At the corner of the Dečanska and Makedonska streets, where the youth center is today, was the location of the kafana "Ginić". One of the most popular kafanas in Belgrade in its heyday, it was a gathering point of the journalists and reporters from the Politika daily, which was located nearby. The satirical magazine was founded in the venue. From 2006 until 2011, the Belgrade Youth Center building underwent reconstruction.
Overview
DOB organizes numerous programs in the area of contemporary art and culture, as well as educational-debate programs: around a thousand different programs per year, visited by over 180,000 youths. It aims to encompass all art forms: prose, poetry, music, theatre, film, visual arts, new media and others. The Center was founded in 1964 under the auspices of the Secretariate of Culture of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade. The Assembly provides the main funds for the center. Belgrade Youth Center functions as a platform for promoting new artists, ideas and initiatives. Additionally, Belgrade Youth Center is a meeting point for domestic and foreign artists. DOB is a member of local, regional and international cultural networks.
Separate from this building, DOB also has the Magacin on Kraljevića Marka Street, a former warehouse near the city center with over 5,000 square meters of available space. The building was fully renovated in the early 2010s and re-opened on 12 March 2011. The edifice has several valuable works of arts. They include the monumental façade mosaic by Lazar Vozarević, a painting of Mića Popović and semi-precious brown stones, gift from Africa. On the façade, there is also a sculpture "Sun" by Dušan Džamonja.
In 2011 the area in front of the DOB was named a Plateau of Milan Mladenović, in honor of the late frontman of EKV who died in 1994 at the age of 36. Since 2013, the short wall in front of the building has been turned into an open stage during summers. A reconstruction of the plateau, which would include granite slabs sidewalks and avenue was announced in August 2017. First phase, which included the paving with the granite slabs and planting an avenue was finished by November 2017.
