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By Dusan Stojanovic

The Associated Press

BELGRADE, Serbia 鈥� Belgrade鈥檚 iconic Hotel Yugoslavia, which once was a symbol of progress in the former socialist state of聽Yugoslavia聽that broke apart in the 1990s and was a favorite gathering place for residents as well as world leaders, now stands in eerie silence awaiting its likely demolition.

The once-bustling landmark 鈥� a leading example of modernist architecture when it was built in the 1960s 鈥� has fallen into disrepair. Now the building鈥檚 future is clouded by debates over its historical significance and the push for advanced development.

Its white facade, once polished and welcoming, is marred by crumbling concrete and graffiti. Inside, debris litters once-pristine, red carpeted floors, while scattered pieces of broken furniture hint at the opulence that once filled its rooms and lobbies: Faded velvet armchairs, torn bed mattresses, sagging curtains and broken windows are all that remain of the luxury that once was. The wood-paneled presidential suite where top dignitaries would stay is now home to pigeons that fly in through the shattered glass.

As the聽Serbian聽capital grapples with聽hectic growth and new high-rises聽that dot its skyline, the almost certain fate of the hotel has sparked controversy, with some seeing it as a relic worth preserving and others envisioning new possibilities rising from its ruins.

In the building鈥檚 heyday after it received its first guests in 1969, it was a five-star hotel boasting one of the biggest chandeliers in the world made of 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 5,000 bulbs.

Its guest list included Queen Elizabeth II, United States Presidents Richard Nixon and聽Jimmy Carter, astronauts including Neil Armstrong, and Belgian and Dutch royals.

The hotel, with a spectacular view of the Danube River in the capital鈥檚 New Belgrade district, was damaged in NATO bombing in 1999 in an armed intervention over Serbia鈥檚 bloody crackdown on Kosovo Albanian separatists.

Only parts of the hotel were fully renovated, and it kept receiving guests until a few months ago, when private investors announced plans to demolish the structure and build a new one in its place. Two 500-foot-tall towers containing a luxury hotel, offices and private apartments will be built, according to the new owners.

Asked why the landmark hotel needs to be destroyed instead of incorporated into the new project, Zivorad Vasic, a spokesperson for the investors, said there were several reasons.

鈥淥ne is during the bombing in 1999, quite a lot of parts of the hotel were destroyed,鈥� he said. 鈥淪econd, the hospitality industry completely and tremendously changed. When you look at hotels now and how they looked before, they were completely different.鈥�

Architect and tourist guide Matija Zlatanovic, who often takes tourists to the hotel to explain its rich history, said the plans for the new hotel are 鈥渜uite controversial,鈥� especially because 鈥渢here are valid concerns about the size of the buildings that are going to be erected here.鈥�

鈥淚t follows the trend of 鈥榯owerization鈥� of Belgrade and the erection of enormous high-rises all over,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we yet have to see about the impact that they鈥檙e going to have on this neighborhood.鈥�

Neighbors who face living in the future shadows of the planned聽skyscrapers聽are not happy. Some are holding weekly protests, saying they will stop the demolition with their bodies if necessary.

Hotel Yugoslavia 鈥渞epresents a huge part of our history,鈥� said Svetlana Gojun, one of the protesters.

鈥淗alf the world came to this hotel, from actors, musicians, politicians, writers,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone is tied to this hotel. The whole world knows about that hotel. And now we will allow something like that to disappear?鈥�