The island of Ada Ciganlija, a sports, recreation, cultural and entertainment center as well as a forest park, is probably the most beautiful jewel of Belgrade, an oasis full of resting spots in the shade, a paradise for swimmers, fishermen and lovers of many other types of recreation.

Once an island and now a peninsula, Ada Ciganlija is only four kilometers away from the city center. It is covered with dense woods, clearings and meadows and it occupies approximately 270 hectares. Together with Ada Medjica Islet, the lake, the green areas along the banks and the surfacing water of the river Sava in this area, it occupies the territory of about 800 hectares. This territory is of extreme importance for Belgrade.

The historic documents of Belgrade often mention this island and it is known that as early as in 1812 it became a public property, which it remained to this day. Unfortunately, despite its beauty, the island remained neglected throughout the 19th century.

After the Second World War, Ada became the favorite island of fishermen, hunters and owners of floating houses. The Master Plan of Belgrade for 1950 defines its basic purpose: outing spot and recreation center with a public beach.

In 1967 the branch of the Sava was bridged in several places and the water occupying the space between two bridges was turned into a lake. The lake is 4. 2 kilometers long and 200 meters wide and it has become known as ” The Sea of Belgrade “ .

The open section of the Garden has approximately 350 tree and bush species and about 700 herbs species of local, European and exotic origin.

This green oasis serves as a cultural and educational institution, as a scientific and research center for botanical disciplines, as well as a teaching unit of the Faculty of Biology.

The area of 4. 81 hectares consists of the following units: hothouse, open sections, Japanese garden, administrative building, herbarium, lecture halls and laboratories.

The hothouse is an attractive – looking building consisting of two wings connected by a central dome. It occupies 500 square meters and was built in 1892. Currently it contains almost 1000 species of tropical, subtropical and desert plants. The herbarium contains one of the richest and most significant collections not only in Serbia, but in Europe as well.

The Academic Park

In the Roman times, the space of the square was part of the urban settlement Singidunum. As regards the Middle Ages, there are not many data regarding its appearance and purpose in that period.

In the 18th century, during the Austrian occupation of Belgrade, it was used for military maneuvers and in the Turkish period it served as a praying site and as a cemetery.

The cemetery remained here until 1860s. In the middle of the 19th century administrative and educational buildings were built in the square and in 1863 was constructed the Palace of Captain Miša. At first this was a mansion of this wealthy merchant, Mr. Miša Anastasijevic, and subsequently it was donated to the Great School ( today this is the seat of the Rectory of the Belgrade University ) .

In the 1820s, or more precisely in 1824, on the abandoned part of the cemetery, opposite to today’ s old University building, the Serbian authorities opened a marketplace, known as’ the Great Marketplace ‘ . It remained open until 1927. At the same time, the Turks fenced in the remaining ( smaller ) part of their cemetery in order to prevent its further destruction. In the following years, after the Turks left, this area was turned into a field. It was Mr. Emilijan Josimovic, the first Serbian urban planner, who in 1867 came to the idea of turning it into a green area.

The works on implementing of Josimovic’ s proposal did not start until spring 1886 and they were finished in 1889.
After Josif Pancic, famous biologist and the first President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences, died in 1888, his monument was erected here in 1897. Three decades later, in 1927 the Great Marketplace was closed and instead of it here was built the park that nowadays we call the Academic Park. The little park finished in 1889 became part of the new, big park.The fence around the park was built in 1929. 

Apart from the already mentioned monument to Josif Pancic, in the park there are also monuments to Dositej Obradovic, Serbian educator and to Jovan Cvijic, geographer and one of the presidents of the Serbian Academy of Sciences.

The Park occupies 1. 4 hectares.

Tašmajdan Park

In the Turkish language, the word ‘ tašmajdan ‘ means ‘ quarry ‘ or ‘ rocky field ‘ . Therefore, this whole area in which there used to be a quarry, which today is the area between the streets Takovska, llije Garašanina, Starine Novaka and Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, used to be known as ‘Tašmajdan’ . In the late 1820s, in this area was founded a cemetery that remained here until 1886.

The most famous people of that time were buried there. As early as in the beginning of the 20th century the authorities started to contemplate the rearrangement of the cemetery site.

By the Master Plan from 1950, Tašmajdan was turned into a City Park, in whose lower part, towards llije Garašanina Street, was built a sports and recreation center. 

The construction of the park started in 1950 and was finished in 1954. It involved a great number of Belgrade citizens.
The Park occupies 10.96 hectares.

Kalemegdan Park

It is one of the very few parks that can boast of more than a century long continuity in constructing and decorating. One of the oldest, and to Belgraders, one of the most beutiful, and certainly the dearest park, is currently marking an anniversary. For this part of the world,  this anniversary is a quite remarkable one – 137 years of  continuous works on arranging and decorating.

Kalemegdan Park has grown together with the Belgrade Fortress, the most significant monument of the city, and together they make one inseparable entity.

It occupies 57 hectares and it consists of the following parts : Great and Small Kalemegdan, Upper and Lower Town, Sava and Danube Slopes and the ZOO.

In 1979 the Fortress and the Park were prochlaimed cultural treasure on the state level.

The history of Kalemegdan as a park, started in April 1867, on the day when the Turks handed over the Belgrade Fortress to the Serbian princ Mihailo Obrenovic.

The works started in 1869 in the Great Kalemegdan and upper Town.

The monuments erected here over the past years are of special value to the park : The Victor, which is, in a certain way, a symbol of Belgrade. the Monument of Gratitude to France, monuments and busts of public figures and  cultural workers. As far as natural resources are concerned, there is a considerable number of various species of trees and bushes of different vitality, age, dimensions and origin, and, therefore,  of different esthetic values. At this point, eight trees are under the protection of the state.

Apart from the remains of the fortress, in the park there are also Military Museum, Natural History Museum, Cvijeta Zuzoric Art Pavilion, Ruzica church, St. Paraskeva’ s Chapel, fallen heroes’ tombstones, tennis and basketball courts, restaurant, clubs, etc.

The house of the rich trader and president of the State Council, Stojan Simic, had been built far away from the Rampart and the land surrounding the house was cleared and planted. At that time this area was unpopulated, swampy, overgrown with reed and it served as a wild duck hunting ground.

Only a few years later, the situation changed so drastically, that in the period 1842 – 1843, the state authorities decided to buy Simic’ s house for the new Serbian prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic. In the following period, for more than one century, the land in this area was being cleared and decorated and it started to function as a Royal Garden. After the Second World War it was rearranged into today’ s Pioneers’ Park.

The park occupies 3.01 hectares.

When the residence of prince Miloš was built in Topčider, the land in its vicinity was swampy and overgrown with reed and sedge. Although there are not enough data related to the building of the park around the residence, it can be assumed that the draining of the area of today’ s park started immediately after the construction of the residence ( 1831 – 1834 ) .

For a long time the residence was the seat of the first court of the independent Serbian Principality and for a short while here were held the sessions of the Principality’ s National Parliament. Topčider was the seat of all important events that took place in the Serbia of that time.

The park ocupies 12.8 hectares in the valley of the Topčider river and it is only five kilometers far from the city center. It was built in the ” natural ” English style, which included winding paths, domestic species of trees and plants and arranged water – covered areas. It contains an impressive London Plane Tree ( Platanus acerifolia ) , mentioned by the famous travel writer Feliks Kanic in the second half of the 19th century.

This plane tree is protected as a significant natural landmark and nowadays it is supporteded by 17 metal poles, which hold its huge crown, whose projection equals 1, 885 sq. meters.

The park also contains the monument to the great friend of our people, Mr. Archibald Reiss, erected in 1931.

The time of the creating of the first public green area is the time of the liberation of the Belgrade Fortress from the Turks – the beginning of 1807. In the place of today ‘ s Karadjordje ’s Park,  in 1806 there was a camp of the rebelious army led by Karadjordje. This space was empty and about two kilometers far from the city behind the Rampart. About fifty rebels got killed while assaulting and taking the Fortress.

According to Karadjordje’ s order, their bodies were brought to the camp and buried there.
The families of the killed rebels marked their graves with stones, a few of which have been preserved to this day. At that time the cemetery was fenced off and planted with acacia trees and therefore it is considered to be the forerunner of the first public green area in Belgrade.

Karadjordje ’s Park is located between the streets Bulevar Oslobodjenja and Nebojsina. In 1848 in the park was erected the monument to the soldiers died in the First Serbian Uprising. This monument represents the first public monument in Belgrade.

When taking a walk in the park, at every step of the way, one can see numerous monuments that bear witness to the turbulent history of the city. Apart from the monument mentioned above, there are also several other monuments : the monument erected to the conscripts of the third call – up ( Serbian soldiers who died 1914 – 1915 ) , unveiled in 1923, the monument to Alphonse de Lamartine from 1933, the monument dedicated to the memory of the brigades formed in Spain during the Spanish Civil War 1936 – 1939, as well as the memorial to the victims of the bombing of Belgrade of April 6, 1941.

The park occupies 2. 85 hectares.

Belgrade

In the 9th century A.D documents call it ” Alba Graeca ” – ” White City “ which is precisely what Belgrade means in Serbian. The Belgrade Fortress has a splendid view over New Belgrade, Zemun and Panonian Plain.

It is skirted by the old Serbian quarter of  Belgrade Kosančić Crescent with its cobbled road and painters studies and many elegant old houses worth visiting. They include the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral built in 1837 ( dedicated to Archangel Michael ) and Patriarchate ( the Church’ s seat of power ) Nearby is Princess Ljubica’ s House, the most typical building from 19 century, then Belgrade’ s oldest cafe known simply as” ? ” ( question mark ) built in the rare Balkan style. From there the city fans out in all directions: the pedestrian precinct of Prince Mihailo street, central Republic Square dominated by a massive statue of Princ Mihailo on horseback, the National Museum and National Theatre on the same square with many popular cafes and restaurants around.

From Prince Mihailova Street where the atmosphere of the old times is combined with the glamour of modern shops, straight line leads into Terazije square the very center of the town dominated by hotel Moskva, a fine example of Belle Epoque architecture and Terazije Fountain, and then follows the old Palace, now home of the City Assembly, and the New Palace, now the office of the President of Serbia. Nearby is the monument of the Nobel Prize winner – Ivo Andrić. The street ends in Vračar Square with the small St Sava and Temple  St Sava one of the biggest ortodox temples.  

In the evening depending on your own bent for music:

a) each Friday evening you can enjoy the music of well known Belgrade philharmonic orchestra and concerts master pieces in diferent thematic cycles: Classic, Popular or Vocal. After concert light dinner in one of the exclusive restaurants.

Or if you prefer:

b) jazz music you will spend marvelous evening in art cafe or jazz clubs, where everybody can find the music for himself. The extremly rich music program includes funk, soul, jazz, blues, latino and ethno music .

c) To go crazy – open the door and enter the world of crazy and singing nights. If you have not booked table on time you can hardly find it in late hours in the night. Clubs offer: folk, pop and rock music for young people who are here until dawn.

Early morning return to the hotel.

After good sleep, free day to wander through the town, do some shopping in modern shops or have one of the sightseeing tours. Lunch in one of the restaurants with great choise of cuisines. In the evening possibility for another, different sleepless night.
Maybe you would like now a dinner in one of the floating restaurants with candles, musicians playing just for you or dinner in traditional restaurant with folklore show and spirit of the old times in bohemian area Skadarlia.
 

Skadarlija – The pedestrian street has preserved the authentic buildings of the past times together with the spirit of the days when it was the center of bohemian culture.

It is well known for its crowded and lively cafes and restaurants which specialise in live music and traditional cuisine.

This part of old town is favourite meeting place in summer with an open arena for theatre, exhibitions and other events.

With hundreds of small and big clubs, restaurants and floating cafes, but first of all with joyful people enjoying music and life, Belgrade is Singing City.

Transcending cultural lines, BITEF has survived a series of social and political upheavals. It remains the symbol of Serbia’ s revolutionary spirit. Beyond the festival, the theater building is a must – see site located in a reconstructed Evangelical church in the Belgrade’ s bohemian Skadarlija district.

The theater is also home to one of the city’ s finest clubs, the BITEF Art Cafe.