THE HEARTBEAT
OF THE WHITE CITY

2023 - a photo essay

This series seeks to capture the essence and current state of Zeleni Venac, Belgrade’s primary bus station. As the city’s most important transport hub, it appears chaotic and worn—shaped more by years of neglect and decay than by deliberate design. Yet beneath its rough exterior, the station becomes a stage for everyday life, where fleeting encounters, quiet moments of solitude, and the raw authenticity of its people reveal an unexpected beauty.

Once again, Serbia and its people stand at a crossroads—torn between a storied past and an uncertain future, balancing aspirations for European integration with a strong sense of independence. Economic instability and political unrest only deepen this tension. Many Serbians are increasingly frustrated by their government’s inability to act and the blatant corruption that undermines their country’s progress.

The government’s neglect of this crucial infrastructural hub is emblematic of its broader approach to public welfare—favoring prestige-driven projects, often financed by foreign investors such as the United Arab Emirates and China, over essential services that directly impact the lives of its citizens. While large-scale real estate developments reshape the city’s skyline, vital public spaces like Zeleni Venac are left to deteriorate. Once providing an open view of the Sava River, the station is now cut off from it by the towering glass facades of the Belgrade Waterfront project—symbols of exclusivity rather than accessibility.

Yet despite this, the station remains the lifeblood of the city’s daily existence. A place of constant motion, it is where thousands of lives intersect each day, each contributing to Belgrade’s restless energy. It is here, in this ceaseless movement, that the city’s true pulse can be felt—steady, relentless, and enduring.