Back to Map
National Library of Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo
The modern National Library of Kosovo was designed by the controversial Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjaković; it opened in 1982 and has served multiple purposes. The building itself is entirely covered in a "metal fishing net." His design choices are questioned, but one cannot deny the boldness and creativity that embody the structure.
Although many words could be used to describe the architectural style of the library, the exterior's dark colors, surplas of blocky shapes, and literal metal encasing as if the building itself is imprisoned, certainly invoke brutalism. Mutnjaković sought to design a culturally poignant national building in a time of ethnic and political tension between Kosovo's Albanians and Serbians (Architectuul); at the time, Kosovo was part of Yugoslavia. Although relations between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union became tense in 1948 following the Tito-Stalin split, the provinces of Yugoslavia remained communist and utilized brutalist architecture for decades.
Thus, Mutnjaković drew inspiration from Kosovan history, particularly the eras of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires. The cube and dome shapes particularly are drawn from these traditions. Additionally, although the rigidness of the metal grid encasement is brutalistic, the style itself is related to the traditional Kosovan art of filigree (Architectuul). Filigree, known intimiately to the Balkans for centuries, is a labor-intensive metalworking craft "that requires steady streams of intense flames powered by the worker as they blow through a rubber tube" (Baloun).
Resources / Further Reading Images
National Library of Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo
The modern National Library of Kosovo was designed by the controversial Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjaković; it opened in 1982 and has served multiple purposes. The building itself is entirely covered in a "metal fishing net." His design choices are questioned, but one cannot deny the boldness and creativity that embody the structure.
Although many words could be used to describe the architectural style of the library, the exterior's dark colors, surplas of blocky shapes, and literal metal encasing as if the building itself is imprisoned, certainly invoke brutalism. Mutnjaković sought to design a culturally poignant national building in a time of ethnic and political tension between Kosovo's Albanians and Serbians (Architectuul); at the time, Kosovo was part of Yugoslavia. Although relations between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union became tense in 1948 following the Tito-Stalin split, the provinces of Yugoslavia remained communist and utilized brutalist architecture for decades.
Thus, Mutnjaković drew inspiration from Kosovan history, particularly the eras of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires. The cube and dome shapes particularly are drawn from these traditions. Additionally, although the rigidness of the metal grid encasement is brutalistic, the style itself is related to the traditional Kosovan art of filigree (Architectuul). Filigree, known intimiately to the Balkans for centuries, is a labor-intensive metalworking craft "that requires steady streams of intense flames powered by the worker as they blow through a rubber tube" (Baloun).
Resources / Further Reading Images