View source for Belgrade Main Railway Station

{{Short description|Former railway station in Belgrade, Serbia}}
{{Distinguish|Belgrade Centre railway station}}
{{Infobox station
| name          = Belgrade Main Railway Station
| native_name   = Железничка станица Београд Главна
| native_name_lang = sr
| type          =
| style         =
| image         = Belgrade Main railway station (železnička stanica Beograd glavna).jpg
| image_upright = 1
| image_caption = Station building
| address       = Savski trg 2, [[Belgrade]]
| map_type            = Serbia Belgrade
| country       = {{flag|Serbia}}
| coordinates   = {{coord|44|48|31|N|20|27|20|E|source:kolossus-srwiki|display=inline, title}}
| line          =
| connections   = 100 m: [[Belgrade Bus Station]]<br>{{rint|bus|1}} 36, 46, 51, 78, 83, 91, 92, 511, 551, 552, 553, 601, A1, E1<br>{{rint|tram|1}} 2, 3, 7, 9, 12, 13
| other         =
| structure     = At-grade
| platform      = 6 [[bay platform]]s
| depth         =
| levels        =
| tracks        = 13
| parking       = Yes
| bicycle       =
| baggage_check =
| opened        = {{start date and age|1884|08|23|df=yes}}
| closed        = {{end date and age|2018|06|30|df=yes}}
| rebuilt       =
| electrified   = {{start date and age|1970|05|31|df=yes}}
| accessible    =
| code          =
| owned         = [[Serbian Railways]]
| zone          =
| smartcardname =
| smartcardstatus =
| former        =
| passengers    =
| pass_year     =
| pass_percent  =
| pass_system   =
| mpassengers   =
| services      =
| map_locator   =
}}
The '''Belgrade Main Railway Station''' ({{langx|sr|Железничка станица Београд Главна|Železnička stanica Beograd Glavna}}) is a former [[train station]] in [[Belgrade]], the capital of Serbia. It was built between 1882 and 1885 according to the designs of the architect [[Dragutin Milutinović]], and it has the status of a [[сultural monument of great importance]].<ref name="beogradskonasledje.rs">{{cite web|url=http://beogradskonasledje.rs/kd/zavod/savski_venac/zeleznicka_stanica.html |title=Železnička stanica|publisher=Zavod za zaštitu spomenika kulture grada Beograda}}</ref> Until the opening of the new [[Belgrade Centre railway station|Belgrade Center station]] (Prokop) in 2016, it was the city's main station, and the busiest in the country. In order to free up the space for the [[Belgrade Waterfront]] project, the station was closed on 1 July 2018, and repurposed to become a museum.<ref>[http://balkans.aljazeera.net/vijesti/zgrada-zeljeznicke-stanice-u-beogradu-postaje-muzej Al Jazeera: Zgrada željezničke stanice u Beogradu postaje muzej]</ref>
Passenger trains were gradually relocated to the new Prokop station during 2016 and 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view_en.aspx?izb=225983 |title=Vucic opens Prokop railway station after 40 years |publisher=Tanjug |date=26 January 2016}}</ref> Most national railway traffic was moved to the new station in December 2017, thus leaving only international trains and two trains to Novi Sad at the old station.<ref name="RTS">{{cite news|url=http://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/125/drustvo/2966308/prokop-od-danas-glavna-zeleznicka-stanica.html |title=Prokop od danas glavna železnička stanica |date=10 December 2017 |publisher=[[Radio Television of Serbia]]}}</ref> The Main station operated until 30 June 2018, when the last train, international train 340 to [[Budapest]], left the station at 21:40.<ref name="kaput">{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić | title = Otišao poslednji voz | trans-title = The last train has left | newspaper = Politika | page = 16 | language = Serbian | date = 1 July 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/406527/Otisao-poslednji-voz-FOTO }}</ref> International trains were relocated to Prokop and trains to Bar relocated to the [[Topčider railway station]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/404201/Radovi-na-prugama-obimniji-nego-prethodnih-25-godina |title=Radovi na prugama obimniji nego prethodnih 25 godina|first=Goran |last=Volf|publisher=[[Politika]]|date=22 May 2018}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Origin ===
At the 1878 [[Congress of Berlin]] the Principality of Serbia was [[de jure]] recognized as an independent state. The great powers of the day decided that Serbia should construct a railway. Not economically developed to begin with, Serbia was additionally pauperized after the [[Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–1878)|Serbian-Ottoman wars]] from 1876 to 1878, so it lacked the necessary funds. Prince [[Milan Obrenović IV|Milan Obrenović]] and the government announced a [[request for tender]] and the bidding was won by a French company. According to a popular - but unproven - version of events, Prince Milan accepted a bribe of 1 million francs in gold to give the job to the French.<ref name="Politika">{{Citation | author = Dragan Perić | title = Gvozdeni konji u Ciganskoj bari | newspaper = [[Politika]]-Magazin, No. 1039 | pages = 28–29 | language = Serbian | date = 27 August 2017 }}</ref>
=== Construction ===
The concession included the construction of the [[Belgrade–Niš railway]], the train bridge over the [[Sava]] river and a railway that would connect Belgrade to [[Zemun]], a border town of [[Austria-Hungary]] at the time. The location of the future station building was chosen in 1881.<ref name=tajne>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Tajne Glavne železničke stanice | trans-title = Secrets of the Main Railway Station | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 16 April 2019 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/427585/Tajne-Glavne-zeleznicke-stanice}}</ref> It was a marshy [[bog]] called ''Ciganska bara'' ("Gypsy pond").<ref name=Politika/> The bog was charted for the first time in an [[Austria]]n map from 1789. It was a marsh which covered a wide area stretching from the present-day ''Karađorđeva'' street to the mouth of the [[Topčiderska Reka]] into the Sava, across the northern tip of [[Ada Ciganlija]]. The marshy area covered the today's location of the Belgrade Main railway station and parts of the ''Sarajevska'' and ''Hajduk-Veljkov venac'' streets. Ciganska bara drained two other bogs. One was located on [[Slavija Square|Slavija]], which drained through the creek of ''Vračarski potok''<ref>{{Citation | author = Dragana Jokić Stamenković| title = Beograd na dvesta sputanih voda| newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 28 May 2011 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/178840/Beograd-na-dvesta-sputanih-voda }}</ref> which flew down the area of the today's [[Nemanjina Street]]. The other pond was [[Zeleni Venac]]. The eponymous [[Gypsies]] inhabiting the area used the mud from the bog to make roof tiles. They lived in small huts or caravans (called "čerge"), between the high grass and [[Juncaceae|rush]], with their horses and water buffalos grazing freely in the area. As most of the huts were actually [[stilt house]]s built on [[deep foundation|piles]] due to the marshy land, the area was gradually named [[Bara Venecija]] ("[[Venice]] pond").<ref name=ack>{{Citation | author = Dragoljub Acković| title = Šest vekova Roma u Beogradu – part XV, Veselje do kasno u noć | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = December 2008 }}</ref>
As such, the location was absolutely inappropriate for any construction work and the marsh had to be filled first. The remains of the demolished [[Republic Square (Belgrade)#Stambol Gate|Stambol Gate]] in 1866 also finished in the bog.<ref name=tajne/> By 1884 the bog was drained and buried under the rubble from all parts of the city but especially from [[Prokop (Belgrade)|Prokop]],<ref name=ack/> Prokop is located in the eastern section of the former neighborhood of [[Jatagan Mala]]. Previously, it was a geographical reference, as the area was located in the lower valley of the now-underground stream of [[Mokroluški Potok]]. Earth and gravel were dug and used to cover and drain the swamps on the right bank of the Sava, so that the neighborhoods of [[Savamala]] and [[Bara Venecija]] could be constructed, along with the building of central railway station. After the works were completed, the area around Mokroluški Potok was left as a steep, elongated cut in the ground, thus acquiring its name (Serbian ''prokop'', cut or dug through). Prince Milan personally suggested this area, which stretched above [[Đorđe Vajfert]]'s brewery and the neighborhood of [[Mostar interchange#Neighborhood|Smutekovac]]. Among his many reasons he cited the quality of the earth and the fact that the proximity of the construction site would reduce the transportation costs. However, that land belonged to his wife, [[Natalie of Serbia|Princess Natalie]], so the prince even earned money from the station's construction. In a historical twist, Prokop is the location of Belgrade's designated present-day central railway station.<ref name=Politika/>
When the location was chosen, it was also disconnected from Belgrade in terms of transportation. The former village of Savamala was closest, but the city could only be reached using a [[fiaker]], and this along a bypass route leading through Spomenička Street (modern Nemanjina).<ref name=tajne/>
The construction of the railway and station initially met with fierce opposition. The law on railway construction barely passed in the National Assembly of Serbia, while for the railway itself it was said that it was both costly and unnecessary; a "devil's snake"; a "destroyer of the people", a threat to female fertility and a conduit of infiltration by foreign powers.<ref>{{cite news | author = Darko Pejović | script-title=sr: Из приземне куће у петоспратну вилу | trans-title = From ground floor house to five-floor villa | newspaper = Politika | page = 11 | language = Serbian | date = 28 July 2019}}</ref>
{{Belgrade Main railway station}}
=== Opening ===
The [[foundation stone]]s were laid by prince Milan: for the railway on {{OldStyleDate|3 July|1881|21 June}}, for the station on {{OldStyleDate|15 April|1883|3 April}}. The building of the station lagged behind the construction of the railway and the bridge, so when the time came for the first train to pass through Belgrade, the object wasn't finished. As it was obvious that the station won't be finished on time, the temporary object was built to serve the purpose instead. Even though at one point in 1884 it was recorded that 5,575 workers were employed on the building's construction, it couldn't be finished in time.<ref name=obnova>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | script-title=sr: Обнова бивше зграде Главне железничке станице | trans-title = Reconstruction of the former building of the Main railway station | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 6 August 2019 }}</ref> It had to be ceremonially open, even though it was still covered with scaffolds.<ref name=Politika/> The first train from this station departed towards [[Zemun]] with courtly honours, on {{OldStyleDate|1 September|1884|20 August}}, at 3 p.m.<ref>Srpske novine, 21 August 1884</ref> As Serbia was declared a kingdom in 1882, the first passengers were now King Milan, Queen Natalie and the Crown Prince [[Aleksandar Obrenović|Alexander]], on the way to [[Vienna]]. More than 200 foreign guests and couple of thousands of citizens attended the opening ceremony.<ref>[http://arhiva.24sata.rs/vesti/beograd/vest/na-mestu-zeleznicke-stanice-pre-dva-veka-bila-je-bara/31459.phtml „Na mestu železničke stanice pre dva veka bila je bara“, 24 Sata] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013235547/http://arhiva.24sata.rs/vesti/beograd/vest/na-mestu-zeleznicke-stanice-pre-dva-veka-bila-je-bara/31459.phtml |date=2016-10-13 }}, 5 March 2012.</ref>
[[File:Belgrad train station postcard.tif|thumb|The Main Station 1929]]
Military orchestra played music all the way until the train crossed the bridge. Three days later the station was again decorated with flags and flowers as the railway to Niš was open and the first, promotional composition towards Niš departed. Cannons from the [[Belgrade Fortress]] marked the occasion while the military orchestras played marches. The journal ''Novi beogradski dnevnik'' wrote: "Young and old, rich and poor, pretty and ugly, they all gathered in Bara Venecija to see the start of the first Serbian railway". The first train departed at 8:45, with 100 passengers in nine cars with three classes. Just to accommodate the huge crowds of journalists and cheering citizens, another train departed just five minutes later.<ref name=Politika/>
The first passenger line started on {{OldStyleDate|16 September|1884|4 September}} at 8:30. It was a line to Niš, and the train had 20 cars with 200 passengers.<ref name=adio>{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić | title = Od svečarskih topova do "A sad, adio" | trans-title = From ceremonial cannons to "And now, adio" | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 5 September 2019 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/437263/Od-svecarskih-topova-do-A-sad-adio}}</ref> On the same day, the line to [[Budapest|Pest]] was established, and at the beginning only two trains a day departed on these lines.<ref>Srpske novine, 2 September 1884</ref> Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia, Teodosije Mraović, blessed the two first locomotives. The regular traffic was established 10 days later.<ref name=adio/> Until the station was finished, a small building in front of it functioned as a temporary facility (ticket booths, administration, etc.). On that spot, today is exhibited a steam locomotive, just in front of the building.<ref name="Politika"/> The fully finished station became operational on 21 September 1885.<ref name=obnova/>
At the time, the central section of the building was occupied by the offices of the station's personnel, [[telephone exchange]], [[telegraph]], cashier boxes, wardrobes and police offices. The left wing of the station was adapted into the royal waiting room, while the right one was for the regular passenger. In this section there were also restaurants, while the upper floor was occupied by the living quarters for the station's employees.<ref name=adio/>
=== Later developments ===
After being completed in September 1885 and soon became the most important railway hub in this part of Europe. In 1888 it became a stop on the [[Orient Express]] route and in 1892 a ceremonial reception for [[Nikola Tesla]] was organized. The very first car in Belgrade arrived by train, via the main station, on 3 April 1903.<ref>{{cite news | author = Goran Vesić | title = Први саобраћајни знак у лику Микија Мауса | trans-title = First traffic sign was shaped like Mickey Mouse | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 5 April 2019}}</ref><ref name=zlatno>{{Citation |author= Dejan Aleksić |title= A vozovi prolaze - 133 godine |newspaper= Politika |page= 16 |language= Serbian |date= 4 September 2017 }}</ref> The first [[ice rink]] in Belgrade was built near the station in 1900.<ref>{{Citation | author = Nikola Belić | title = Led kreće, klizaljke na gotovs | trans-title = Ice is coming, ice skates, ready! | newspaper = Politika | language = sr | date = 28 November 2010 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/157901/Led-krece-klizaljke-na-gotovs}}</ref> The building originally had a gas lighting, which was later replaced with the electrical one. As it was a major consumer, it was decided that the building will have its own power generator.  A mini electrical plant was built next to the station building in 1909 and demolished in 1929, when the building of the Post Office No. 6 was built instead.<ref name=tajne/>
After the station was finished, the area to the east developed into the square which, due to its location close both to the railway and the port, served for the transshipment of the goods, especially the cereals and grains, so in time it was named ''Žitni trg'' ("Grains square"). It was also well connected with the roads which lead outside of the city. It was directly connected with the road which is today the ''Savska'' Street in the direction of the [[Mostar interchange|Mostar]] neighborhood. There, it was splitting in two directions, one to the east (later neighborhoods of [[Jatagan Mala]] and [[Prokop (Belgrade)|Prokop]]) in the direction of [[Kragujevac]] in central Serbia, and the other to the south (neighborhoods of [[Senjak]], [[Čukarica]], [[Žarkovo]]) and further to the west Serbia. The square was renamed ''Vilsonov trg'' ("Wilson's Square") after World War I, in honor of the US president [[Woodrow Wilson]] and today in named ''Savski trg'' ("Sava Square").<ref>{{ cite news | author = Dragan Perić | title = Žitni trg ispred stanice | trans-title = Grains Square in front of the station | newspaper = Politika-Magazin, No. 1077 | page = 29 | language = Serbian | date = 20 May 2018 }}</ref>
In 1924 the station was connected to [[Požarevac]], and further with eastern Serbia, while in 1928 it was connected to [[Obrenovac]] and [[Sarajevo]]. Soon after, direct connection was established with [[Dubrovnik]] and Zelenika ([[Herceg Novi]]).<ref name=zlatno/><ref name=uskrs/>
=== World War II and reconstruction ===
[[File:1941 bombardment main railway station BG.jpg|thumb|1941 bombardment]]
The building was damaged during [[World War II]]. It was hit during the [[Operation Retribution (1941)|bombing of Belgrade]], part of the German attack on Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941. Immediately after entering Belgrade, Germans constructed an improvised stationary building next to the damaged building, on the location where the [[Tito's Blue Train]] was exhibited in 1980.<ref name="tajne" /><ref name="uskrs" /> This building was constructed by the Ukrainian émigré architect Pavel Krat. The [[Modern architecture|modernist]] building was known for the narrow corridor which allowed for the agents of the [[Gestapo]] and [[Belgrade Special Police|Nedić's special police]] to control passengers.<ref>{{cite news | author = Goran Vesić | script-title=sr: Бела тачка на црвеном платну | trans-title = White spot on red canvas | newspaper = Politika | page = 18 | language = sr | date = 15 January 2021}}</ref> The station was further damaged during the heavy Easter Bombing, conducted by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in 1944. The building was reconstructed after the war, being fully finished in 1953. Two side towers, one of the main architectural and visual marks of the station in the direction of the Karađorđeva Street, weren't rebuilt but were completely demolished instead.<ref name="tajne" /><ref name="uskrs" />
The post-war reconstruction was headed by the Russian contractors. The clock, placed above the main entrance immediately after the opening in 1885, was also damaged. New mechanism was placed inside and the clock was returned to its original place, but the clock's decorative lace of wrought iron wasn't restored. The door at the main entrance were replaced, but the decoration from the same material as the clock's also hasn't been restored. The glass roof was completely destroyed during the war, but the Russian opted for a built roof instead for restoring the original, glass one. Above the clock, in the [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] there was a coat of arms of the Kingdom of Serbia, held by sculptured, stone winged lions ([[gryphons]]. Above this composition, the Roman numerals MDCCCLXXXIV, marking the year of 1884, were written over the [[architrave]]. New Communist authorities took down the royal coat of arms immediately after taking over after World War II. The stone lions and the [[Cartouche (design)|cartouche]], the decorative round shield around them, were removed later and disappeared after a while. The late 2010s plans for the reconstruction include the restoration of the coat of arms, but none of the other destroyed or removed parts of the building.<ref name=sat>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Ponovo kuca orijentir za vreme| trans-title = Time teller ticking again | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = Serbian | date = 27 July 2019 | url = http://www.politika.co.rs/sr/clanak/434567/Beograd/Ponovo-kuca-orijentir-za-vreme}}</ref>
The coat of arms composition on the tympanum (''fronton'') was {{convert|3.9|m|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|1.15|m|abbr=on}} tall. It was reconstructed in 2019 and made of metal core covered with clay, which is used to make the plaster cast. This cast was used for the new sculpture, which was made of the mix of concrete and three types of crushed [[Venčac|Aranđelovac stone]].<ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | script-title=sr: Грб с крилатим лавовима враћа се на Железничку станицу | trans-title = Coat of arms with winged lions returns to Railway station | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 27 October 2019}}</ref> The coat of arms was placed on 11 February 2020.<ref name=grifon/>
=== Post war development ===
In 1939, 23,298 trains departed from the station. In 1966, there were 60,119 trains with 6.4 million passengers. That same year, half of the international mail from [[Yugoslavia]] was shipped from the station.<ref>{{Citation | title = Rastao je na ruševinama (reprint on 20 October 2017) | trans-title = (Belgrade) rose on the ruins | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 20 October 1967 }}</ref> The "golden age" of the station were the 1970s and 1980s, when the peak of 150 trains per day was reached.<ref name=zlatno/><ref name="uskrs">{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić | title = Poslednji Vaskrs Glavne železničke stanice | trans-title = The last Easter of the Main Railway Station | newspaper = Politika | page = 16 | language = Serbian | date = 9 April 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/401633/Poslednji-Vaskrs-Glavne-zeleznicke-stanice }}</ref> Following [[Breakup of Yugoslavia]] in the early 1990s, abrupt demise of railway traffic in Serbia followed, consequences of which are felt also today. Meanwhile, construction of the new [[Belgrade railway junction]] was continued, and plans for dislocating main station to "Belgrade Center", colloquially called Prokop, became realistic.
A 1959 plan envisioned urban axis Belgrade Main Railway Station-[[Palace of Serbia|SIV Building]] ([[New Belgrade]]) as the baseline for the future development of both old and new parts of Belgrade. The area between these two points, described as "two basal foundations", was to be spanned with nine urban blocks, spreading on both sides of the Sava. Railway station itself was to preserve its function, with additional overhaul which would make it look like the largest railways stations in Europe ("large lace made of glass and steel"). Savamala was to be populated with hotels, bus station, terminus for the airport transport, megamarkets, etc. However, disliked by the group of influential architects, in the future development the envisioned urban tissue was effectively "cut" in its Savamala section by the new projects, and almost nothing of the planned has done.<ref>{{cite news | author = Radmila Stanković | script-title=sr: Интервју - Александар Стјепановић, архитекта: Данас нема дијалога, данас влада један човек | trans-title = Interview - Aleksandar Stjepanović, architect: There is no dialogue today, today one man rules | newspaper = [[NIN (magazine)|NIN]], No. 3573 | pages = 18–21 | language = Serbian | date = 20 June 2019}}</ref>
According to the city's general urban plan (GUP) in the 1960s, Cvetni Trg was envisioned as the location of the future central underground [[Belgrade Metro|subway station of Belgrade]], which would also replace the main railway station. The tunnels would conduct the traffic in the north to south direction. The railroad authorities opposed the project, so the plans were abandoned.<ref>{{cite news | author = Arch. Đorđe Petrović | title = Ругло или модерна метро-станица | trans-title = Eyesore or a modern subway station | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 23 July 1968}}</ref> In 1966, the [[Belgrade Bus Station]] was built, adjoining the station's complex on the north.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://rs.n1info.com/a413272/Vesti/Beograd-dobija-privremenu-autobusku-stanicu.html | author = Maja Nikolić | title = Posle železničke, u Beogradu i privremena autobuska stanica | trans-title = After the railway, Belgrade is acquiring a bus station, also a temporary one | date = 20 August 2018 | publisher = N1 | language = Serbian }}</ref> Starting with 1967, the Yugoslav Railways pursued an electrification programme, initially focusing on railways in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 31 May 1970, the Zagreb to Belgrade railway corridor was electrified, and it marked the first time when an electric railway (excluding trams and industrial railways) reached the Serbian soil.
On 25 September 1968, three steel-made bombs exploded in the station's [[cloakroom]], injuring 13 people. [[Miljenko Hrkać]], member of the [[Terrorism in Yugoslavia#Ustashe terrorism|Ustashe terrorist organization]], planted the bombs, so as earlier that year when on 13 July a bomb exploded in the cinema "20. Oktobar", which killed one and injured 86 audience members. Hrkać was later apprehended, sentenced to death and executed in 1978.<ref>{{cite news | script-title=sr: Диверзант из биоскопа "20. Октобар" у рукама органа наших власти | trans-title = Diversionist from the cinema "20. Oktobar" apprehended by our authorities | newspaper = Politika (reprint on 13 June 2019) | language = Serbian | date = 13 June 1969}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Tanjug | script-title=sr: Подигнута оптужница против Миљенка Хркаћа | trans-title = Charges filed against Miljenko Hrkać | newspaper = Politika (reprint from 22 August 1969) | page = 23 | language = Serbian | date = 22 August 2019}}</ref>
=== Closing ===
Gradual moving of trains to the new station began in the early 2016. In December 2017, all but two national trains were dislocated to "Belgrade Center".<ref name="RTS"/>
Problems arose immediately. The Prokop is still not finished, has no station building and a proper access road and public transportation connections with the rest of the city. Additionally, it has no facilities for loading and unloading cars from the auto trains, nor was ever planned to have one. Still, in January 2018 it was announced that the station will be completely closed for traffic on 1 July 2018, even though none of the projects needed for a complete removal of the railway traffic are finished. The Prokop is incomplete, a projected main goods station in Zemun is not being adapted at all while there is even no project on Belgrade railway beltway.<ref>{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić | title = Posle 134 godine bez vozova u Savskom amfiteatru | trans-title = No more trains in Sava amphitheater after 134 years | newspaper = Politika | pages = 01 & 16 | language = Serbian | date = 16 January 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/396502/Bez-vozova-u-Savskom-amfiteatru-posle-134-godine }}</ref>
=== After shut down ===
[[File:Железничка станица Београд главна и споменик Стефана Немање (closed Belgrade Main Railway station, 2023).jpg|thumb|Aerial view to (closed) Railway Station and monument to [[Stefan Nemanja]] on Sava Square (2023)]]
After closing, the building was removed from the possession of the state railway company and became directly administered by the state.<ref name=sat/>
The overhaul of the building was planned to start in the autumn of 2018 and to be finished in February 2020. The renovation includes the reconstruction of the façade and new decorative lights. The venue will then be transformed into the museum. The railway company wanted it to be the museum of the railway, but the government rejected the proposal straightaway, announcing the transformation into the Museum of Medieval Serbia or the Historical Museum.<ref name=obnova/> In February 2020 it was confirmed that the [[Nikola Tesla Museum]] will be relocated here from [[Krunski Venac]], instead of the previously planned location of the Old Power Plant in [[Dorćol]].<ref name=grifon>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | script-title=sr: Краљевски грб поново на свом месту | trans-title = Royal coat-of-arms on its location again | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 12 February 2020}}</ref> A few days later, the government stated that they actually didn't decide where the museum will be relocated and that it may be some completely different location.<ref>{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić, Dalibotka Mučibabić | title = Za novu adresu Muzeja Nikole Tesle u igri i treća lokacija | trans-title = Third location for the new address of the Nikola Tesla Museum | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = Serbian | date = 18 February 2020 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/448118/Za-novu-adresu-Muzeja-Nikole-Tesle-u-igri-i-treca-lokacija}}</ref> City later stated that the building will host the Museum of Nikola Tesla after all, but in September 2020 president Aleksandar Vučić said that the Museum of Medieval Serbia will be formed instead.<ref>{{cite news | author = Daliborka Mučibabić, Dejan Aleksić | title = Muzej srednjovekovne Srbije u bivšoj zgradi Železničke stanice | trans-title = Museum of Medieval Serbia in the building of the former railway station | newspaper = Politika | page = 17 | language = Serbian | date = 25 September 2020 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/463253/Muzej-srednjovekovne-Srbije-u-bivsoj-zgradi-Zeleznicke-stanice}}</ref>
Project Belgrade Waterfront envisioned a complete change of the square area in front of the building. The plans are to turn it into the plateau with a large monument to [[Stefan Nemanja]] in front of the former railway station, facing Nemanjina Street, named after him. The existing street routes will be turned into the semi-circular crossroad and the traffic will be relocated to the edge of the square. The existing roundabout of the public transportation and a memorial for the 1990-1999 war victims, placed in the 2000s, will be relocated. The existing buildings around the square will be kept, but some will change their purpose.<ref name=resenje>{{cite news | author = Daliborka Mučibabić | title = Traži se rešenje za novi Savski trg | trans-title = Quest for the solution for the new Sava Square | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 20 November 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/416202/Trazi-se-resenje-za-novi-Savski-trg}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://rs.n1info.com/a118765/Vesti/Vucic-za-spomenik-Stefanu-Nemanji.html | author = Tanjug | title = Vučić moli Beograd da podigne spomenik Stefanu Nemanji | trans-title = Vučić pleads city of Belgrade to build a monument to Stefan Nemanja | date = 15 December 2018 | publisher = [[Politika]] | language = Serbian | access-date = 9 August 2019 | archive-date = 25 November 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181125073902/http://rs.n1info.com/a118765/Vesti/Vucic-za-spomenik-Stefanu-Nemanji.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>
The size and the design of the monument to Stefan Nemanja provoked public and artistic criticism. Historian [[Predrag J. Marković]] called it the continuation of almost two decades long "[[Arkan]]ization of the monumental skyline" in Belgrade,<ref>{{cite news | author = Predrag J. Marković | title = Арканизација споменичког пејсажа | date = 9 February 2019}}</ref> while [[Rector (academia)|rector]] of the [[University of Arts in Belgrade]], Mileta Prodanović, said that the proposed project is devastating for the building of the railway station and that Belgrade is being transformed into [[Skopje 2014|Skopje]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://rs.n1info.com/Kultura/a460013/Prodanovic-o-spomeniku-Bojim-se-da-ce-Beograd-postati-novo-Skoplje.html | author = FoNet | title = Prodanović o spomeniku: Bojim se da će Beograd postati novo Skoplje | trans-title = Prodanović about the monument: I am afraid that Belgrade will become new Skopje | date = 13 February 2019 | publisher = N1 | language = Serbian | access-date = 9 August 2019 | archive-date = 9 August 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190809111003/http://rs.n1info.com/Kultura/a460013/Prodanovic-o-spomeniku-Bojim-se-da-ce-Beograd-postati-novo-Skoplje.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> President of the Academy of Architecture of Serbia, Bojan Kovačević called the project "irritation" and a part of the city administration's "fifth year of spite towards the public and profession" and "logorrheic phase of the spatial auto-goals". He criticized the bidding process as fake and farcical and pointed that important Belgrade architects boycotted the bidding, adding that we "used to laugh at Skopje".<ref>{{cite news | author = Bojan Kovaćević | title = Немања за под кулу | trans-title = Nemanja made to be under the tower | newspaper = Politika-Kulturni dodatak, year LXII, No. 45 | page = 3 | language = Serbian | date = 15–16 February 2019}}</ref> Architect Slobodan Maldini pointed to the inadequacies of the competition, including the composition and competency of the jury and a fact that the name of the winner leaked 8 days before it was officially announced. Spanish work is formally flawed as it has no documentation needed, the monument is different in appearance, size and location from the already chosen Russian sculpture. Maldini stated that the competition is a result of the greed and incompetence and described the project as "unacceptable concreting without ideas" and the sculpture as pricey and megalomaniacal.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://crystalshipghosts.blogspot.com/2019/02/flamenko-i-kazacok-vecernje-novosti-15.html | author = Slobodan Maldini | title = Flamenko i kazačok | trans-title = Flamenco and kazachok | date = 15 February 2019 | publisher = Večernje Novosti | language = Serbian}}</ref>
Reconstruction of the station's façade was announced to start in September 2019. The job was given to the "Koto" company, which is involved in another controversial project of the city government, the [[Kalemegdan Park#Gondola lift|Kalemegdan gondola lift]]. Though the price is much higher than 5 million dinars (€42,500; estimated to 240 million dinars, or €2,035,000), which means that public bidding is obligatory by law, the government gave the project in direct negotiations with the company, citing "hastiness due to the weather issues". Government and city institutions connected with the reconstruction remained silent on any further explanation of the illogicalities regarding the reconstruction: if the building was already left as it is for over a year, why the sudden hastiness; if the weather is a problem, why are the works pushed for the upcoming, winter season; lack of the public invitation to tender; who is really financing the works - the city, the government or the Belgrade Waterfront; if this was planned for several years, why are funds secured via budget reserves and not allocated previously. The deadline was set to February 2020, when the coat-of-arms was restored to the facade.<ref name=sat/><ref>{{cite news | author = Insajder.net | title = Insajder: Posao restauracije Železničke stanice dodeljen bez tendera | trans-title = Insajder: Restoration of the Railway Station awarded without tender | publisher = N1 | language = Serbian | date = 4 September 2019 | url = http://rs.n1info.com/Biznis/a522926/Posao-restauracije-Zeleznicke-stanice-dodeljen-bez-tendera.html}}</ref>
=== Deterioration ===
In November 2020, the government decided to relocate the [[Historical Museum of Serbia]] into the building, announcing the possible interior reconstruction for late 2021.<ref>{{cite news | script-title=sr: Историјски музеј Србије у згради Главне железничке станице | trans-title = Historical Museum of Serbia in the building of the Main Railway Station | newspaper = Politika | page = 13 | language = sr | date = 23 November 2020 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/467053/Istorijski-muzej-Srbije-u-zgradi-bivse-zeleznicke-stanice}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Daliborka Mučibabić | title = Stefan Nemanja čuva nacionalno blago Srbije | trans-title = Stefan Nemanja protects national treasure of Serbia | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = sr | date = 24 November 2020 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/467382/Stefan-Nemanja-cuva-nacionalno-blago-Srbije}}</ref> As it was left unkept, the interior had seriously deteriorated by June 2021. The plaster on the walls was peeled off, on some places uncovering the reed, which was used for plating at the time. The basement was flooded, the roof beams were covered in mold, and the [[Parquetry|parquet]] flooring dried and bent. Dušica Bojić, director of the Historical Museum of Serbia which took over the building on 19 November 2020, said that the situation in the building was very bad. All communal infrastructure had been ruptured, with wastewater flooding the basement. The power grid also collapsed, causing the exterior clock to stop working.<ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | script-title=sr: Стао сат на некадашњој Железничкој станици | trans-title = Clock on the former Railway station stopped | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = sr | date = 31 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Zgrada Železničke stanice čeka obnovu i prelazak u muzej | trans-title = Railway station's building awaits reconstruction and adaptation into the museum | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = sr | date = 7 June 2021 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/480763/Zgrada-Zeleznicke-stanice-ceka-obnovu-i-prelazak-u-muzej}}</ref> All three exterior clocks (main entrance, side entrance, inner platform entrance) were then removed in August 2021, and their analog mechanisms were replaced with digital ones. The hands of the face clocks were replaced with lighter ones, while the GPS antenna and solar panels have been placed above the main entrance.<ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | script-title=sr: Мења се "срце" сатова са Главне железничке станице | trans-title = "Hearts" of the clocks on the Main railway station are being replaced | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = sr | date = 19 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Ponovo kucaju satovi na staroj Železničkoj stanici | trans-title = Old railway station clocks ticking again | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = sr | date = 25 August 2021 | url = https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/486184/Ponovo-kucaju-satovi-na-staroj-Zeleznickoj-stanici}}</ref>
The Minister for Culture, [[Maja Gojković]], announced in February 2022 that the reconstruction of the building would start in July 2022, and would be finished in November 2023.<ref>{{cite news | author =  Daliborka Mučibabić | title = Priprema zdanja za Istorijski muzej Srbije od jula | trans-title = Preparations for History Museum of Serbia starts in july | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = sr | date = 8 February 2021 | url = https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/499069/Priprema-zdanja-za-Istorijski-muzej-Srbije-od-jula}}</ref> By July 2022, the inner yard where the former platforms were, was littered with garbage, resembling a dump.<ref>{{cite news | author = FoNet | title = Nekadašnja glavna železnička stanica u Beogradu postala – smetlište | trans-title = Former main railway station in Belgrade became a dump | publisher = N1 | language = sr | date = 6 July 2022 | url = https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/nekadasnja-glavna-zeleznicka-stanica-u-beogradu-postala-smetliste/}}</ref> Derelict, partially flooded, and covered in overgrowth and waste, former station was labeled the Belgrade's "greatest abomination and shame".<ref>{{cite news | author = Pavle Ivković | title = Više nema dileme: Ovo je najveće ruglo i sramota Beograda | trans-title = No more doubt: This is the greatest abomination and shame of Belgrade | work = N1 | language = sr | date = 7 July 2022 | url = https://nova.rs/vesti/drustvo/vise-nema-dileme-ovo-je-najvece-ruglo-i-sramota-beograda-foto/}}</ref> The garbage continued to pile up, including in the building itself. The smell became unbearable as dead animals were also left at the dump, too. Both the new museum administration and the Ministry of Culture claim to have pleaded with the government for months to solve the problem, but to no avail. In September 2022, city communal services cleaned the inside of the building and the area adjoining the building but left the piles of garbage on the former platforms and tracks, claiming it is on the land of Belgrade Waterfront. The authorities blamed homeless people and [[2015 European migrant crisis|migrants]] for creating the dump.<ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Beskućnici i migranti ostavljaju smeće u Istorijskom muzeju na Savskom trgu | trans-title = Homeless people and migrant leave garbage in the History Museum in Sava Square | newspaper = Politika | page = 17 | language = sr | date = 28 September 2022 | url = https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/tik-uz-beograd-na-vodi-deponija-zaraza-vreba-sa-stare-zeleznicke-stanice/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Tamara Urošević | title = Tik uz Beograd na vodi – deponija, zaraza "vreba" sa stare Železničke stanice | trans-title = Right next to Belgrade Waterfront - diseases threatening from the old Railway station | publisher = N1 | language = sr | date = 27 September 2022 | url = https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/tik-uz-beograd-na-vodi-deponija-zaraza-vreba-sa-stare-zeleznicke-stanice/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = N1 Beograd | title = Ministarstvo: Apelovali smo da se ogradi bivša železnička stanica i reši problem | trans-title = Ministry: We appealed to solve the problem by placing a fence around former railway station | publisher = N1 | language = sr | date = 27 September 2022 | url = https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/ministarstvo-apelovali-smo-da-se-ogradi-bivsa-zeleznicka-stanica-i-resi-problem/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = FoNet | title = Očišćen prostor u Železničkoj stanici, ali ostalo smetlište u Beogradu na vodi | trans-title = Area cleaned in the Railway station building, but dump remained in Belgrade Waterfront | publisher = N1 | language = sr | date = 28 September 2022 | url = https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/ociscen-prostor-u-zeleznickoj-stanici-ali-ostalo-smetliste-u-beogradu-na-vodi/}}</ref> The Belgrade Waterfront company started to remove the garbage in October 2022.<ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Počelo uklanjanje otpada iza zgrade Železničke stanice | trans-title = Removal of the garbage behind the Railway station started | newspaper = Politika | page = 16 | language = sr | date = 12 October 2022}}</ref>
Only a smaller quantity of the garbage was removed, leaving large piles. By November 2022, the interior was damaged by fires, presumably lit by the homeless and migrants, as the building is basically left to the elements. At this time, it was announced that the funding for the reconstruction was secured.<ref>{{cite news | author = FoNet | title = U zgradi bivše glavne železničke stanice vidljivi tragovi požara | trans-title = Damage from fire visible in the building of the former main railway station | publisher = N1 | language = sr | date = 9 November 2022 | url = https://rs.n1info.com/vesti/u-zgradi-bivse-glavne-zeleznicke-stanice-vidljivi-tragovi-pozara/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = Obezbeđena sredstva za obnovu nekadašnje Železničke stanice | trans-title = Secured funding for the renovation of the former railway station | newspaper = Politika | page = 15 | language = sr | date = 28 November 2022 | url = https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/526792/Obezbedena-sredstva-za-obnovu-nekadasnje-Zeleznicke-stanice}}</ref>
== Criticism of shut down ==
[[File:3 Belgrade Waterfront 090916.jpg|thumb|Belgrade Waterfront ad in front of the station]]
The complete removal of the railway traffic and the total shut down of the station, planned for 1 July 2018,<ref>{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić | title = Bez vozova u Savskom amfiteatru posle 134 godine | trans-title = No trains anymore in the Sava amphitheater after 134 years | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 15 January 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/396502/Bez-vozova-u-Savskom-amfiteatru-posle-134-godine }}</ref> has been met with the opposition from experts and the public, especially the notion that it has been hastily done because of the controversial Belgrade Waterfront project,<ref name="adio" /><ref>{{cite news | author = Karlo Polak | title = Besmisleno je ukinuti železničku stanicu | trans-title = Shutting down the railway station is meaningless | newspaper = Politika | page = 12 | language = Serbian | date = 13 April 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/401859/Pogledi/Besmisleno-je-ukinuti-zeleznicku-stanicu }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bilten.org/?p=22886 | author = Nemanja Pantović | title = Prokop ili kopanje groba za železnicu | trans-title = Prokop or digging the grave for the railway | date = 19 March 2018 | publisher = Regionalni portal Bilten.org | language = Serbian }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/gasenje-glavne-stanice-stetno-za-putnike-i-grad/ | author = DanasOnline | title = Gašenje Glavne stanice štetno za putnike i grad | trans-title = Closing of the Main station is harmful for the passengers and the city | date = 18 January 2018 | publisher = [[Danas (newspaper)|Danas]] | language = Serbian }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.blic.rs/vesti/beograd/opusteo-simbol-beograda-glavna-zeleznicka-stanica-danas-izgleda-ovako/q3cr18h | author = N.Govoruša | title = Opusteo simbol Beograda: Glavna železnička stanica danas izgleda ovako | trans-title = Symbol of Belgrade became deserted: this is what the Belgrade Main railway station looks like today | date = 7 January 2018 | publisher = [[Blic]] | language = Serbian }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić | title = Raštrkane stanice i slaba veza sa javnim prevozom | trans-title = Scattered station and weak connection to the public transport | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 19 June 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/405767/Rastrkane-stanice-i-slaba-veza-sa-javnim-prevozom }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Aleksandra Kurteš | title = Čekajući voz uz teleću čorbicu | trans-title = Waiting for the train while eating beef soup | newspaper = Politika | page = 16 | language = Serbian | date = 20 June 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/405840/Cekajuci-voz-uz-telecu-corbicu-FOTO }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.danas.rs/beograd/centar-ostao-bez-vozova-kraj-izgradnje-prokopa-ni-na-vidiku/ | author =  I. Nikoletić, A. Popović | title = Centar ostao bez vozova, kraj izgradnje "Prokopa" ni na vidiku | trans-title = Center without trains, Prokop's construction nowhere near to be finished | date = 19 June 2018 | publisher = Danas | language = Serbian }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Aleksandra Pavićević| title = Нажалост, (пре)познајемо се | trans-title = Unfortunately, we know (recognize) us | newspaper = Politika-Kulturni dodatak, Year LXII, No. 13 | pages = 06–07 | language = Serbian | date = 7 July 2018}}</ref> while some openly doubt that the investors from the United Arab Emirates really asked for this to happen and that it is all part of a "special story".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://novaekonomija.rs/tekstovi/poslednji-voz-za-evropu- | author = Aleksandar Žič | title = Zašto je zatvorena beogradska železnička stanica - Poslednji voz za Evropu | trans-title = Why is Belgrade railway station closed - Last train to Europe | date = July–August 2018 | publisher = Nova Ekonomija, No. 52 | language = Serbian }}</ref> As of June 2018, it was estimated that in the best case scenario Prokop would become a fully functional station, with all necessary and supporting services, only by 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.danas.rs/ekonomija/gradjani-ce-se-zbog-arapa-muciti-da-dodju-do-voza/ | author = G.Vlaović | title = Građani će se zbog Arapa mučiti da dođu do voza | trans-title = Because of the Arabs, citizens will have hard time reaching the train | date = 21 June 2018 | publisher = Danas | language = Serbian }}</ref>
[[File:Belgrade railway station after closing, 2019 05.jpg|thumb|250px|Demolition of the platforms underway by 17 February 2019]]
Member of the [[Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts]] and public transportation expert [[Vukan Vučić]] described the closing of the station and its transfer to Prokop as the "most disastrous error of the Belgrade transportation". Citing numerous disadvantages of the new station, he asserted that the old, Main station is better suited for the railway traffic and that it should be kept. Main station is interconnected through the public transportation lines with almost all parts of Belgrade, and only 6 tram lines go to 11 parts of the city. The location is much better and, as Belgrade grew around it, most urban life unfolds around it. He disputed the claim of the city administration that the railway prevents the city from being able to "come out on the river banks" as the removal only of the tracks which are not in use will do the trick. The station will be of major importance for the future [[Belgrade Metro]] and that Prokop in functional terms is not a station at all; with the closing of the Main station, central Belgrade would not have a proper railway station. Vučić concluded that the interests of investors take precedence over those of commuters. He also maintains that the isolation of the new station's location will cause a further decrease in the number of railway passengers. Another member of the Academy, transportation engineer Dušan Teodorović, also criticized the project.<ref name="danas">{{cite web | url = https://www.danas.rs/beograd/prokop-najkatastrofalnija-greska-saobracaja-u-beogradu/ | author = A.Popović | title = Prokop najkatastrofalnija greška saobraćaja u Beogradu | trans-title = Prokop (is) the most disastrous error of the Belgrade transportation | date = 18 April 2018 | publisher = [[Danas (newspaper)|Danas]] | language = Serbian }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author = Dejan Aleksić, Daliborka Mučibabić | title = Plan za metro u interesu putnika, a ne investitora | trans-title = Plan for the metro (should be) in the interest of the passengers, not of the investors | newspaper = Politika | page = 14 | language = Serbian | date = 18 April 2018 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/402152/Plan-za-metro-u-interesu-putnika-a-ne-investitora }}</ref>
Nenad Kecman, executive manager of the [[Serbian Railways]], stated that none of the objections or suggestions by experts from the railway transportation branch were adopted by the city administration. The new system will marginalize railway transportation, he added, claiming that the professionals are against both the closing of the station, as the entire city gravitates to it, and the planned demolition or adaptation into a pedestrian bridge of the [[Old Railway Bridge]]. Saying that such a luxurious complex like the planned Belgrade Waterfront cannot function without some kind of a railway system, especially for connecting it to the airport, the experts insisted on keeping the old station in at least a diminished capacity, but the city refused that, claiming that the investors from the United Arab Emirates, who are partners in the Belgrade Waterfront project, rejected any idea of a railway.<ref name=danas/>
Architect Bojan Kovačević, president of the Academy of Architecture of Serbia, labeled the hastiness in pushing the Belgrade Waterfront agenda - like the closing of the Main Railway Station even though the new railway facilities weren't finished - as the "raping" of Belgrade.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://rs.n1info.com/a397085/Biznis/Izmestanje-Glavne-zeleznicke-6-meseci-pre-roka-zasto-se-zuri.html | author = Jelena D. Petrović | title = Izmeštanje Glavne železničke 6 meseci pre roka - što se žuri | trans-title = Relocation of the main railway station 6 months before deadline - what's the hurry? | date = 17 June 2018 | publisher = N1 | language = Serbian }}</ref> Smaller protests against the shut down were organized in the final period, including the day of the closing.<ref name=kaput/>
== Architecture and protection ==
[[File:Belgrade Railway Station.jpg|thumb|250px |Main entrance by night]]
The building is constructed in the fashion of railway stations of major European countries and is a monumental edifice.<ref name="beogradskonasledje.rs"/> The project was drafted by the Austrian architect {{ill| Wilhelm von Flattich|de}}, while the definite elaboration of the project was done by [[Dragiša Milutinović]]. The contractors were the companies of Neischloss and Freind.<ref name=obnova/>
At the time of the construction, the building represented one of the most monumental buildings and the symbols of royal capital of the time. It is one of the first railway stations in Serbia, whose design included a specific architectural program and contents adapted to European technical achievements. It is designed in the style of academism, as a representative edifice, with a dynamic floor plan. The central classicist projection of the main entrance with the triangular tympanum dominates over the architectural composition. With its specific solutions, the building stands as proof of the technical and architectural development of Serbia in the last decades of the 19th century.
On 10 April 1984, a [[Tito's Blue Train]] steam locomotive (1947-1978) was put on open display next to the railway station entrance. It was produced in 1947 in the "[[MÁVAG]]" factory in Budapest and was declared a memorial under the administration of the Railway Museum as the only one of its kind in Serbia.<ref name=propast>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = "Plava lokomotiva" nezaustavljivo propada | trans-title = "Blue locomotive" deteriorates unstoppably | newspaper = Politika | language = sr | date = 26 October 2023 | url = https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/580418/Plava-lokomotiva-nezaustavljivo-propada}}</ref> With all the changes regarding the station building and the Sava Square, in February 2022 it was announced that it will be relocated behind the building, on the track No. 1.<ref>{{cite news | author = Branka Vasiljević | title = "Plavu lokomotivu" čeka preseljenje sa Savskog trga | trans-title = "Blue locomotive" awaits relocation from the Sava Square | newspaper = Politika | language = sr | date = 28 February 2023 | url = https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/500737/Plavu-lokomotivu-ceka-preseljenje-sa-Savskog-trga}}</ref> By October 2023 the locomotive was not removed and was left to the elements, deteriorating a lot.<ref name=propast/>
The building was declared a cultural monument in 1981, and a cultural monument of great importance in 1983.<ref name=obnova/>
== See also ==
* [[Belgrade railway junction]]
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
== External links ==
{{commons category-inline|Belgrade Main railway station}}
{{Transport in Belgrade}}
[[Category:Railway stations in Belgrade|Main]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Serbia opened in 1884]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Serbia closed in 2018]]
[[Category:Cultural Monuments of Great Importance (Serbia)]]