Press Cafe, Haus des Berliner Verlags,
Berlin-Mitte, Germany,
built between 1970–1973
architect: Karl-Ernst Swora, Rainer Hanslik, Günter Derdau with Waldemar Seifert, Gerhard Voss.
Mural by Willi Neubert displaying the Marxist view of the press
(c) BACU / Photo by Dumitru RUSU
#socialistmodernism #brutgroup #utilitarianarchitecture
Frozen in time, scarred by history.
This haunting shell was once Architect Ahmed Džuvić’s modern marvel: the Igman Olympic Hotel, built for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games. A symbol of global unity and sporting pride, it welcomed the world in 1982.
Just a decade later, it was gutted by fire during the 1990s conflict. Now, it stands as a powerful international monument—a stark reminder of how quickly peace can fracture and how enduring the wounds of war can be.
From celebration to devastation, its concrete frame holds the memory of both.
#SocialistModernism #Architecture #Sarajevo #Brutalism #UtilitarianArchitecture
(c) BACU 2025
Block 61-62.
(aka Officer blocks or Panonian Sailboats),
Belgrade, Serbia,
built in the 1970s,
Urban design by Josip Svoboda. Blocks 61 - 64 (north) & block 63 (part) and blok 64 (south) built between 1974-80 - Built in sistem RAD-BALENCY - Architect Milan Miodragovic
(c) BACU2025 #socialistmodernism #brutgroup
Save the Black Sea Defense Front!
Sign the petition!
clic.ro/petitions/salvati-frontul-de-aparare-al-marii-negre-save-the-black-sea-defense-front
Open Letter - Public Petition: https://bacu.ro/salvati-frontul-de-aparare-al-marii-negre-save-the-black-sea-defense-front/
We are addressing the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Defense, the National Heritage Institute, the Mangalia City Hall, and the general public with an urgent alert: The World War II bunkers and fortifications on the Mangalia – 2 Mai – Saturn seafront, which BACU Association have inventoried, are in imminent danger of destruction or irreversible alteration.
These defensive structures, part of the former “Black Sea Defense Line”, are unique concrete and stone documents of military history and engineering of the era. Despite their historical value as witnesses, the ongoing seafront development works, with heavy machinery and land modifications, pose a direct threat. Precedents have already been set with structures being covered or moved without technical criteria.
Losing these vestiges would mean erasing an essential chapter from the cultural and historical landscape of the coast, an irreparable loss for collective memory and for sustainable tourism potential.
—
Hexagonal front-firing bunker with two machine gun embrasures type 3.3.1
constructed in 1950-1956
2 Mai, Romania
(c) BACU #defensearchitecture #BRUTgroup #romania #brutalism #mangalia #blacksea
Save the Cosmos Hotel – A Landmark of Chișinău’s Modernist Heritage
Sign our petition!
clic.ro/petitions/salvati-hotelul-cosmos-un-simbol-al-patrimoniului-modernist-postbelic-al-chisinaului
Open Letter to the Minister of Culture:
https://bacu.ro/public-appeal-for-the-protection-of-the-cosmos-hotel-building-a-symbol-of-chisinaus-modernist-heritage/
We address the Ministry of Culture, the building’s owner (“Infotoms-com” SRL), and the general public with an urgent warning: the Cosmos Hotel, a monumental symbol of Socialist Modernist architecture, is in a critical state of degradation and under threat.
Designed by architects B. Banykin and I. Kolbayeva and inaugurated in 1983, the Cosmos Hotel has defined the city’s skyline for decades. Despite its recognized heritage value and a pending monument status, the building suffers from severe physical decay, parasitic commercial structures that disfigure its facade, and proposals for its complete demolition.
The loss of the Cosmos Hotel would mean erasing a vital chapter of Chișinău’s urban history and identity.
We demand: Ministry of Culture: Complete the urgent procedure to classify the Cosmos Hotel as a protected historical monument. Building Owner: Remove parasitic additions and commit to a full, respectful rehabilitation of the building. Public: Recognize and support the architectural and historical value of this iconic landmark.
This is not just about saving a building—it is about defending our city’s memory, architectural integrity, and dignity for future generations.
We call for immediate action to rescue and rehabilitate the Cosmos Hotel!
#SaveCosmosHotel #Chisinau #Moldova #SocialistModernism #Brutgroup
Hotel Igman (Olimpic Hotel),
Mount Igman, Ilidža, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Built in 1983 for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics
Architect: Ahmed Džuvić.
Destroyed by fire during the Bosnian War in the 1990s.
(c) BACU 2025 #socialistmodernism
Photo Dumitru RUSU
