All the Peaks of Belgrade

Do you know where Guberevac, Veliki Vračar, Glumac, Golo or Golja's hills are located? Are the hills of Belgrade really hills? Does Labudovo brdo (Swan's hill) exist?

Let's take a walk through the hills of Belgrade and get to know them better...

It is clear that the beauty of a city is not only reflected in its wealth of monuments, museums, old buildings, and beautiful facades... There are cities that have a turbulent and long history but have had such a fate that they passed through it without leaving too many tangible and visible traces. One such city is Belgrade. Our capital city can boast an impressive past, but not many monuments remain to testify to it. The beauty of our Belgrade lies, among other things, in its position that dominates over two great rivers. It is precisely this position, at the intersection of plains and hills, that has determined the natural diversity of the city.

But first, let's solve the mystery of whether the hills of Belgrade are really hills?! According to the definition, any elevation between 200 and 500 meters above sea level is considered a hill. According to some sources, it also needs to have at least two peaks to be considered a hill. Anything below that altitude is considered a hillock. Therefore, our Belgrade doesn't actually have as many hills as it is thought to have. They are mostly hillocks. If we also take into account that the city's waterfront is at an altitude of about 70 m above sea level, then these hills appear even smaller. But out of respect for Belgrade, we will continue to refer to them as hills in the text.

If we were to consider Belgrade with all the urban and suburban municipalities, the highest peak would be Kosmaj at 626 meters above sea level. If we were to narrow down the area to just the central city municipalities, then the highest point would be Avala (506 m).

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In the further narrative, we will focus on the urban area of the city, disregarding the rural parts of Čukarica, Surčin, Palilula, and Voždovac. In that case, the highest peak of the city would be an unnamed peak in Kumodraž, 332 meters high. A few hundred meters away from it is Torlak (308 m), a peak that gave its name to the whole neighborhood.

In the narrowest city center, the highest peak is Veliki Vračar (253 m). It was on that peak, which was long considered the highest in the city, that the Astronomical Observatory was built in 1932. Today, that hill is known as Zvezdara, and a large park-forest is located on it. Another high city peak is located above Rospi-ćuprija and Višnjica, offering one of the most beautiful views of the city. It is called Lešće and has a height of 252 meters. Today, it is the site of the eponymous cemetery.

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Beograd is situated on several spacious ridges that extend from the south in the form of undulating surfaces towards the Sava and Danube rivers. From these ridges, hills and mountains rise, often so small that it is difficult to notice the difference between the hills and the ridges on which they are located. The longest such ridge is the Šumadijska greda, which extends from the Belgrade Fortress towards the southeast, encompassing the central urban zone. The elevation of the ridge at the Pobednik monument is 115 m. As we move away from the center, its height increases.

On a topographic map of Beograd, most of the hills are easily noticeable. Even certain parts of the city and settlements bear their names. However, there are also those that have blended into the urban landscape, camouflaged by buildings and streets, making them harder to spot today. In the following text, we get acquainted with them...

Pašino brdo stretches between Bulbulderski and Duboki potok. After the Second World War, it was named Lekino brdo (after Aleksandar Ranković) for a long time, and its highest point is near the Central Prison. Not far from there is Konjarnik (201 m), which got its name from the horses that the Mongols (Kalmyks) kept on its slopes after the October Revolution in Serbia. If we climb from Konjarnik towards Bulevar kralja Aleksandra and the sports center Olimp, we will reach Zeleno brdo (243 m), and if we continue towards Mali Mokri Lug and Mirijevo, we will encounter Stojćevo brdo (270 m).

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Topčidersko brdo extends from the Mokroluški stream towards Dedinje and the Royal Complex, where the highest peak at nearly 200 m is located. At the beginning of the ascent to Topčider, just above the Fair, rises Đurđevo brdo, on whose slopes Senjak is situated. Below Prokop and along the highway, another elevation can be found - Maleško brdo. On the other side of the highway, the hill on which the Clinical Center of Serbia is located is called Guberevac. It was the site of the famous Jatagan-mala, which was depicted in the TV series "Shadows over the Balkans".

Besides the Šumadijska greda, another one stands out, stretching from Sremčica and Sremački rt to Petlovo brdo, Vidikovac, Cerak, and Skojevsko naselje, all the way to Banovo brdo and the Sava River.

Petlovo brdo (205 m) is located on the far periphery of the urban zone of the city. Interestingly, the peak of the hill is on one side (between Metro and the Orlovača interchange), while the eponymous settlement is on the other side of the Ibar highway. On its slopes, there is also the neighborhood of Labudovo brdo, which is named after a non-existent hill. The settlements of Vidikovac, Cerak Vinogradi, Skojevsko, and Filmski grad are located along the highest ridge zone, connected by Kneza Višeslava Street.

Between the Topčiderska River and the Sava River, Banovo brdo stretches. This name refers to the present-day settlement on the slope towards Čukarica. On the Topčiderska side, there is the Košutnjak park-forest, and there is also the highest point (208 m) near the Golf restaurant. Banovo brdo is named after Matija Ban, a professor at the Licej, politician, and diplomat who owned extensive estates on the former Golo brdo. Today, Golo brdo is called Banovo brdo in his honor.

Between Banovo brdo and Makiško polje, Julino brdo (124 m) dominates, along with the eponymous neighborhood. It offers a beautiful view of the city and Makiško polje.

On the right side of the Topčiderska River, several large hills descend. Straževica (209 m) is a hill above Kneževac, with one of the largest quarries in Beograd located on its summit. Miljakovac (193 m) is a hill with a large park-forest and a neighborhood of the same name. Next to it is Kanarevo brdo (189 m), named after Đorđe Kanare, who owned it. Further towards Jajinci, there is Goljino brdo (179 m). Banjički vis (198 m) is the highest peak in Banjica, not far from the building of the Military Medical Academy, and it now houses a heliport.

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There could be much more to talk about regarding the hills of Beograd. It would be worth mentioning Lipovačko, Erino, Veliko, Tapino, Minićevo, Višnjičko brdo... As we move away from the center, the height of the hills would also increase. On the other side of the Sava River, although not originally hills, Bežanijska kosa (Zemun's loess plateau) and Gardoš dominate, giving rise to the settlements of Bežanija, Surčin, and Zemun.

As mentioned at the beginning, the value of a city lies not only in its buildings, squares, and streets but also in its surroundings and nature. Beograd possesses all of that. It is up to the people to recognize and preserve it.