# Toblerone, Karaburma

Karaburma Residential Housing Tower or Toblerone (Serbian Cyrillic: Тоблероне, romanized: Toblerone) is a popular name for an apartment building located in the eastern part of the Serbian capital Belgrade, in the Karaburma district. The brutalist skyscraper is located at 9 Mija Kovačević Street. The Omladinski Stadium and the Orthodox Theological Faculty are located nearby; this city district is called Bogoslovija.

## Name

Locals often refer to this unusual tower block as the Toblerone Tower (Serbian Cyrillic: Кула Тоблероне, romanized: Kula Toblerone), which is said to derive from the triangular shapes incorporated into the tower's design; the building was named after the popular Toblerone a Swiss chocolate, which is characterized by a particularly original design - just like the building itself is something truly original and angular.
The residents of the nearby student dormitory »Karaburma«, in addition to New Cemetery, also call this strange building "Mace-wielding" or "Prince Marko' mace"; less well-known nicknames are "Profesor woman" and "Hedgehog" - all of which points to the inexhaustible popular imagination and also the unique originality of this skyscraper.
In English, this skyscraper is officially called Karaburma residential housing tower.

## Unusual skyscraper
### Residential building & observation tower

The tallest building in Karaburma is therefore a residential tower, which could be called a skyscraper without exaggeration, as it is much taller than the famous Nebotičnik in Slovenian capital of Ljubljana and also has four more floors, i.e. seventeen.
It was designed by the architect Risto Šekerinski; started in 1960 and completed in 1963 it is located at 9 Mija Kovačević Street next to the Orthodox Theology, which is part of the University of Belgrade. This is definitely the most important point of Karaburma and perhaps even the entire Palilula Municipality, as it rises right next to the Pančevo Bridge, which connects Serbia proper with Vojvodina; at the same time, its peak is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the wider Belgrade area.
Simple people say that it is not very pleasant to live near a heavy traffic junction. Academician and university professor Vitez, also lived on the 11th floor and he became seriously ill. His parents were conscious Slovenes; they had to flee from the fascists after the World War I from Trieste and found a hospitable reception - like many other Slovene Littora inhabitants - right here in Belgrade. If a person is young and healthy, it doesn't matter to them at all; but if he is sick or old, an elevator is invaluable - both to them and to other residents. There are many high-rise buildings here in Belgrade in which patients or old persons also live - without elevators. Therefore, the great advantage of this building is that it has two elevators.
Brutalism is a style that is somewhat repulsive to the artistic taste of today's people and is hardly found anywhere else. Nevertheless, in its time, this was a magnificent building where scientists lived - the most excellent lecturers, academics and professors of the University of Belgrade; in addition, each room had its own telephone at a time when they were still extremely rare. At that time, there were neither mobile phones nor smartphones; in fact, the telephone was a real rarity; in 1969, Toblerone had 104 connections installed, as this building was conceived as a magnificent residential tower for Belgrade university. The entire building is circular inside, has two elevators and triangular terraces.
At first glance, one gets the impression that several important institutions are piled up in one location: an important roundabout, then a skyscraper, behind it in the traditional - and therefore completely different - medieval Serbian style "The Orthodox Theological Faculty of Belgrade "Sveti Sava"; on the other side of the road is the famous - but unfortunately dilapidated – stadium OFK Beograd. If we add that nearby - a little further down on the same street - there is also a department of "Hospital Mother and Child". Let's also add that the Slovenian furniture company "Lesnina" also had a warehouse right under the hospital, then the picture of the unusual - but still very important neighborhood - will be almost complete.
Some locals believe that this tall tower block right next to the seminary during the reign of godless Tito's communism grew with the intention of hiding the religious building from the view of believers and travelers coming from afar. Many Orthodox theologians can now be real "gentlemen" in the well-maintained and enlarged building, - the Catholic Church also helped with its restoration. Now for students with selected lecturers and in suitable housing, have open opportunities for scientific and religious development and progress. But it was not so before, when under Yugoslav socialism they had to squeeze into small and poor rooms near the St. Michael's Cathedral, where mice also found their way. near Kalemegdan
Interestingly, in December 2024, the Theologians from the neighboring Bogoslovija also joined the "student blockades" after a decision at a plenary session, and thus the entire Belgrade University went on strike against the fifteen-year-old Vučič's rule.; these students anti-corruption protests are clearly becoming more and more widespread. Some have declared the protests to be "the biggest student-led movement in Europe since 1968".

### Among the ugliest and funniest buildings in Belgrade

This unusual 17-story tower block has recently been "honored" to be included among the "five ugliest buildings in Belgrade".
For many today, this is an "ugly building" - for some, even the "ugliest"; however, this skyscraper with a hexagonal base received an extraordinary award for excellent architectural design at the time of its construction. The static calculation for the erection of the tallest reinforced concrete structure in this section made of prestressed concrete was carried out by engineer Romić, the renowned author of the textbook »Betonske konstrukcije« (»Concrete Structures«) in two parts.

### Completely original work of authorship

Some people consider this building – due to its truly unusual chocolate name, which is only one of the names – to be among the ten funniest buildings in Belgrade. Whether it is ugly or funny – we must admit that it is indeed, in many respects, a completely original work of authorship that has not found its equal to this day.
Among the records it holds, it is also listed among the ten unusual; or among the seven most unusual Belgrade buildings.
It is therefore surprising that, despite so many good articles describing Belgrade and its buildings in Serbian or Croatian, there is not (yet) one about the Toblerone Tower on Wikipedia.

### Toblerone II

There is another similar building in Belgrade, which is called "Toblerone II"; this is because it is quite similar to the "real" Toblerone next to the Theological Seminary, the New Cemetery and the OFK stadium of Karaburma; however, this building also has another "affectionate" name, and it is also called the "Single Hotel": (Serbian Cyrillic: Самачки хотел, romanized: Samački hotel) the first name is for its shape, the second for its purpose. This building is located in the old center of Belgrade – in Dorćol.

### Brutalist art lovers

It is incredible how much interest and admiration for brutalist architecture in general - and especially for the Yugoslavian direction, which is still receiving extraordinary emphasis in a significant part of Belgradian - is shown by random visitors, travelers and experts or construction enthusiasts who today forward their observations online to their followers or friends; the responses show that they enthusiastically review their thorough reports, complete with original photos, in which our controversial Toblerone receives a flattering assessment.

#### Toblerone – Karaburma Housing Tower Building

    This residential building looks like a Toblerone chocolate is a must to see for all the fans of brutalist architecture! It’s impressive to see how far the imagination of the architects could go and how funky structures were built from the concrete. I only wish to see how the flats with triangle shapes look like inside.
Over time, brutalist art is becoming more and more interesting; one of the reasons is probably its slow disappearance, because such buildings are by no means easy prey for restorers. It has turned out that its skeleton - reinforced concrete - is simply not as durable and resistant to external influences as was thought when it was invented - because its shortcomings become increasingly apparent only after a certain amount of time has passed. Therefore, not only such works of art - often, unfortunately, also "more beautiful" examples of classicism and other types, instead of expensive renovation, the owners of such buildings simply demolish them and build some building in a different style or even without any artistic value. Thus, we read in the responses to the reports mentioned here that the famous Sava Center, built in the brutalist style, has come into private hands and that they have begun to restore it on their own. Vučič, actual president, did not have it renovated, but had the Hotel Jugoslavija demolished, where a new, glass building was to be built as part of the planned and partially implemented Belgrade on the Water.
Despite some demolitions or radical renovations, much of this unique art remains intact, original and interesting.
| Edificio Toblerone (Torre de Viviendas Karaburma) | Toblerone Building (Karaburma Residential Tower) in Karaburma) |
| La Torre de Viviendas Karaburma o el Edificio Toblerone este edificio residencial, que se asemeja al famoso chocolate Toblerone, es una interesante visita para los aficionados a la arquitectura brutalista. El Edificio Toblerone es un ejemplo fascinante de la creatividad arquitectónica y una muestra de cómo el estilo brutalista puede cautivar la atención. Si te encuentras en la zona, no dudes en admirar esta joya única y capturar su singularidad con tu cámara. | The Karaburma Residential Tower or the Toblerone Building – this residential building, which resembles the famous Toblerone chocolate, is an interesting visit for fans of brutalist architecture. The Toblerone Building is a fascinating example of architectural creativity and a showcase of how the brutalist style can captivate attention. If you are in the area, do not hesitate to admire this unique gem and capture its uniqueness with your camera. |