Belgrade Parks - Green or Concrete Oases?!

Since the beginning of major redevelopment in the city center of Belgrade, which turned the capital into a massive construction site, we have witnessed significant urban changes that unfortunately also reflect in the intensive devastation of urban green spaces.

It seems that the fate of Belgrade is such that each new generation of rulers, even in peacetime conditions, has less and less appreciation for urban greenery and its importance in the life and development of the city. Since the end of World War II until today, entire forests have been erased from the territory of Belgrade due to city expansion, numerous tree avenues have disappeared, while parks have been paved and concreted. As this trend of urbanization continues today, it is worth reminding ourselves of the origins of the most famous parks, tree avenues, and green oases in Belgrade.

The tumultuous history of the city did not allow Belgrade to develop urbanistically like other European capitals such as Vienna, Budapest, Prague... Frequent demolitions, bombings, and occupations influenced Belgrade to begin its European-style development much later than other major cities. Thus, some phenomena and trends that were already present in Europe during the Renaissance era started to be embraced in our city only after its liberation in the late 19th century.

Let's take a look at the evolution of the idea of urban greenery in the sense we know it today...

If we consider the area of Topčider as part of Belgrade from the 1830s, then this park would be the oldest in the city. Alongside the construction of Knez Miloš's residence in Topčider, access roads and greening of the surrounding area were also developed. Topčider Park, Košutnjak, and the fruit nursery are the work of Professor Atanasije Nikolić from the Lycée. This great engineer is responsible for the initial arrangement of green areas in the city, in the form of parks and tree avenues. On Topčider Road (today's Kneza Miloša Street), he planted a row of poplar trees, and large plane trees were planted around Miloš's residence according to his plan, which can still be found there today. Plane tree seedlings were imported from Vienna in 1866 and are the most represented species in the park. Atanasije Nikolić also arranged a row of white poplar trees in Kneza Miloša and Abadžijska Street (now Kraljice Natalije Street), as well as chestnut trees on Terazije. These were the beginnings of greening the city and creating the first park areas.

Košutnjak and Topčider Parks were opened to the public in 1903. Prior to that, this area was a private hunting ground of the Obrenović dynasty. After the opening, Košutnjak and Topčider were connected to the city center by a tram line, allowing a large number of citizens to visit them.

The oldest park in the city was the "English" park located at the site of the present-day Financial Park. It was surrounded by the most significant buildings of that time, such as Miloš's Residence and the old Ministry of Finance building.

Before the development of the large city regulation plan outside the trench in 1867 by the first Serbian urbanist Emilijan Josimović, the city core of Belgrade had no space for enjoyment, such as a park or other organized greenery. The closest green oasis was in Topčider, but at that time, it was located on the outskirts and not easily accessible to the citizens.

Josimović was one of the first to recognize the lack of urban greenery in Belgrade. He believed that: "If we fail to do it now, when the opportunity is so convenient... given the vast land at our disposal, it will be much harder to correct such a mistake later when we feel the need more... and all that land will be in private hands."

This forward-thinking was accompanied by several interesting proposals. One of the suggestions was to transform the former trench into a park that would encircle the city as a long green belt. Josimović called this green belt "venac," and it was supposed to stretch from the Sava to the Danube, covering an area of 50,000 m². It was an attempt to create a wide green boulevard ring around the historic city center, similar to Vienna's Ringstrasse. Today, we can partially recognize this idea in the names of Topličin, Zeleni, Obilićev, Kosančićev venac on the Sava side and Gundulićev venac on the Danube side.

Additionally, according to Josimović's regulatory plan, the Kalemegdan field was intended to be transformed into a "splendid park" intersected by numerous paths and promenades. This was quickly accomplished, making Kalemegdan the oldest park in the city center. In the area of the Great Market, which was located near the Grand School, a park was planned to give this area the character of a social center. This park was first arranged as Pančić Park in 1886 and was part of Kralj's Square, and then, since the 1920s, as Academic Park.

One of the oldest parks in Zemun is the City Park. It was designed in 1880 on the site of the old quarantine station, where people coming from infected areas were examined upon entering Austria-Hungary. Around the park, buildings such as the Velika Realka school, the Orthodox Church of St. Archangel Gabriel (from 1786), and the Catholic Church of St. Rocco (from 1836) were later built.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, new parks and squares were created, such as the squares on Topličin Venac and below the National Theatre, the park near Nikoljski Square in Savamala (now Bristol Park), and the Cyril and Methodius Park. It was during this time that the park at the location of the present-day Karađorđe Park was also established. It was built on the site where the first monument in Serbia was erected in 1848 in honor of the liberator of Belgrade from the First Serbian Uprising.

Zvezdara Forest Park was created on the hill of the same name, around the Astronomical Observatory and the former Laudon Trench. Afforestation began after the construction of the observatory in 1932, with the aim of providing protection against the strong southeastern wind known as "košava."

The park called Manjež was established in 1933 on the site of the former Royal Horse Guard. It was named after the French word for a "riding school." It was designed in a classical style by architect Aleksandar Krstić and was originally named "Njegovo Veličanstvo" (His Majesty) after Peter II Karađorđević.

Tašmajdan Park is located on the site of the former Roman quarry, which was used to build Belgrade, and later the Serbian cemetery that Prince Miloš relocated in 1826 from the area of Varoš Gate. The Tašmajdan Cemetery was moved to the current location of the New Cemetery in 1888. The park was established after World War II, and the section below the Faculty of Law is known as Mali Tašmajdan.

Park Vojvode Vuka is one of the oldest parks in the city. It existed even before World War I on Topličin Venac, and since 1936, it has been home to the monument of Vojvoda Vojin Popović - Vuk. Lately, there has been a current topic of paving the park and transforming it into a square.

Terazijska terrace is a park that stretches from Terazije towards Kraljice Natalije Street. It has been reconstructed several times, there are many projects for its regulation, but for now it resists any change. The Terazijska terrace significantly affects the climate of the city center due to its openness towards the Sava valley.

Luka Ćelović Park is located in Savamala near the Faculty of Economics. It is named after Luka Ćelović, who, in addition to many buildings, also financed the construction of today's park near the Bristol Hotel.

Pionirski Park is located on the site of the former palace complex around the Stari and later the Novi dvor. Stari dvor was built in 1842, and on the site of today's park was the palace garden.

Čuburski Park was created in a place not far from the source of Čuburski Potok. It was built after the Second World War, and in its place was the famous Kikevac tavern, which was demolished during construction.

Byford Forest Park was created by afforestation just after the Second World War. In the past, it was called Banjička šuma, and today it owes its name to Timothy John Byford, the famous British director, screenwriter and actor who lived and worked in Belgrade. In the 1980s, he observed and studied birds in the area of the forest and then proposed that the forest be placed under state protection.

Friendship Park is located in New Belgrade, it is one of the largest parks in the city and was built in 1961 during the First Conference of the Non-Aligned in Belgrade. The first sycamore tree in the park was planted by Josip Broz, and after him another 193 trees were planted until the collapse of the SFRY. Next to each planted tree is the name of the person who planted it (Indira Gandhi, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, Haile Selassie...).

In addition to the above, Miljakovački Izvori Park, Milutin Milanković Park, Hajd Park, Banovo Brdo Park, Šumice and Neimarski Park should also be mentioned. Among the large green areas, we could also mention the Botanical Garden, Makiš, Miljakovačka and Manastirska šuma.

Unfortunately, the list of Belgrade's green oases could end here. As time passes, and the construction element does not abate, it seems that there will be fewer and fewer spaces like this. Before any idea about cutting down trees, one should ask whether we have the right to do it, what end justifies the means and at what cost...?!