Reconstruction, Renovation and Adaptation of the Central Tower in the Staro Sajmište Complex in Belgrade

The central exhibition pavilion of the first Belgrade Fair is a striking visual landmark of the modern fairgrounds built in the late 1930s on the left bank of the Sava. A number of major historical events have significantly altered the character of the entire space, influencing the fate of the exhibition pavilions. From its original use as a fairground complex, through a wartime camp and a hub of avant-garde art, to its current memorial purpose, numerous changes have left a visible mark on the central tower. The multi-layered values of the building - architectural, urban, cultural-historical, social, and especially memorial, due to the horror of the crimes that occurred at the site - sublimate the importance of its preservation and longevity. In the context of the recently completed restoration, renovation and adaptation of the central tower, the paper presents the multidisciplinary approach that the design and conservation team adopted in the development of the project and the execution of the works, as well as the efforts to record, document, utilize and apply all new knowledge about the changes that the object has been subjected to during its existence throughout the process of renovation of it and its immediate surroundings, as well as the future reconstruction of several preserved fair pavilions.