Demolition of the Korali Hotel has begun in Sutomore, and a new hotel complex with new facilities and expanded accommodation facilities should be built on that site.
As reported by the Bar info portal, the sign next to the construction site states that it is officially about the “removal of the Korali hotel complex – phase 1 – Block B”. The work was entrusted to companies from Podgorica – the investor of the works is HTP Trend Korali, the contractor is Montegeropetrol Podgorica, PG Projecting Podgorica is registered as auditor and expert supervision, and the project office is POP Project Podgorica. According to announcements, the works should be completed at the end of April.
Let’s remind you, as ekapija already wrote, the company HTP Trend Korali announced in August 2021 that it plans to reconstruct and expand the tourist complex Korali in Sutomore, and at that time the chief state architect also gave approval to the conceptual design of the building.
As explained in the project for which Zetagradnja was in charge, according to the given location, the existing facilities are located within UP 1, in zone A of DUP Brca in Sutomor. The urban plot has a total area of 25,997.58 m2 with existing buildings of a net area of 13,321 m2.
– In accordance with the analysis of the existing state of the structure, the investor made the decision to, in accordance with the guidelines from the planning document, proceed with the preparation of the study on the demolition of the existing buildings – with the exception of block C and the preparation of the conceptual design of new buildings and the contents of the hotel complex with a higher level of equipment and capacity and according to the standards for the category 4 to 4+ stars, and all within the existing dimensions of the condition found – it is stated in the document.
According to the completed conceptual solution, phased implementation of the construction of new facilities and contents of the hotel complex is planned. As stated, the complex will retain the position and dimensions of blocks A and B, but between them, buildings D and E are planned at the very entrance to the complex from the main road, and the accommodation capacity will be expanded to 408 rooms.
The facility will also have a recreation center, an event hall, a children’s playground, and outdoor swimming pools for children and adults, which you can read more about in a separate document.
The symbol of the post-war Sutomore
Hotel Korali was one of the symbols of post-war Sutomore and Bar’s tourist offer in general, writes Bar info. With this, as I stated, another recognizable complex – a signifier of the origin and development of tourism in our area, a hotel that since 1969 has been a symbol of sweet seasonal entertainment for the local youth and a pleasant summer vacation for foreign guests, mostly Germans, then Dutch, Scandinavians, Czechs, Polish, Russian…
Hotel Korali was opened in 1969 with a capacity of 600 beds, and represented a major refresh of the local tourist offer. The architect was Milan Popović, and for his work he received a prestigious award – the Borba Award.
A special place for the atmosphere, for which the Hotel Korali was famous far and wide, was the terrace on which outstanding Yugoslav bands played, and on which, in the season, there were no seats already from 8 pm. At one time, due to high demand, the entrance was also paid. As the older people of Sutomore remember, the music would start from 6 p.m., mostly by some of the excellent orchestras from “the other side of the Iron Curtain”, so that the stars of the evening would start at 8 p.m. On the terrace, the big stars of the local pop music were guests, from hit singers, through entertainers, to masters of pop music or original folk music. In the middle of 1978, the Zagreb band Korona aroused great interest among young people, from which Srebrna krila was formed only a year later.
In the B-pavilion, which is currently being demolished, there was an excellent night club with live music, which started there after the terrace closed. During the breaks, local boys played disco and rock music from records.
As stated in tourist guides from the early eighties, Korali is one of the most beautiful hospitality and tourist facilities on the Montenegrin coast. It has an outstanding beach and sports center for rest and recreation of tourist clientele. Korali is the recipient of many awards and prizes, including the Golden Plaque of Quality. It was awarded for “timely preparation of the season, implementation of investment interventions in the reconstruction of facilities, good work organization and excellent service and food, as well as for the care of parks and plantations, hygienic maintenance of the beach, collective efforts of workers to increase non-boarding consumption, care and proper attitude towards social property and for the remaining income”.
Vladimir Popović, the son of the late architect, Milan, pointed out to Vijesti today that, although he is the heir to the copyright, no one asked him for permission for these construction works. A year ago, the Administration for the Protection of Cultural Properties accepted his initiative to establish the protection of the Korali and several other buildings, the initiative was also accepted by the Assembly of the Professional Chamber of Architects, but, unofficially, the protection project was not implemented due to personnel changes in this state institution, writes Bar info.
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