museum from Krunska Street to Milan Vapa Paper Mill: Location requirements issued

More concrete works on the Milan Vapa Paper Mill building, where the Nikola Tesla Museum, which has been located in Krunska Street for years, should be permanently relocated, are more certain now that, as reported by Beogradske.rs, location requirements have been issued for the renovation and conversion of the building, also known as Jugosped, into a museum.

The urban design project for the reconstruction and extension of the former Milan Vapa Paper Mill for these purposes was publicly presented last fall, and the project was developed based on the first-prize solution by Zaha Hadid Architects and Bureau Cube Partners.

The urban design covers a plot of land measuring 11,863 m2 between Vudroa Vilsona Boulevard and Vojvode Misica Boulevard. The plan is to reconstruct the existing factory building for museological purposes, while the surrounding buildings of no value will be removed, and it is also planned to create a square around the museum.

The project envisages retaining the number of floors of the existing building, which has the status of a cultural asset, with a partial extension on the north side. Two underground garages with a total of 60 parking spaces are also planned, including spaces for people with disabilities and charging stations for electric vehicles. The total gross area of the building will be 13,086.92 m2, of which 9,342.67 m2 is above ground and 3,744.25 m2 is underground.

The main access to the future museum will be from Vudroa Vilsona Boulevard, across the plateau. The ground floor will house the entrance hall, exhibition space, souvenir shop, café and wardrobe, while the permanent exhibition with Tesla’s transformer and the Memorial Room will represent the central museum contents. The revitalization of the facade is also planned.

History of Paper Mill building

The building of the first Serbian paper mill consists of four sections, arranged around a central space, with a tall chimney in the center and a covered atrium. The complex structure of the building is conditioned by the production technology for which the building was designed, as well as subsequent interventions on the building. The longitudinal (southern) wing along Vojvode Misica Boulevard has a floor structure of GF+1, as does the transverse, eastern wing (except at the southeast corner, where the symmetrical tower has a floor structure of GF+2), while the western wing has a floor structure of GF+2. The facades feature a reduced geometry, with shallow molding in plaster, a uniform rhythm of window openings and false pilasters. The northern wing, oriented towards the courtyard, has a complex organization, which is also reflected on the facade.

Several plans for relocation of Nikola Tesla Museum

The Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade was founded by a Resolution of the Government of the Federal People’ Republic of Yugoslavia on December 5, 1952, at the proposal of the Council for Science and Culture of the Government. The Government appointed Professor Veljko Korac of the Faculty of Philosophy as its first director. The museum opened to visitors on October 20, 1955, and was the first technical museum in the then Yugoslavia. The Gencic Villa at 51 Krunska Street in Belgrade was designated as the museum’s headquarters. The museum houses and preserves all of the personal legacy of the famous scientist and innovator. The first permanent exhibition contained faithful replicas of models made according to Tesla’s designs. More extensive reconstructions of the permanent exhibition were carried out in 2007 and 2016. From 1969 to 2020, the founding rights were exercised by the City of Belgrade. On May 21, 2020, the Government of Serbia adopted a Decision on the Takeover of the Founding Rights of the Nikola Tesla Museum.

In all previous plans and deliberations of the state regarding the Nikola Tesla Museum, in the past ten years, it has always been considered to move it from Krunska Street to an existing building. Previously, it was the building of the old Belgrade Main Railway Station on the Sava Square, and until two years ago, the Thermal Power Plant “Power and Light” on Dorcol was considered a very serious location. Both also have the status of cultural property.

D. A.

Muzej Nikole Tesle Beograd

Bureau Cube Partners d.o.o. Beograd

Nikola Tesla Museum Belgrade

Milan Vapa Paper Mill Belgrade

Jugošped

Zaha Hadid Architects

Bureau Cube Partners