BELGRADE: A World War II-era bridge built by the Nazis was formally closed in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Saturday ahead of its demolition, amid an outcry from the public citing both history and concerns over traffic.

The Old Sava Bridge — nicknamed the “German Bridge” — was built in 1942 by Nazi forces occupying Serbia. The bridge is just one of four crossings over the Sava River that is used for vehicle traffic in the busy central city area of the capital.

The demolition of the bridge touches on multiple fault lines in the Balkan country, where issues surrounding the Second World War continue to be both political and emotional flashpoints.

Belgrade also remains one of the few major European cities without an underground mass transit system, raising fresh questions about why the bridge is being closed before a new crossing can take its place. Days ahead of its closure, hundreds protested the razing. “We will enter a traffic collapse,” said Djordje Miketic, one of the protest organisers.

On Saturday, the bridge was closed to traffic, machinery was in place, and the city traffic office said preparations for the dismantling had started.

Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Sapic, who is believed to be instrumental in the bri­dge’s closing — said a new “Serbian” bridge would replace the ramshackle structure.

According to historical sources, the Sava Bridge is one of the few river crossings that was not destroyed during the Nazi’s hurried retreat from southeast Europe in the war’s last year.

During the Nazi pullout from Belgrade on Oct 20, 1944 with explosives in place and the fuse lit, local teacher Miladin Zaric intervened, cutting the cables and saving the bridge, according to widely shared historical accounts in Serbia.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2024