At Laza’s Sugar – the First Discotheque in Yugoslavia

What the famous “Studio 54” was to New York, “Kod Laze Šećera” was for the capital of Yugoslavia, even a whole decade before. Situated in the basement of the 19th-century house belonging to the minister and politician Jevrem Grujic, at 17 Svetogorska Street, right next to Atelje 212, it was the first discotheque in the Balkans.

Grujic’s descendant, Lazar Secerovic – known as Laza Šećer (Laza Sugar), was one of the few people responsible for this discotheque, and it was named after him. In 1967, when Europe had discotheques only in Paris, London, and Milan, the idea to have one in Belgrade came from Saša Nikolić, a Belgrader who was studying in Paris.

Prominent figures of Belgrade and Yugoslavia at the time were present at the opening, including Jovan Cirilov, Ivan Tabakovic, Mira Trailovic, Dusan Matic, and others. The discotheque was open from half-past six in the evening until one past midnight. There was a symbolic entrance fee, and membership cards were also available.

The parties and evening gatherings represented a real novelty in the social and cultural norms of the then socialist state. Girls could come alone, have fun and dance without male companions. Choreographer and ballerina Lokica Stefanovic performed her famous dance there, through which she later gained recognition. The latest records arrived directly from London and Paris.

“Kod Laze Šećera” discotheque was a mandatory stop for many world-famous stars such as Omar Sharif, Paco Rabanne, Marisa Berenson, Alain Delon, and others who visited Belgrade at that time.

However, this whole happening turned out to be a serious threat to the socialist system. They faced pressures from all sides to close the discotheque – the media, the government… even the residents of surrounding buildings protested against the operation of the discotheque, writing complaints, and some even poured water and threw garbage at the guests.

Meetings were organized to discuss the discotheque, and in one of the minutes, it was claimed that “the American spy organization CIA had its headquarters in the club premises.”