Fountains of Old Belgrade | Old Belgrade Stories

Imagine Belgrade in the mid-19th century... Let's say the year is 1867. After more than three centuries, the Turkish army is leaving the town, and the Belgrade Fortress is once again in the hands of the Serbian people. The population from the outskirts enters a city that resembles more of a Turkish kasaba than a European town. The spirit of freedom spreads through every street and every home. A new period begins, bringing about significant changes in both people's lives and the appearance of Belgrade.

During those years, Emilijan Josimović, the first Serbian urban planner, embarks on a great endeavor of arranging the town and transforming it from an Oriental setting into a European capital. The city keeps expanding, old low-rise buildings are replaced by new multi-story ones. Emilijan faces numerous obstacles in the process of city planning. One of the major issues was the water supply for the town. This problem was accompanied by a massive influx of population, causing Belgrade to grow from around 30,000 inhabitants in 1873 to as many as 80,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. It was during this period that the idea for a new waterworks system, known as the waterworks, emerged to meet the city's increasing needs.

But let's briefly go back to the period of the first century when the Romans ruled these territories to see how they solved the water issue. They were the first to bring water from nearby streams to the city center. They created systems that conveyed water from the Mokroluški Creek and the Lipovac Forest to the present-day city center. The traces of this aqueduct, in the form of tunnels, are now underground, and the water from this source was used in the city until 1870 when the expansion of the city interrupted the tunnel at the beginning of King Alexander Boulevard.

The next major waterworks were built during the Turkish administration of the city. The Turks conveyed water from sources near the Bulbulder Creek, through Dorćol, to the fortress. The final point reached by this waterworks system was the Vezirova or Mehmed Pasha's Fountain.

As the city expanded over time, including the Sava slope, the Austrians built the Varoš Waterworks between 1724 and 1737, which supplied water to the fortress, all municipal institutions, and public fountains.

Belgrade had around twenty public fountains in the mid-19th century. They were supplied with water from springs near the city, and the water was stored in large reservoirs, with the largest one located at the entrance to the city, in front of the present-day Hotel Moskva. As the Turks called these reservoirs terazije for water, this part of the city got its name from them. From there, water was piped to the largest fountains. Additionally, almost every courtyard had its own well, but by the end of the 19th century, due to the lack of proper sewage systems, many of them didn't have drinkable water. During that period, the number of public fountains increased to thirty-five. Besides public fountains, there was also a service of water carriers, known as sakadžija, who transported water from rivers and fountains to homes using horse-drawn carts.

The most famous fountains were located in busy places, markets, streets, and passages. Some of them lasted a long time, but only a few have been preserved to this day. With the desire to keep them from being forgotten, we present to you the most significant fountains of 19th-century Belgrade.

The Mehmed-pasha Sokolović Fountain is the oldest preserved fountain in Belgrade, built in the 16th century. It is located in the Belgrade Fortress, next to Defterdar's Gate and the ramparts of the Upper Town overlooking the Sava River. It was erected by Mehmed-pasha Sokolović, a Turkish grand vizier of Serbian origin, as a memorial to one of his numerous military successes. Besides the famous bridge in Višegrad, this is the only preserved monument he built in these lands.

Delijska Fountain is one of the oldest in the city, mentioned as early as the 17th century. It changed its location several times over time. The original Delijska Fountain was located in front of the Delijski Konak, where Turkish soldiers - delijas - stayed. The konak was situated on the corner of Knez Mihailova and Vuka Karadžića Streets. The fountain was demolished in 1889 but was soon rebuilt on the site of the present-day Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts building. When the foundation was dug for the SANU building, that Delijska Fountain was also demolished, and a new one was installed only during the regulation of Knez Mihailova Street in 1987 when it was converted into a pedestrian zone.

Terazije Fountain was built in 1860 to commemorate the return of Prince Miloš Obrenović to the Serbian throne. The fate of this fountain has been intertwined with the city's turbulent history. Just three years after its installation, a fire during Prince Mihailo's birthday celebration caused significant damage to the fountain. The restored fountain stood in the middle of Terazije Square until 1911 when, due to the square's reconstruction, it was relocated to the courtyard of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul Church in Topčider. It was returned to its current location, in front of Hotel Moskva, in 1975. Besides the Mehmed-pasha Sokolović Fountain, this is the only preserved fountain of old Belgrade.

The Fountain at the Great Market was situated in the area of today's Studentski Trg and University Park, built in 1875. The Great Market is also the oldest market in Belgrade, opened in 1824. After the market was abolished in 1928, the fountain was transferred to the Stari Đeram market.

Čukur Fountain was located at the same spot where there is a memorial monument today (Boy with a Broken Jug), at the corner of Dobračina and Gospodar Jevremova Street. It is known for an event that took place in 1862 when a Turkish soldier killed a boy named Sava, which led to conflicts and eventually the expulsion of the Turkish army from the town.

Saka Fountain was situated at the corner of Gospodar Jovanova and Kralja Petra Streets, in a part of the city called Zerek. It was from this fountain that water carriers (sakadžije) most often distributed water to households. They fetched water from the Danube and the Sava, but it was used exclusively for technical purposes at that time. The water carriers survived until the introduction of the water supply system in Belgrade when they took up a new occupation - they became icemen.

In addition to these fountains, Belgraders also drank water from the Tabačka, Toska, and Mala česma fountains, as well as the fountains near Crveni Petao (Red Rooster). Almost every church in the city had its own fountain, with the most famous ones being located in the courtyards of the Ascension, Saborna (Holy Archangel Michael's), and St. Petka's churches. There were also major water sources in the immediate vicinity of the city, such as the Hajdučka and Pašina česma fountains, as well as Bela Voda, which is not far from the first proper city water supply in Makiš. These fountains on the outskirts of the city still exist today as monuments of the past. Visit them, they have stories to tell.