More than five million items of material, precious medieval manuscripts, old and rare books, and valuable legacies kept by the National Library of Serbia (NBS) are threatened because an underground garage is being built on the Svetosavra Plateau, next to the NBS building.
It extends along the entire length of the building along Skerlićeva Street.
Construction without NBS approval
The construction of the garage began in August, and before that, two hundred-year-old oak trees were cut down. The contractor is WD Concord West,
The construction of the underground garage is part of the reconstruction of the plateau in front of the Temple, whose investor is the Serbian Orthodox Church, with the help of the Government of Serbia. It will spread over three underground levels and a total area of almost 12.000 m2.
Employees of the National Library request that "an additional assessment of the construction project for the construction of an underground garage, as well as the risk to the static stability of the Library building, the prospect of long-term subsidence of the ground, possible damage to the building and the consequent penetration of water into the underground depot of the NBS" should be carried out.
They remind that the Library "did not give consent in principle for the construction of the garage", based on "additional expert opinions" that it requested a quarter of a century ago. They emphasize that the construction of the underground garage began "without public discussion and consent of the NBS".
Security
Also, "from 2022, the implementation of the expansion project of the Library's depot for book storage is expected, which was carried out by the same architectural team that worked on the underground garage project, headed by academician and professor Branislav Mitrović, but the necessary expansion of the library depot in the direction of Nebojšina Street, despite official and media announcements, never started".
Due to the works on the garage, NBS has lost its parking lot and entrance plateau, which makes it difficult for vehicles for regular delivery of books, fire and emergency services to access the building, the evacuation system is closed, and the heating system is at risk.
"The integral staircase and curb of the building were destroyed, cracks on the terrace are also noticeable, even though the NBS building is a cultural monument and the surrounding trees were completely cut down."
They ask "whether the construction of an underground garage on three levels, next to the foundations of the Library and near the Temple of St. Sava, is the best urban planning, construction and traffic solution" and emphasize "we don't have another national library".
