Čukarica | Belgrade Neighborhood's Names

Once an industrial suburb of the capital, where the first Belgrade shipyard, the first sugar factory, and the first leather processing factory were built, the municipality of Čukarica today represents one of the most beautiful and attractive parts of Belgrade to live in.

From Umka and Velika Moštanica to the mouth of the Topčider River, covering an area of about 155 square kilometers, Čukarica stretches along the right valley side of the Sava River, encompassing the area between the most popular Belgrade island, Ada Ciganlija, and the largest city forest, Košutnjak.

Many may be familiar with the fact that one of the larger city municipalities is named after a tavern, or rather the nickname of a certain Stojan Čukar, the owner of the famous tavern that was located near the intersection of the Topčider and Sava Rivers, or the intersection of the Obrenovac and Žarkovo roads in the mid-19th century. Čukareva mehana - "Čukarica" was an important meeting point for Belgrade traders who exchanged goods with Austria-Hungary, and over time, the entire area behind the tavern took on the same name.

Like most urban city municipalities, Čukarica is divided into numerous neighborhoods with interesting origins.

Careva ćuprija

A small part of Čukarica, located between Ban's hill and Senjak, in the lower course of the Topčider River, is called Careva ćuprija. Recognizable for decades due to the Belgrade Hippodrome, this part of the city is named after another legendary and even older establishment, the tavern "Kod Careve ćuprije", which was located here as early as the mid-19th century. Today, in its place, there is an elite restaurant of the same name, one of the most popular in Belgrade.

Ada Ciganlija

It can't really be said that Ada Ciganlija is a neighborhood, but being a (semi)island and one of the most popular urban picnic spots, it undoubtedly belongs to the authentic parts of Čukarica. For centuries deserted, it was recognized as a natural asset during the time of Prince Miloš. During the 20th century, it served as a prison and then became a site of military conflicts in the First and Second World Wars. Only in the 1960s did it begin to gain a recreational function and today it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Belgrade. It is little known that Ada Ciganlija owes its name to Celtic heritage, specifically to terms whose roots historians find in the language of the first inhabitants of Belgrade. These are the words singa and lia which mean island and flooded land respectively, and the use of the corresponding term would depend on the water level. It is believed that the current expression Ciganlija is a modified version of this compound of Celtic origin, but unfortunately, there is no reliable evidence for that.

Ban's hill

The largest settlement in Čukarica, which extends from the central Požeška Street towards the Sava Highway and Košutnjak, is named after Matija Ban, a distinguished Dubrovnik writer, diplomat, and pedagogue whose famous summer residence was located on the slopes of today's Košutnjak in the mid-19th century. It was a time when the core of today's Čukarica was just a barren and uninhabited hill, and Matija Ban was one of the few landowners in this area. Towards the end of the century, the entire locality gained popularity, and many wealthy Belgraders, following the example of Matija Ban, moved here and built villas and summer residences. Initially known as Banovac, at the beginning of the 20th century, Ban's hill received its current name which continues to this day.

Golf settlement

The southeastern extension of Ban's hill, informally bordered by Petra Martinovića Street, Beogradski Bataljon Street, Kneza Višeslava Street, and Blagoja Parovića Street, is named after the legendary restaurant "Golf"which has been a symbol of this part of Belgrade and Košutnjak in general for decades. Practically part of Ban's Hill, the Golf Settlement stands out with its characteristic residential buildings of more recent date, surrounded by plenty of greenery.

Čukarica slope

The settlement that represents the western continuation and literal slope of Ban's Hill towards the Sava River has a logical name, Čukarica slope. Although it is also part of the Ban's Hill territory, this part stands out because of its specific appearance and the position it occupies in relation to other urban units. Due to its proximity to the river and slopes, it is characterized by a pronounced slope, which makes the entire area visually interesting and attractive.

Sunny slope

The southern continuation of Čukarica slope and the southern edge of Ban's gill bears the vivid and quite clear name - Sunny slope. The origin of the name of this neighborhood is not difficult to assume considering that the slope is exposed to the west and the wide Srem plain, which is why it is "bathed" in sunlight for the greater part of (clear) days. This neighborhood is informally bordered by Valjevska, Požeška, Trebevićka, and Đorđa Ognjanovića streets.

Žarkovo

With a long history, Žarkovo is first mentioned in the 16th century, making it one of the oldest settlements in Belgrade. Moreover, until the middle of the previous century, Žarkovo had the status of a municipality, which extended between the Topčider River and the Sava River, all the way to Železnik and Ostružnica. In 1955, that status was abolished by the formation of the Čukarica municipality. There are both realistic and less realistic legends about the origin of the name of this settlement. The more realistic ones state that in the Middle Ages, a knight named Primićur Žarko lived in this area. Allegedly, the Turkish tax collectors, to whom he paid taxes, could never pronounce or remember the name of the village at that time, so only the name Žarko's village remained recorded in the tax books. In the following centuries, the settlement outgrew its village status, but the first part of the name remained and has survived to this day.

Stretching along the Ibar Highway (Trgovačka Street), between Banovo Hill, Makiš, Železnik, Cerak, and Košutnjak, Žarkovo, in a broader sense, encompasses several neighborhoods: Jula's hill, Repište, Bele vode, and Filmski grad.

Jula's hill

The settlement recognizable by its 15 skyscrapers clustered on the hill "across from" Sunny Slope is called Jula's hill. Established in the late 1960s, this Čukarica neighborhood was once a unique architectural and construction entity in Belgrade until similar residential blocks and high-rises began to emerge in other parts of the city in subsequent years. Although of a more recent date, the name of this settlement is associated with the legend of a certain woman named Baba Jula, who lived in this area during the Serbian uprisings and distinguished herself in the fight against the Turks.

Repište

The part of Žarkovo that borders Sunčana padina and Banovo Hill, and touches Trgovačka Street with Julino brdo, and informally extends to Spasovdanska Street, is called Repište. An interesting legend about the origin of the name of this settlement is hidden in the tale that the mentioned knight Žarko killed a large dragon in this area. The place where the dragon's tail fell, according to the legend, was named Repište. This myth, of course, has no basis in reality. It is likely that the name Repište derives from numerous beet plantations in the time when this part of the city was still a rural suburb of Belgrade.

Bele vode

Between Braće Vučković Street, Momčilo Čedić Street, Vodovodska Street, and Trgovačka Street, there are Bele vode, a part of Žarkovo that gets its name from a generous spring under a white stone mentioned in Austrian records as early as the 18th century. The spring was captured long ago and "packed" into pipes, and its existence is still testified today, unfortunately, by a neglected fountain located in Vodovodska Street.

Filmski grad

The most elite and probably the most attractive part of Žarkovo is nestled on the edge of Košutnjak and informally encompasses the area between Kneza Višeslava Street and Ratko Mitrović Street. A relatively new settlement built towards the end of the previous century, it is named after the former largest film studio in the country (Avala Film) where numerous cult domestic films and series were shot. Even today, this neighborhood houses studio spaces of television companies.

Cerak (Vinogradi)

Between Žarkovo, Bele vode, and Filmski grad, on the border with the Rakovica municipality, there are the settlements of Cerak and Cerak Vinogradi, unofficially separated by the most significant road in the settlement - Jablanička Street. One of the newer Belgrade neighborhoods, it gets its name from the forests of oak and vineyards that were present in this area until the 1970s when the construction of the then-new Čukarica quarter began. Cerak Vinogradi has recently been listed as a protected cultural monument of the City of Belgrade since its unique architecture and greenery combine to create a unique urban entity in the capital.

Rupčine

In urban terms, the complete opposite of Cerak Vinogradi is represented by Rupčine, an unplanned and almost rural settlement located between Bele vode and Železnik, or Vodovodska Street and Ibarska magistrala. There are no reliable records about this somewhat unattractive settlement name, although it could easily be concluded that it refers to an area that was once known for its pits. However, the cause of the large holes in the locality known as Savska terasa remains unknown.

Železnik

One of the oldest villages in the vicinity of Belgrade, today it is mostly an urbanized settlement, especially its new part that includes the area between Lole Ribara Street, Radnih akcija Street, and Avalska Street. The settlement where numerous ancient traces have been found is also mentioned in Turkish censuses in the Middle Ages as Suhi Železnik, as well as in the famous book by Austrian travel writer and chronicler Felix Kanitz. Among other things, he states that the name Železnik derives from exhumed remains of foundries indicating centuries-old iron production, in this area. Considering that nearby Avala has been a source of lead, zinc, mercury, and iron exploitation for centuries, the processing of ores in the nearby settlement seems like a logical assumption for its name.

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