Just as the Sava and Danube meet in Belgrade for ages, so many people were coming to its embrace to realize their dreams. Among them, two proud men from Hercegovina stand out who, each in their own way, contributed to the city they were enamored with for the rest of their lives.
Apart from the same origin, Momo Kapor and Luka Ćelović are also connected by the great love for Savamala and its architectural gem – Hotel Bristol – where they liked to spend time. Built in 1912 on basis of the ingenious idea of the famous Serbian architect Nikola Nestorović, in the immediate vicinity of the monumental Belgrade Cooperative, Bristol Hotel was the centre of fashionable life in the capital from its inception, but also the harbinger of Belgrade’s transformation into a modern European metropolis.
After many years of decay, this symbol of the mature phase of Belgrade’s Art Nouveau experienced a rennaissance and, thanks to Belgrade Waterfront, shone with the brilliance that once bewitched a famous artist and writer, as well as a famous benefactor from Trebinje.
„Bristol was made thanks to Luka Ćelović, who came to Belgrade with one metal dinar, as a child sent by his father to become a craftsman. He made a fortune from that dinar, as well as a hotel that he visited every day to have a coffee, but always with his own sugar, because it was cheaper that way. Momo later researched this and wrote a lot about Luka, because he was proud of his Hercegovina origin“, recalls Ljiljana Kapor, the spouse of the famous painter and writer, little-known stories from the rich Savamala history.
„As the president of the Belgrade Cooperative, Luka Ćelović wanted to make this neighborhood a European part of the city and highlight it as its most beautiful part. This was recognized by numerous artists, including Momo Kapor, who loved rivers and riverfront of the Sava. I remember that he always said that Savamala is one of the nicest parts of the city“, she underlined.
In addition to The Bristol Belgrade, Savamala will soon be decorated with Bristol Residences, premium residences with Bristol seal of quality, where residents will be able to experience the nostalgic spirit of old Belgrade in a modern guise. The Bristol Residences will be built behind the famous hotel, in direct contact with the St. Nicholas Park, the renovation of which will start soon, and in addition to the swimming pool, inner courtyard, underground garage and Residential Club, the residents will also have a metro station within their reach, in the back of Sava Sqaure, where the first two underground lines will intersect. This way, Bristol Residences will perfectly combine the old with the new spirit of the capital and will represent a new architectural pearl in the heart of Savamala.
„Belgrade is in the notion that permeates the world wherever its spirit may be roaming. It is in a joke, in a chance gesture, in the innate composure of acceptance of victory and defeat, where the unit of measures of style is – charm”, these are Momo Kapor’s thoughts recorded in his book “Hello, Belgrade”. Famous guests of Bristol, such as members of the Rockefeller family or chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, were not immune to this charm. Nestorović’s masterpiece will preserve it in the time to come and will again dictate the pulse of the capital’s life. Just like in those romantic times from the beginning of the 20th century.