Serbia at world exhibitions

Serbia has a long history of appearing at world exhibitions and this year the country celebrates 136 years since the first World Exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium (1851), when the Kingdom of Serbia exhibited alongside France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Great Britain, the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Spain, the Kingdom of Romania and the United States of America. Serbia’s pavilion occupied an area of 125 square meters, providing space for 302 exhibitors, and, during the exhibition, the country’s representatives won a total of 157 awards.

Serbia has a long history of appearing at world exhibitions and this year the country celebrates 136 years since the first World Exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium (1851), when the Kingdom of Serbia exhibited alongside France, Germany, Austria, Canada, Great Britain, the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Spain, the Kingdom of Romania and the United States of America. Serbia’s pavilion occupied an area of 125 square meters, providing space for 302 exhibitors, and, during the exhibition, the country’s representatives won a total of 157 awards.

Paris 1900

Church on the Seine

In Paris in 1900, Serbia exhibited at a prominent location on the Seine, where it presented its achievements within a pavilion built in the shape of a Serbian-Byzantine style church. The main architect of this project was Milan Kapetanović from Belgrade, who worked in cooperation with the architect Milorad Ruvidić. Within the 550 m2 pavilion, Serbia presented numerous products, such as wine, food, fabrics, minerals and it won a total of 19 gold, 69 silver and 98 bronze medals.

Brussels 1958

New Humanism

Under the name "New Humanism", the first post-war World's Fair was held in Brussels, Belgium (1958), following a 19- year break. For the needs of the Exhibition, the Atomium was built, a structure that would become a symbol of Brussels and Belgium and world science in general. At this gathering of states, huge attention was attracted by Yugoslavia’s unique pavilion, designed by the architect Vjenčeslav Richter. It was one of the smallest but, according to architects from all over the world, one of the most elegant and impressive. Made of iron and glass, it represented the modernism of Yugoslav ideas. A strong cable held six steel arches representing the six republics of Yugoslavia. Owing to its artistic value, elegance and simplicity, it was awarded the gold medal of the Belgian crown, and two years later it was transferred to Wevelgem in West Flanders, where it was reconstructed and it still stands today as one of only few preserved pavilions from that era.

Montreal 1967

Đerdap and Gazela

As many as ninety pavilions were presented at the exhibition in Montreal in 1967, including the one built by Yugoslavia, which exhibited for the first time since 1958. Various scenes of the urban life of Yugoslavia, natural landscape, historical objects, ancient buildings and many more attractions were presented within the pavilion, an architectural work of Miroslav Pešić. The landmarks of our infrastructure and architecture at the time were highlighted, including the Đerdap Dam on the Danube River (then under construction) and the Gazelle Bridge in Belgrade (also under construction at the time), while special attention was paid to the development of the Yugoslav business community.

Shanghai 2010

Pirot carpet

The World Exhibition "Better City, Better Life" was held in China, in the city of Shanghai in 2010, and it broke all previous attendance records. The Republic of Serbia appeared in Shanghai with a 1000 m2-pavilion whose interesting façade was inspired by a pattern of Pirot carpets.

Milano 2015

Let’s feed the planet

Under the slogan "Let's feed the planet, energy for life", the last World Exhibition was held in the Italian city of Milan in 2015. The focus of the World's Fair in Milan was on nutrition and the development of new approaches to production in order to provide enough food for the growing population in the world of the future. 144 countries participated in the exhibition, including Serbia.