1937 • Old Fairground

Spasić Pavilion

A witness to the rise and suffering of Belgrade

The first at the Fairground

When, in the late 1930s, Belgrade began building its first fairground complex on the left bank of the Sava, the Nikola Spasić Endowment was among the first to respond to the call to build. Thus in 1937 the first building of the new fairground arose – the Spasić Pavilion.

Designed in the spirit of the modern architecture of the time, circular in form with a dominant dome, the pavilion was a symbol of the Endowment's economic strength and of its contribution to the development of trade and the economy of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

The Spasić Pavilion at the Fairground — The pavilion at the Old Fairground from the time of the fairground's founding

From fairground to camp and art

The history of this building is turbulent and tragic. During the Second World War, the Fairground was turned into a Nazi camp (Judenlager Semlin), and the pavilions became places of suffering for thousands of Jews, Roma and Serbs. During that dark period the Spasić Pavilion served as the camp hospital.

After the war, the building was given a new purpose and became a home for artists. The Nikola Spasić Endowment today strives to preserve the memory of this great benefactor, even though the Fairground complex itself has gone through decades of neglect.

Benefactor

Nikola Spasić

Serbian Nobel

Key Facts

Built: 1937
Architect: Aleksandar Sekulić
Location: Old Fairground
Purpose: Exhibition pavilion
Status: Cultural monument

Find on the map

At a glance

Year1937

LocationStaro Sajmište, Belgrade

TypeBuilding

BenefactorNikola Spasić

Nikola Spasić On the map Nikola Spasić Belgrade Timeline

Literature and sources

This list is for further reading and verification. Online sources were checked on 30 September 2026; books and medieval sources are recommended reading, not sources for individual statements on this page.