4/5 Jaroslav M. 3 years ago on Google
Just
west
of
Sarajevo's
city
center
along
the
south
banks
of
the
Miljacka
River
is
the
Skenderija
Center,
which
was
used
as
one
of
the
primary
venues
of
the
city's
1984
Winter
Olympic
Games.
However,
this
venue
was
not
one
built
exclusively
for
this
Olympics,
but
was
instead
a
pre-existing
indoor
arena
retro-fitted
with
new
features
and
amenities
to
suit
the
needs
of
Olympic
events.
The
Skendarija
Center
was
originally
conceived
in
the
late
1950s
to
stand
as
Sarajevo's
first
significant
indoor
arena
and
large
exhibition
space.
The
spot
chosen
for
the
new
arena
was
the
site
of
the
former
bazaar
established
along
the
Miljacka
in
1499
by
nobleman
Skender
Paša,
as
well
as
a
mosque
which
also
built
on
this
site
by
his
son
Mustafa
in
1518.
While
the
mosque
collapsed
in
1935,
the
remaining
minaret
was
demolished
in
1960
to
make
way
for
this
new
sports
arena.
The
architect
team
of
Živorad
Jovanović
&
Halid
Muhasilović
won
the
commission
to
construct
their
design
for
this
complex,
which
consisted
of
several
event
halls
and
cultural
spaces
placed
around
a
central
square.
All
of
the
structures
were
built
in
bare
concrete
which
were
crafted
in
a
hybrid
mix
of
architectural
styles,
with
hints
of
Internationalism,
Modernism
and
Brutalism,
which
all
came
together
to
create
a
structure
that
was
distinctively
"Yugoslav"
in
style.
The
unveiling
of
this
new
arena
complex,
which
was
named
the
Skenderija
Centar,
occurred
in
1969
on
Republic
Day
[November
29th],
which
was
presided
over
by
Yugoslav
President
Jozip
Broz
Tito
himself
and
was
then
followed
by
the
premiere
screening
of
the
new
Yugoslav
Partisan
war
film
titled
"The
Battle
of
Neretva".
Soon
after
opening,
Skendarija's
architects
Jovanović
&
Muhasilović
won
the
"BORBA"
award
for
excellence
in
architecture,
which
was
the
highest
professional
award
for
architecture
in
Yugoslavia.
Over
the
following
years
before
the
Olympics,
the
Skenderija
Center
was
used
for
a
variety
of
events,
most
notably
the
6th
Congress
of
the
League
of
Communists
of
BiH
in
1973.
The
first
photo
in
this
series
shows
the
Skenderija
Center
decorated
for
this
event,
with
a
huge
picture
of
Tito
front
and
center.
The
Skenderija
Center
is
composed
of
three
primary
buildings,
the
central
one
being
the
Central
Hall
(today
called
the
Mirza
Delibašić
Hall),
the
Sports
Hall
(today
called
the
Ledena
Hall)
and
lastly
the
Youth
Hall.
The
name
of
the
whole
complex
"Skendarija"
is
named
after
Skender
Paša,
which
essentially
translates
as
"Skender's
Place".
The
first
major
sports
event
to
be
held
here
at
Skenderija
was
the
the
International
Table
Tennis
Championship
in
1969,
with
basketball,
handball
and
boxing
matches
also
held
here
over
the
following
years.
However,
when
Sarajevo
won
the
bid
to
host
the
Winter
Olympics
in
1977,
planning
officials
realized
that
major
expansions
of
Skendarija
would
need
to
be
made
to
accommodate
the
massive
number
of
attendees,
with
the
main
hall
being
increased
to
hold
up
to
6,000
spectators.
In
addition,
a
press
center
and
a
new
state-of-the-art
ice
rink
was
built
as
well,
with
the
latter
hosted
Olympic
events
for
hockey
and
figure
skating.
After
the
Olympics,
the
Skenderija
Centar
resumed
its
operation
as
a
local
sports,
cultural
and
entertainment
venue.
During
the
Bosnian
War
and
the
Seige
of
Sarajevo,
the
Skenderija
Centar
suffered
considerable
damage,
most
notably
with
the
shelling
of
the
Youth
Hall.
The
UN
subsequently
used
much
of
the
space
in
and
around
Skenderija
as
a
staging
grounds
for
humanitarian
relief
and
supplies.
Restoration
work
began
on
the
complex
in
2000
and
was
not
fully
completed
until
2006.
This
restoration
was
accompanied
by
the
inclusion
of
an
underground
shopping
center
beneath
the
main
plaza.
However,
tragedy
struck
the
Skenderija
Centar
again
in
2012
when
heavy
snowfall
collapsed
the
roof
of
the
Ledena
Hall.
This
damage
was
repaired
in
2016.
Despite
these
changes
and
setbacks,
Skenderija
has
continued
to
be
used
a
venue
for
sports,
cultural
and
entertainment
events.
The
complex
now
is
even
home
to
several
art
galleries
and
nightclubs.
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