Voždovac | Belgrade Neighborhood's Names

The Municipality of Voždovac is considered the southern gateway to Belgrade and one of the largest territorial city municipalities.

From the villages near the Avala Mountain, where it borders the municipalities of Barajevo and Sopot, to Autokomanda, which reaches almost the city center, Voždovac covers an area of nearly 150 square kilometers and borders six other urban and suburban municipalities. With its population of over 150,000, Voždovac could theoretically be ranked among the top five largest cities in Serbia.

The name of this part of Belgrade is credited to Karađorđe Petrović, who, in 1806, led the rebels from the place where the Church of St. Emperor Constantine and Empress Jelena stands today (the present heart of Voždovac) in the liberation of Belgrade during the First Serbian Uprising. In honor of the Great Duke of Serbia, the inhabitants of the then Belgrade suburb renamed their settlement to Voždovo, which gradually became popular among the people and officially established the name Voždovac at the beginning of the 20th century.

As a municipality with a large area and hilly terrain, Voždovac consists of several distinct neighborhoods, districts, and "quarters." From today's perspective, some of them are long-standing, while others are more recent. Nevertheless, all of them have their interesting and mostly traditional names whose origins are known to only a few.

Civil Servants' Colony

A somewhat forgotten name for the part of Voždovac that extends between the Vožd Karađorđe Elementary School and the Voždovac Church, or between Bulevar oslobođenja and Vojvode Stepe Street. Built between the two World Wars, this part of the city was one of the first planned neighborhoods in Belgrade, intended for urban civil servants, specifically employees of the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia's state administration. Today, it remains one of the most beautiful residential areas in Belgrade.

Dušanovac

Beogradsko radničko naselje, formed in the 1920s on the valley slopes of the former Mokroluški creek, along which the E70 highway now stretches. It got its name after Dušan Spasić, the owner of the estate where the first houses in this area were built in the early 20th century. It extends along the Highway and Ustanička Street, between the Autokomanda interchange and Šumice, or Grčića Milenka Street. An interesting part of Dušanovac is the Topovske šume (Cannon Woods) - an uninhabited area where buildings for artillery placement were built in the late 19th century, and during World War II, it served as a concentration camp for Jews and Roma from Belgrade. Today, Dušanovac represents a traditional part of Voždovac, where the municipality's headquarters are located.

Pašino (Lekino) brdo

Pašino brdo represents the northernmost part of Voždovac, bordered to the south by Dušanovac, and to the west and north by Vračar, specifically Južni bulevar and Gospodara Vučića streets, while Vojislava Ilića Street serves as its eastern "border." It belongs to the older parts of Voždovac, built between the two World Wars, primarily for artisan families. It is named after the Belgrade vezir Sulejman-paša Skopljak, whom, according to legend, Karađorđe's insurgents intercepted at this location, then an uninhabited suburb of the city, during the liberation of Belgrade Fortress. After World War II, Pašino brdo was renamed Lekino brdo, after Aleksandar "Leka" Ranković, a high-ranking official of socialist Yugoslavia who allegedly hid in this area during the war. Pašino brdo still represents an authentic working-class neighborhood, with many old houses, legendary graffiti, and the notorious Central Prison, serving as a symbol of this part of Voždovac.

Tešića kupatilo

Simultaneously part of Pašino brdo and Dušanovac, Tešića kupatilo represents a sort of neighborhood in the triangle formed by Ustanička, Gospodara Vučića, and Vojvode Prijezde streets. It is named after a certain Tešić, who owned a brickyard in this area, producing and baking bricks for houses in this part of the city. When the brickyard ceased operations, it allegedly turned into a public bath, and that name has been preserved to this day, although more as a toponym than in everyday speech.

Šumice

Šumice are actually a micro-location within Pašino brdo, named after the beautifully landscaped park-forest intersected and divided by Janis Janulis Street (formerly Vojvode Toze Street), and bordered by Ustanička, Grčića Milenka, Strumička, and Splitska streets. Besides being an extremely attractive and peaceful neighborhood for living, Šumice is also characterized by a large sports and recreational center as its central facility and symbol of this part of Voždovac.

Marinkova bara

A part of Voždovac and a relatively narrow strip of streets parallel to the E70 highway and Peke Pavlovića and Mokroluška streets, bounded by two "blue bridges," is called Marinkova bara (Marinko's Marsh) and represents a neighborhood built at the beginning of the 20th century on the estate managed by a certain oberknez Marinko Marinković. But why "bara" (marsh)? Because this place used to be the confluence of waters of numerous urban rivers and streams, making this area marshy and uninhabited for centuries, a true marsh. This part of the city belongs to the poorer areas of Voždovac and is characterized mainly by old and dilapidated houses with shared yards.

Medaković

Medaković or shorter and more popularly known as "Medak" is a planned settlement of more recent date that adjoins Marinkova bara. This neighborhood, built in the 1970s and 1980s, consists of two distinct sections separated by Vojislava Ilića Street. Its main feature is the authentic and recognizable residential high-rise buildings. These sections are Medaković 2 and Medaković 3. "Old Medak," as the residents call it, represents a narrower strip of houses and lower buildings that stretch along Medakovićeva Street and are connected to "Medak dvojka" (Medak 2). The neighborhood is named after Milorad Medaković, a distinguished Serbian historian and diplomat, who is also remembered as the first adjutant and biographer of the great Njegoš.

Braće Jerković

The territorially largest settlement of Voždovac is named after the heroes of the socialist revolution in Yugoslavia, teachers Nebojša and Dušan Jerković, who died in the first year of World War II. Built in the 1960s, as a classic working-class neighborhood or colloquially known as the "workers' dormitory," Jerković is now one of the most attractive residential areas in Belgrade, with its recognizable green areas, playgrounds, and popular shopping center.

Mitrovo brdo

The area of several neighborhoods in Braće Jerković, settled during the last major spontaneous migration to Belgrade in the 1990s, is called Mitrovo brdo. Unfortunately, it is still not reliably known which Mitro the name refers to, but a logical assumption would be that it is named after the owner of the estate where the first houses of new Belgraders began to emerge about 30 years ago.

Trošarina

Perhaps the most recognizable point of Voždovac, where trams and suburban buses have been turning for decades and where firewood and slaked lime have been sold for centuries, is called Trošarina. This name dates back to ancient times and refers to a part of the city, a checkpoint, where taxes were once collected for people and goods entering the city. Vojvode Stepe Street and Bulevar oslobođenja extend along the traditional routes that connected Belgrade with Šumadija, and it was precisely at today's Trošarina that entry into the city was controlled. Trošarina checkpoints existed on other routes leading to Belgrade as well, but this one in Voždovac retained its name and represents a recognizable location for almost every resident of the capital.

Stepa Stepanović

The industrial zone of Voždovac, located in the valley of the former Kumodražki Potok, separates Mitrovo brdo and Braće Jerković from the youngest quarter in Voždovac – the Stepa Stepanović neighborhood. Built about ten years ago on the site of the largest Belgrade military barracks, "Stepa" is a planned and modern settlement on the outskirts of the city. It is named after the great duke born in the nearby village of Kumodraž, who gave the neighborhood its name, and it doesn't require a special introduction.

Banjica

Banjica is a neighborhood that follows Trošarina towards the south. Once a village with a long tradition, whose name appeared in Turkish census records from the Middle Ages, the popular "Banjola" is now an urban residential area, recognizable for its characteristic high-rise buildings and towers, with the beautiful Banjica forest nearby. According to legend, the Banjica territory abounded in streams and thermal-mineral springs, making it a small spa, hence its name.

In the 20th century, Belgrade expanded in all directions, and today, in addition to the mentioned neighborhoods, the territory of the city and Voždovac encompass many peripheral and suburban settlements. Kumodraž, Jajinci, Ripanj, Beli Potok, Zuce, and Pinosava are just some of the areas towards which urban Belgrade is slowly but surely expanding.