Belgrade, Republic of Serbia eob@eyesonbelgrade.com

Raggedy crown's jewel

Ever seen a woman (or a man, for that matter) and thought that even in rags she (or he) would look pretty? Sure you have. How about a building? Well, Belgrade is the perfect place for you to start thinking that way.

Take this edifice, for example, at 38 Krunska (Crown) street. But, really, you can easily take hundreds more in the wider center of the city. So, the big question is - would you say it's beautiful? (dramatic pause)

Well, it could be. And it was. Right now, it looks exhausted by restless time. But it is beautiful, yes. Still, not looking great at the moment. On the other hand, some things could never look great. They are plain and simply unattractive. Not this one, though.

Would I change it for some modern high-rise building, neat and square? Absolutely not. Would I prefer it was all dressed up again? Yes, but only because it's residential. Otherwise, no. It looks pretty charming, don't you think? And charming is faulty in some way, as it happens with people. And we all like charming people more than those gorgeous ones without personality. And I don't want to say that beautiful people cannot be charming, no. They just don't need to be. The same thing happens with buildings.

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