Yugoslav Ministry of Defence

The Yugoslav Ministry of Defence (Serbian: Savezni Sekretarijat za Narodnu Odbranu - SSNO) was the governmental department responsible for defending the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from internal and external military threats. The building of the Ministry of Defence, which was considered to be a masterpiece of post-war architecture, was bombed on 7th May 1999 during Operation Allied Force.

The building was built in 1963 and it was designed by Serbian architect, Nikola Dobrović. The building is divided by Nemanjina Street and the design of the building is meant to resemble a canyon of the Sutjeska river (where one of the most significant battles of the WWII in Yugoslavia was fought), with the street as a river divided the two sides. Nemanjina street, coming up the hill from the main railway station to the city, passes between the two parts of the building as a symbolic gate.

The building is today Belgrade’s most famous ruin. The reconstruction is not planned.