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133-416: Palace Albanija was declared a cultural monument in 1984. As for its importance for Belgrade, it was built on the pronouncedly dominant architectural position, marking the spatial-urban accent of Terazije square, which made it one of the most recognizable symbols of Belgrade. It was also described as the symbol of Belgrade's golden age, and the crown of the economic growth of Belgrade during Interbellum . It

266-417: A Modernist building was constructed in the mid-1930s. It was designed by Đorđe Đorđević in pure style, with the typical geometry of Modernism represented by the step-like risalit . Modern Hotel Balkan was built in 1935, Igumanov's Palace  [ sr ] in 1938, while Palace Albania was finished in 1939. In order to "effectively intimidate the population" and discourage the people from fighting

399-482: A Square of Marx and Engels (present Square of Nikola Pašić) in the 1950s to the north. Terazije became a "lifeless" ground for the parade and, in the future, for the automobile traffic. An 8-storey building, later known as the Hempro Building, was constructed by Aleksej Brkić at No. 8 in 1951 and finished in 1956. The black and white façade covering is made of marble, glass and metal, with geometric shapes. It

532-531: A beautiful rose garden and when the wind would blow, the wind chimes would make music. Kalmyks would often serve tea to the neighbors and during the religious holidays they would give presents to the children from the neighborhood. In 1934, following the Buddhist customs, 49 days after the assassination of King Alexander in Marseilles , a service was given as he was a temple's benefactor. Another benefactor

665-502: A date when will the thorough reconstruction start. The institute also instructed the bank what needs to be done as the "first aid" before the total reconstruction, but the bank which has been non-operational for 17 years, has no funds for it. As the city is not the owner of the building, the complete reconstruction is not an option, but in December 2019 city announced reconstruction of the façade, which should be finished in 2021. Albanija

798-520: A documentary There were Kalmyks in Belgrade once by Boško Milosavljević (2012). However, in the 2010s, newspapers began to occasionally print articles on Kalmyks, bringing more and more their story to the modern readers and usually referring to the temple as the Belgrade pagoda. Despite oblivion, Kalmyks left a big mark in modern Belgrade's etymology. One of the largest modern neighborhoods, Konjarnik ("horse breeding area"), which fully developed from

931-429: A ghost town. Then a group of young designers moved into the empty shops and began selling their homemade crafts, forming a Belgrade Design District with over 100 shops. In 2018 city administration stepped in with plans of creating a full artistic quart in the future. The deadline is set for 2020. The shopping mall was built without proper permits as the city urban plans envisioned public garage on that location, so there

1064-541: A high-level. The towers were 3 to 10 m (9.8 to 32.8 ft) tall and had a cistern at the summit from which the water flowed into distribution pipes. The Ottoman đeriza followed the route of the ancient aqueduct from the period of Singidunum , the Roman predecessor of Belgrade. The top of the Terazije Ridge is rich in water springs. Water used to run down the slope, where the modern Prizrenska Street is, into

1197-480: A large Terazije fountain was built in 1927. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Terazije was the centre of social life of Belgrade. In 1913, Davidović's city administration decided to change the name of the square into the Prestolonaslednikov trg ("Heir's apparent square"), referring to prince Alexander, future king Alexander I of Yugoslavia . Another decision was to build

1330-716: A large number of people got stranded on the bank in Savamala, trying to flee across the Sava into Austria. Men were massacred, while women and children were enslaved. People were impaled on stakes along city's main roads so a rows of impaled people were placed from the Stambol Gate to Terazije, and nearby, along the Tsarigrad Road, from the Batal mosque to Tašmajdan . Terazije started to take shape as an urban feature in

1463-423: A long time, the occupant of the building was "Beogradska Banka". The bank started a bankruptcy procedure in 2002, which is still not finished, but ever since then the bank has been closed and the building hasn't been properly maintained. In May 2019, the pieces of the façade began to fall off. The Institute for the protection of the monuments stated that the drafting of the project will be done in 2020, without setting

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1596-514: A neglected, empty passage. New possible reconstruction was announced in April 2017, followed by a series of postponing: for October 2017, January, March and May 2018. The project included new paving of the area and reintroduction of the greenery. Nothing has been done, though, and in May 2019 part of the concrete ceiling collapsed so the city again promised to renovate the passage, sometime in 2019. After

1729-521: A new colony. They moved in 1951-1952 and mostly settled in the Monmouth County . From 12 to 16 October 1944, during the final days of the Liberation of Belgrade , the upper section of the temple was demolished due to the fightings in its vicinity. Since there were no believers left, nor the religious artifacts, new Communist government didn't consider it to be the temple anymore. In 1950

1862-541: A typical inn for the travelers from the interior. At the corner of the Skopljanska (today Nušićeva) Street and Terazije, there was the "Zunane" glass shop. It was later purchased by Tomaš Rosulek who turned it into the delicatessen. One of the former Robne kuće Beograd department stores occupies the lot today. Down from the Rosulek store was a well known "Pantelić" pastry shop, famous for its confectionery . There

1995-479: A while in 1918, and until 1920 the National Theatre held performances here, too. In 1860 the kafana "Kod Albanije" ("Chez Albania"), was opened. A small, crummy house, built in the oriental, Turkish style, with yellow façade, it was very popular. The clock in front of it was the first public clock in Belgrade, so it became the most popular meeting point in the city. It was demolished to make way for

2128-671: Is a section of the larger Konjarnik neighborhood. The street in which it was based was named Budistička (Buddhist) after the temple was built, and today is named Budvanska ( Budva street). After the October Revolution in 1917, a huge number of people from Russia, supporters of the White movement , emigrated to Yugoslavia , including Pyotr Wrangel , general of the White Army . Among them were hundreds of Kalmyks , Western Mongolian people of Buddhist faith, who inhabited

2261-471: Is a shopping area in an indoor passage that connects Terazije and the Square of Nikola Pašić. Originally, it was a location of Hotel "Pariz", which was built in 1870 and demolished in 1948 during the reconstruction of Terazije. Passage has been protected by the state as a "cultural property", though still under the "preliminary protection", and was nicknamed by the architects as the "belly button of Belgrade". It

2394-832: Is located at the north-west end of Terazije square, at the forking of four streets: Terazije, Kolarčeva , starting point of Knez Mihailova and Sremska . The latter two are pedestrian zones. In the vicinity are the Republic Square , to which both the Kolarčeva and Knez Mihailova lead, historical neighborhood of Obilićev Venac along the Knez Mihailova, and busy commercial neighborhood of Zeleni Venac , via Sremska . Palace Albanija directly faces another major edifice on Terazije, Hotel Moskva . The buildings officially has three addresses in two streets: 2 Knez Mihailova, 4 Knez Mihailova and 12 Kolarčeva streets. The location of

2527-530: Is not protected by itself, but it is a part of the Kosančićev Venac historical-spatial unit which is protected by the law. Third twin was to be built on the Slavija Square . It was to be built on the land purchase in 1935 by the major merchant Vlada Mitić, one of the richest people in Belgrade at the time, and was announced as the "Mitić Warehouse" or the "Mitić Tower", the largest department store in

2660-421: Is part of the wider protected Spatial Cultural-Historical Unit of Stari Grad. Since the 1950s, the covered square was a quiet corner in sole downtown, with mini gardens and coffee shops and a popular destination of many Belgraders, but in the recent decades mainly lost that function. In 1959 a round plateau with the fountain and a bronze sculpture, called "Girl with the seashell", sculptured by Aleksandar Zarin ,

2793-409: Is the central town square and the surrounding neighborhood of Belgrade , Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Stari Grad . Today, Terazije has primarily function of the main transit square, surrounded by the important public buildings, cultural institutions, hotels, public monuments and parks. Though not classically shaped square, Terazije was historically important as the gathering spot and

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2926-740: The Belgrade City Hall , while Novi Dvor hosts the Presidency of Serbia . Under the mayor Ljubomir Davidović , the Technical Administration of Belgrade Municipality organized architectural design competition for complete rearrangement of Terazije in March 1911. Stipulations included removal of the fountain. In the summer of 1911, the plan was developed, headed by the special commission constituted specifically for this purpose and headed by architect Édouard Léger. Most of

3059-666: The King Alexander Boulevard , the longest street in Belgrade, by Prizrenska street to the neighborhood of Zeleni Venac and further to New Belgrade , and by the Kolarčeva street to the Square of the Republic . The neighborhood also borders Andrićev Venac and Pioneers Park on the southeast, Park Aleksandrov on the south and neighborhood of Varoš Kapija on the west. A small, covered square of Bezistan connects it to

3192-645: The Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes . On the other side of the square was a Renaissance-style administrative building that hosted the offices of the Terazije Quarter. At the corner, there was the "Todorović" delicatessen , later replaced with the Igumanov's Palace  [ sr ] . One of the oldest kafanas in Belgrade, "Šiškova Kafana", was also on this side of Terazije. Gathering place of

3325-508: The Liberas , the one-storey building had a garden, offered newspapers and was known for political debates. It was later demolished and replaced with cinema "Beograd". Close to it was a string of other kafanas : "Takovo", considered quite a distinguished venue, "Pariz" and "Uroševa Pivnica". The "Pariz" was a gathering place for the People's Radical Party members, while the "Uroševa Pivnica" was

3458-570: The Museum of Serbian Land . Engineer Đorđe Lazarević, expert on statics, applied state of the art technics at the time. In the concrete supporting columns, he built it the expensive steel reinforcement, high above the standards in Belgrade in this period. Other above-standard solution included the high-strength concrete. Construction of the building began on 16 July 1938. It was finished 15 months later, and ceremonially opened on 20 October 1939, when World War II already began in other parts of Europe. It

3591-535: The Palace Albanija , which was finished in 1939. Starting in 1859, Atanasije Nikolić , educator and agriculturist, planted a number of chestnut trees on Terazije, in the process of making Belgrade greener, where Nikolić, as an engineer and an urbanist, was also charged with arranging the Košutnjak and Topčider parks, and avenues along Terazije and Topčider Road , and other streets. He grew seedlings in

3724-590: The Republic Square or Kalemegdan to be the city's centerpiece areas, Terazije is Belgrade's designated center. When street numbers are assigned to the streets of Belgrade, numeration begins from the part of the street closest to Terazije. Terazije itself is also a short street, connected by the King Milan Street, the main street in Belgrade, to the Slavija square, by the Nikola Pašić Square to

3857-465: The internment camp at Neusiedl am See . The neighborhood was damaged during the World War I, especially during the heavy Austro-Hungarian bombardment in 1914–1915, prior to occupation. Terazije was described as desolate, empty and destroyed by the grenades. The ground cracked, underground canals collapsed, and the surrounding buildings were demolished. Serbian army had no proper ammunition to fight

3990-474: The "Balkan", which adjoined the fountain. It included house and the "Velika Srbija" inn. The "Velika Srbija" was known for good food and wine, and was demolished and replaced by the Hotel Moskva by 30 January 1908. Around it, there were several small shops and grocery stores. Further away was the "Viktorović" pharmacy, with distinction of being demolished in the bombings in both World Wars. Close to it were

4123-478: The 1920s, were illegally selling goods of the ox carts on and around Terazije. It was one of the reasons for city administration to build a large Zeleni Venac farmers market , on Zeleni Venac, below Terazije. Also despite being the sole center of the city, some areas evaded urbanization until the late 1930s, like the Kuzmanović Yard. This was period of building various highrise buildings ("palaces"). At No. 10,

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4256-462: The 3.5 m (11 ft) tall sculptural composition is being recreated by the sculptor Zoran Kuzmanović. Some 60% of the original Dolinar's sculpture survived and Kuzmanović used it for reconstruction. Originally placed on the roof in January 1939 and demolished in 1950, the restored sculpture was returned to its place on 22 April 2021. Pedestrian underground passage, with commercial facilities,

4389-655: The Austrian gunboats , so they freely fired at the city from the Sava river. Resident Slavka Mihajlović wrote: "Terazije were completely dug up by the projectiles. Covered in mounds of cobblestone and concrete. Chestnut trees were laying on the ground, uprooted by the shelling. Not a living soul anywhere, like the town has died". Austro-Hungarian army temporarily entered Belgrade, from 3 to 14 December 1914. Already on 4 December they erected gallows on Terazije for hanging civilians. Despite complete urbanization, local farmers, up to

4522-574: The Balkans. Mitić announced his idea in 1940 and the works should have been finished in two years. With 14 floors and the height of 60 m (200 ft), the planned building was to be taller than the Palace Albanija itself. Patterned after the German department stores, it was envisioned as the "vertical commercial city". Prljević and Lazarević, who already worked on Albanija, cooperated with

4655-541: The Belgrade Fortress, and allowed the charge which liberated the wider area surrounding the Belgrade Main railway station , so just one day later the entire Belgrade was liberated. Modern appearance of Terazije is mostly set after 1947. City's main urbanist, Nikola Dobrović , in order to adapt the square for the May 1st military parade, demolished almost everything on the ground level, including all of

4788-624: The Belgrade Fortress, while the short-lived fountain was ultimately built. Načić designed the triumphal arch which was placed in Terazije in order to celebrate Serbian soldiers from the Balkan Wars 1912–1913. She placed an inscription "Not all Serbs are liberated" on the arch, pointing to the position of the Serbs in Austria-Hungary . During the occupation in World War I, Austro-Hungarian authorities arrested Načić and expelled her to

4921-522: The German architect Schäfer and followed the design of Albanija itself. The only difference was to be on top of the structure, where a specific tower with gallery-lookout was planned. The ambitious project included previously unseen innovations in Serbia, like the automatized parking platforms, escalators and the cutting edge fire protection system. The outbreak of World War II in Yugoslavia in 1941 halted

5054-587: The Mortgage Bank of the Merchant's Fund paid 8.5 million dinars for the lot, which was enough money to purchase 7 one-floor villas in the city's affluent villa populated neighborhood of Krunski Venac . The bank was drained so much by this transaction, that it took two years for it to recuperate, announcing the architectural design competition on 14 January 1938, with extremely short deadline, set for 28 February same year. In total, 84 architects participated in

5187-585: The Nikola Pašić Square. With regard to the origin of the name Terazije, the historian and writer Milan Đ. Milićević wrote: "In order to supply Belgrade with water, the Turks built towers at intervals along the đeriza or an aqueduct , a water supply system which brought water in from the springs at Veliki Mokri Lug . The water was piped up into the towers for the purpose of increasing the pressure, in order to carry it further. Those towers were: one, where

5320-404: The Palace Albanija building had previously been occupied by a kafana named "Kod Albanije" ("Chez Albania"), which was built in 1860. It was a small, unsightly, crummy house, yet the venue was very popular. The kafana was built in oriental, Turkish style, with yellow façade and its original clientele included Ottoman seymen , merchants, hirelings , Serbian guardsmen, etc. The clock in front of

5453-579: The Terazije Fountain is today (roughly at the small square between the [hotels] Balkan and Moskva; second was where the Ruski car Tavern is; and the third was where kafana Grčka Kraljica is now. The tallest of the three was the one at Terazije. That tower, beside its height, also stood on the spacious clearance, away from the surrounding houses and was taller than any of the neighboring buildings. All those towers were called "water terazije " by

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5586-604: The Terazije Tunnel will be dug beneath it. Deemed "impressive" for its period and a "bald step towards the international architecture", it refreshed the grey urbanity of the socialist city and paved way for the future modernist buildings of the 1950s, like the Hotel Metropol . In 1950, the sculptural group by Lojze Dolinar , which represented merchant Sima Igumanov , his prematurely died son and youth from South Serbia, popularly known as Sima Igumanov and orphans,

5719-459: The Terazije protected area are somewhat reduced: Čumićeva, Nušićeva, Dečanska, Nikola Pašić Square, Kneza Miloša , Andrićev Venac, Dobrinjska, Kraljice Natalije, Sremska. Both definitions excluded the most prominent Terazije feature, Palace Albanija. As the central and one of the most famous squares in Belgrade, it is the location of many famous Belgrade buildings. The most important hotels, restaurants and shops are or were located here. Bezistan

5852-565: The Turks. Because of that, the entire neighborhood of the new section of Belgrade, especially the one between the Stari Dvor and close to the Stambol Gate , is today called Terazije". For the word itself, it literally means "[water] scales", more commonly known as "water balances" or su terazisi . But the tower-like structures were more than just scales - they were maintaining water pressure when conveying water to neighbourhoods at

5985-462: The World War II, when Belgrade was administratively reorganized from districts ( raions ) into the municipalities in 1952, Terazije had its own municipality with the population of 17,858 in 1953. However, already on 1 January 1957 the municipality was dissolved and divided between the municipalities of Vračar and Stari Grad. Population of the modern local community ( mesna zajednica ) of Terazije

6118-530: The Zeleni Venac area. Zeleni Venac is built in the area that was previously part of the trench which surrounded the Belgrade Fortress in the 18th century. When the trench was covered, a pond was formed, partially filled by the stream from Terazije. Today's central city square turned into the bog filled in sludge and covered with overgrowth. Local population visited the pond hunting for ducks. It

6251-737: The access section of the Čumić Alley. Belgrade pagoda#Kalmyks in Belgrade Kalmyk Buddhist Temple , also known as Kalmyk Home , was a Buddhist temple in Belgrade , capital of Serbia . It was built in 1929 as one of the first Buddhist temples in Europe, served for the religious purposes until 1944, and completely demolished in the mid-1960s. Pagoda was located in the neighborhood known today as Učiteljsko Naselje , in Zvezdara municipality. Učiteljsko Naselje

6384-581: The area became known as the Kuzmanović Alley, or Kuzmanović Yard. Initially, quite a successful business area, by the 1930s the shops went bankrupt and were closed. The alley was transformed into an informal settlement . In the reprint of its article from 13 March 1937, daily Politika writes about the city's decision to tear down the Kuzmanović Yard: It seems that another disgrace will disappear from Belgrade, but much larger and more dangerous for

6517-620: The battle with the Yugoslav Partisans and the Soviet Red Army. In June 2018 it was announced that 3 nesting couples of Alpine swift were spotted on the building, which is the first time this happened in Belgrade. Previously, the closest nesting colony of Alpine swift was 200 km (120 mi) to the east, in the Iron Gates gorge. They were first spotted flying in the flocks of common swift , which are abundant in

6650-403: The building during the war proved the quality of its construction. The German Organization Todt built the shelter in the basement of the building. The 500 kg (1,100 lb) heavy US bomb hit the roof of Albanija directly, fell all the way down to the basement, killing many German soldiers and officers in the shelter. The building, however, remained standing. Remaining soldiers were killed in

6783-587: The city, and later the nests were found. This is taken as one of the hints that the continental climate of Belgrade changes, shifting to the Mediterranean climate . The twin building of Albanija, colloquially styled "Little Albanija" ( Mala Albanija ), is located at the corner of the Pop Lukina and Kosančićev Venac streets. It was also designed by Miladin Prljević. Though originally only one skyscraper

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6916-463: The club organized dance competitions for participants from the entire Yugoslavia. Band Zana was promoted for the first time here, while band Aska practiced its choreography for their performance at the 1982 Eurovision song contest . The venue was closed in 1989. Bezistan covers an area of 13,667 m (147,110 sq ft). The major feature within Bezistan was the "Kozara" cinema, one of

7049-414: The coach one day, prince asked Živković to whom belongs one of the lots without the fence. Živković replied it was his, but the prince said: Well, now it's not yours anymore, when you failed to fence it all this time. Politician and a businessman Stojan Simić , member of the influential Simić family , purchased the lot at the end of Terazije in the late 1830s. It was a piece of marshland which encompassed

7182-498: The competition. Architect Milan Zloković proposed even higher edifice (15 storeys). The first prize wasn't awarded, which was kind of the usual action at the time, as it allowed for the investor to combine all the other projects. Nine works in total were chosen. Architect Miladin Prljević was chosen to combine the final design. He decided to go with two projects by the architects from Zagreb, one by Branko Bon and Milan Grakalić, and another by Hinko Bauer and Marijan Haberle. This caused

7315-493: The concentration camp. The tower managed to survive World War II, but was demolished in November 1945, presumably because of the highly negative perception among the citizens due to the role the tower had during the war years when it was equipped with searchlights and several machine gun nests to monitor the area and the river, and to stop those trying to escape the lager, earning the moniker "death tower". This left Albanija as

7448-412: The controversy as Bon and Grakalić claimed that their project was robbed, but Prljević replied that they actually robbed the project of Bauer and Haberle, where they worked as the assistants. The original documentation is not preserved so it is not known who plagiarized who. The bank already allocated the funds for the construction, so it pushed hard for the works to begin. Though small but highly popular,

7581-438: The demolition of the old kafana sparked mass demonstrations in 1938. Despite its shabbiness and lack of sanitary and safety conditions, it existed on this location for almost 80 years. One of the regular customers was writer Branislav Nušić , who wrote about the kafana. Another reason for the protests was that the source for the new building's design was Germanic. Nušić wrote in 1929 that the kafana will "stay forever". Parts of

7714-475: The dome was completely torn down and the ground level was adapted into the cultural center. Organizations like the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Yugoslavia and Women's Antifascist Front of Yugoslavia held conferences in it, but it was also used for more public venues, like weddings and dancings. Still, even at the late 1950s, the area was colloquially called "Chinese Quarter". The building

7847-488: The elite shopping locations in Belgrade, with numerous cafés, galleries and clubs in addition. It is also the shortest passage between the squares of the Republic and of Nikola Pašić. The entire alley complex, designed by architect Milutin Gec, was finished in 1991. By the late 1990s, when other shopping malls started to open around the city, the decline of Čumić began. By 2010, the district was almost completely abandoned, becoming

7980-520: The fear of possible collapse, were recorded. Newspapers described the repeated design competition as "anything goes". The project envisioned four floors below the ground. As the city government had no machinery required for the job, they invited the Kalmyks , emigrants from Russia, noted for their horses. With their horses and carts, the Kalmyks removed the rubble and earth from the foundation pit. In

8113-425: The fifth to the eights floor were mixed offices and three-room apartments. Remaining five stores, to the thirteenth, were occupied by the bachelor apartments , which, at the time, occupied around 50 m (540 sq ft) each. This final five floor section was referred to as the tower, as it protruded above the lower, wider part of the building. The building is 53 m (174 ft) high, with 13 floors above

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8246-487: The first half of the 19th century. In the 1840s, Serbian ruling prince Miloš Obrenović wanted to resettle Serbian population from the old moated town where they had been mixed with the Turkish inhabitants, and from the neighborhood of Savamala on the bank of the Sava river in order to modernize it. He ordered Serbian craftsmen, especially blacksmiths , cartwrights and coppersmiths , to build their houses and shops on

8379-588: The first reconstruction of the square in 1911, the chestnut avenue was cut, while the česma was moved to Topčider in 1912. In 1860, construction of the Palace with Towers, next to the Old Konak began. It was intended to be the palace of the heir apparent prince Mihailo Obrenović . The prince never used it, residing mostly in the Little Palace which he built next to the Old Konak, while his court hosted

8512-424: The flower beds and the other urban ornaments, so as the fountain. The wooden cobbles were removed and two separate traffic lanes were molded into connected carriageways and the adjoining Nušićeva Street was closed for traffic from the Terazije direction. After 1948 the main square in Belgrade was narrowed, double tram tracks from both sides were removed and a number of modernist buildings were constructed, forming

8645-436: The former business and commercial center of Belgrade. With the Knez Mihailova Street , which extends to the northeast connecting directly Terazije and Belgrade Fortress , the square is one of the oldest and most recognizable ambience units of Belgrade. Due to its historical and cultural importance, Terazije was declared a protected spatial cultural-historical unit in January 2020. Despite the fact that many Belgraders consider

8778-411: The fountain on the square which would include the monument to victory. The ideas came after the Balkan Wars and were triggered by the ceremonial entry of the Serbian army in Belgrade after the war ended, and the construction of the Karađorđe monument in Kalemegdan. Due to World War I which ensued shortly after, the decisions weren't fully implemented: the name wasn't changed, the monument was relocated to

8911-442: The ground and 4 floors below. Total floor area covers 8,000 m (86,000 sq ft). It was designed in the pattern of the late Modernist style ("international spirit of the Modernism in the 1930s"). The façade is without any ornaments and was plated with the slabs of the blue-gray Italian Cipollino marble , which was partially replaced during the 1958 reconstruction from damages sustained during World War II. The bombing of

9044-420: The hanged victims, marking the 224th anniversary of Prince Eugene of Savoy taking Belgrade in 1717 . A monument to commemorate the crime was erected in 1981 by the city. Titled "Monument to the hanged patriots" and sculptured by Nikola Janković, the obelisk-shaped monument is 4 m (13 ft) tall with a diameter of 80 cm (31 in). It is posted on the marble pedestal and has carvings representing

9177-484: The health and lives of the people than that eyesore that "Albania" was. A row of shacks and hovels in "Kuzmanović yard", which altogether cover an area of 4.000 m2 between the streets of Dečanska, Pašićeva nad Kolarčeva, will disappear. Belgrade municipality sent its commission yesterday to check the condition of the "Kuzmanović yard". The commission established that the shanties and burrows are prone to collapse any minute and that it will advocate for them to be demolished, in

9310-417: The heavy "Easter bombing" of Belgrade by the Allies on 16 April 1944. The palace was fiercely defended by the Germans during the 1944 Belgrade Offensive against the Red Army and Yugoslav Partisan forces. In the evening of 19 October 1944, a Partisan soldier Mladen Petrović placed the Yugoslav flag with red star on the top of the building. Taking over the building opened the way for the Partisan army to

9443-403: The house of Lazar Arsenijević Batalaka and kafana "Kod Dva Tigra". Disreputable at the time, it was later replaced with the Palace Atina  [ sr ] building and the famous 1970s and 1980s "Atina" restaurant. A bit away was the Krsmanović House , or later known as the Protocol Building. Purchased by the Krsmanović brothers, it was the location of the 1918 unification proclamation of

9576-564: The interest of health and lives of the tenants . The shantytown was demolished by 1940. The alley was later renamed Čumićevo Sokače ("Čumić Alley") after a politician Aćim Čumić , former mayor of Belgrade and prime minister of Serbia. In 1989, the first modern shopping mall (concurrently with the Staklenac on the Republic Square) in Belgrade was opened in Čumić Alley, colloquially shortened only to Čumić. It soon became one of

9709-497: The kafana was the first public clock in Belgrade. As such, it became the most popular meeting point in the city. According to the Belgrade's first general urban plan , from 1924, the location was planned for the Belgrade Stock Exchange Building. The owners, descendants of Krsta Tomović, were refusing to sell the lot by asking too much money for the parcel's 650 m (7,000 sq ft). In 1936,

9842-425: The last "scar" which divided city parts on the opposite sides of the trench, thus making Terazije one urban unit with the older part of the city. This prompted accelerated urbanization, not only of Terazije, but of the other neighborhoods outside of the old city limits. When the first horsecar was introduced in Belgrade, on 14 October 1892, the station was located in Terazije, next to the fountain. The Little Palace

9975-403: The line from Terazije to Varoš Kapija and lifted the price to 3 groschen . Terazije Quarter was officially formed on 3 March 1860, so Terazije administratively became part of Belgrade, so as the other neighborhoods outside of the former trench. After the incident at the Čukur Fountain, Ottoman garrison withdrew from the Stambol Gate. The gate was demolished from 26 April to 31 May 1866, removing

10108-414: The location of the present square, an empty, inhabited area spreading in front of the Stambol Gate. Also, the move was intended to prevent the fires being lit all over the town and tone down the noise made by these specific types of artisans. However, the craftsmen and artisans refused to relocate, especially the residents of Savamala as prince Miloš planned to relocate them even further than Terazije, to

10241-455: The lot, but none was realized. Then mayor of Belgrade , Bogdan Bogdanović decided to put a large sundial in the place in the first half of the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Dafiment banka , one of the major Ponzi schemes of the Milošević's regime , bought the lot and announced a monumental shopping mall, but after the scheme failed completely, the lot was fenced and turned into the dump. After

10374-459: The ministries of interior and foreign affairs. The building was designed by Kosta Šrepalović. On 24 May 1860, privately owned predecessor of the public transport in Belgrade was organized. The omnibus line was operated by the diligences . Its starting point was in Terazije, at the kafana "Kod Zlatnog Venca", and connected it to Topčider . The enterprise wasn't much lucrative so the owner Luka Jakovljević sold it in 1861 to Milan Tešić, who expanded

10507-462: The modern features of Stari dvor , Pioneers Park and Park Aleksandrov . By the summer of 1840, he drained the marsh, filled and leveled the terrain and on the northern side of the modern Kralja Milana street built a luxurious mansion from 1840 to 1842. The edifice became known as the Old Konak . Development of the first Serbian royal compound began in 1843, when the state leased the mansion, with

10640-486: The most popular in Belgrade for decades. It was closed in 2003, purchased by Croatian tycoon Ivica Todorić and allegedly planned as a supermarket for Todorić's Serbian brand "Idea" before it was destroyed by fire on 25 May 2012 It has been left in that condition ever since. Bezistan had candy and souvenir shops on one side, and modernistic section on other side, with McDonald's restaurant, modern coffee shop and "Reiffeisen bank", but as of 2018 it looks like nothing more than

10773-535: The neighboring Romania , a large bronze statue of Buddha arrived from Tokyo and was consecrated on 25 March 1934. With the Buddha statue, additional religious equipment arrived (drums, gongs, etc.), but the shipment was kept at the Customs Office, which asked for the huge amount of money to be paid by the Kalmyks. Ministry of Justice intervened and the Buddhist shipment was declared customs free. Within

10906-673: The neutral countries protested because of these public hangings, so in the end the Austrians moved dead bodies to the Belgrade New Cemetery . Due to the history of this type of executions, the phrase "hanging at Terazije" entered the Serbian language. It can be variously used in different context: as a threat, offering self-sacrifice or protesting one's innocence. The square and the Palace Albania were hit during

11039-477: The nursery garden he personally established in Topčider during the 1830s, when he arranged the park. The chestnut avenue in Terazije was planted in double rows. Up to about 1865, the buildings at Terazije were mainly single and double-storied. The water tower was removed in 1860 and replaced by the drinking fountain, "Terazijska česma", which was erected in to celebrate the second rule of Prince Miloš Obrenović. During

11172-587: The occupiers, a military commander of Serbia Heinrich Danckelmann and the head of the Belgrade Gestapo Carl Krauss ordered a killing of five Serbs on Terazije. The executed victims were Velimir Jovanović (b.1893) and Ratko Jević (b. 1913), farmers, Svetislav Milin (b. 1915), a shoemaker, Jovan Janković (b.1920), a tailor, and Milorad Pokrajac (b. 1924), a high school student, only 17 years old. They were arrested, accused of alleged terrorist activities and brutally tortured before being shot in

11305-513: The only work that has been done was the reconstruction of the plateau and the fountain in 2011. A popular disco club "Bezistan" was opened in the 1980s. It was located in the basement of the venue which was later adapted into the McDonald restaurant. It was different from other discos of the era, and was the only "dancing club" in the city. When the popularity of the Italo disco reached Belgrade,

11438-612: The pagoda-style, after the Datsan Gunzechoinei temple in St.Petersburg , built from 1909 to 1915. The Kalmyks and their temple are almost completely forgotten today, but still, they were inspiration for several works, including the study Kalmyks in Serbia 1920-44 by Toma Milenković (1998), a novel Kaja, Belgrade and the Good American by Mirjana Đurđević (2009; "Good American" being US ambassador John D. Prince ) and

11571-550: The period say that some citizens calmly paid respect, but others gathered, with parents bringing children and professors their students, showing to them what the "new German culture" actually looks like. As the hanging was announced by the Germans in the press, and the news and photos were published, the bodies were removed on the evening of the same day. On the same day, a procession of the Volksdeutsche units marched next to

11704-399: The project envisioned three floors below the ground. As the city government had no machinery required for the job, they invited the Kalmyks, with their horses and carts, to remove the rubble and earth from the foundation pit. During the war, relations between the neighbors turned sour. On the one side, Kalmyks sided with the German occupational forces and on the other, city government, which

11837-413: The provisions envisioned by the project were built: new wide paved sidewalks, formation of the square, a fountain, change in tram tracks for better and faster traffic and removal of the public pissoirs . A monument to Dositej Obradović , which was projected, was erected in a different neighborhood. The changes in 1911–1913 were significant and the square was completely re-arranged. With Léger, major work

11970-441: The public opposed the project citing reasons other than just the kafana demolition. Some reports claimed that such a large building, made of reinforced concrete, can't be supported by the settling ground below, so they predicted the building would collapse, so as the neighboring buildings. Others debunked the new, highly progressive construction techniques. Cases of residents from the surrounding building, who sold their apartments in

12103-492: The regime change in 2000, the area was cleaned and a temporary park with children playground was built instead. The failed projects continued, including the ultra-modern, gigantic shopping mall by the Israeli investors which turned out to be a complete hoax. 44°48′54″N 20°27′36″E  /  44.81500°N 20.46000°E  / 44.81500; 20.46000 Terazije Terazije ( Serbian Cyrillic : Теразијe )

12236-480: The relatively shallow depth, just below the old foundation, a well preserved skeleton of a mammoth was excavated in 1938, below the former door of the kafana. It was estimated to be 2 million years old, when the area of Belgrade was the edge of a Quaternary lake. The skeleton was almost undisturbed, with especially well preserved mandible with teeth, which were used to identify the species. The ribs and femurs were also in excellent shape. The bones were transported to

12369-413: The reports of further deterioration of the ceiling in January 2021, city announced that Bezistan will not be renovated in 2021 either, even though it became part of the Terazije protected area in January 2020. In the early 20th century, a section behind the main square became a hub of commercial and craft shops. After the owner of the lot, quite big for the central urban zone of the city, Živko Kuzmanović,

12502-493: The scenes of the hanging and commemorative lyrics by the poet Vasko Popa . In 1983 a memorial bronze plaque, work of Slave Ajtoski, was added. It contains names of the victims and an epitaph : "To freedom fighters who were hanged by the Fascist occupiers in Terazije on 17 August 1941", signed by "citizens of Belgrade". The plaque got damaged in time and was removed in 2008, during the reconstruction of Terazije, for restoration. It

12635-606: The shores of the Caspian Sea . From April 1920 to late 1923, some 500 Kalmyks entered Serbia, and 400 of them settled in Belgrade, thus creating the largest Kalmyk colony in Europe. They settled on the eastern outskirts of Belgrade: Karaburma , Bulbulder , Cvetkova Pijaca , Crveni Krst . However, the majority of them settled in Mali Mokri Lug , the suburban village of Belgrade at the time. Having several priests in their community, already in 1923 they rented rooms in

12768-410: The square and the surrounding area of 23 ha (57 acres) was placed under the state protection as the spatial cultural-historical unit. Terazije quarter had a population of 6,333 by the 1883 census of population. According to the further censuses, the population of Terazije was 5,273 in 1890, 6,074 in 1895, 6,494 in 1900, 6,260 in 1905, 9,049 in 1910 and 7,038 in 1921. For a short period after

12901-559: The still existing house in the Vojislava Ilića street No 47 for religious service. In 1925 they moved it to Metohijska street No 51 and started an action for building a proper temple. The Kalmyks were headed by the former colonel of the Russian Imperial Army, Abusha Alekseyev (1886–1938) and the Buddhist elder Manchuda Borinov (1872-1928). They officially formed their Belgrade organization in April 1929, and Alekseyev

13034-465: The street in which it was built was officially named "Buddhist" street. City government became a financial supporter of the temple, so it was reconstructed and expanded in 1935. The main wall was decorated with two painted deer. Being so far away from Buddhist countries, the temple lacked lots of artifacts needed for the religious service. Through the contacts with the Japanese envoy to Bucharest , in

13167-490: The surrounding garden, as the court for the ruling prince Alexander Karađorđević . As the royal family now moved into the neighborhood, first regulatory plan for Terazije, which envisioned it as the new commercial and business center of Belgrade, was drafted in 1843. The idea for the monument to Karađorđe , leader of the First Serbian Uprising from 1804 to 1813, appeared in 1853 and the proposed location

13300-549: The temple, Kalmyks established a Buddhist Spiritual Council, which was a focal point of all local Kalmyks in Serbia but also made connections to Kalmyk communities from other parts of Europe. Torghut princess Nirjidma visited the temple on 20 September 1933. They also had a Buddhist religious school in the Center and classes of the Kalmyk language. Due to their appearance, local population colloquially called them "Chinese". As there

13433-406: The then distant village of Palilula , "behind God's back". The prince resorted to violence. He gathered his henchmen and thugs and sent them to Savamala in 1835. As the settlement was still just a shanty town, with houses made of rotten wood and mud, all the houses were demolished in one day, without any demolition equipment. Additionally, the ustabasha , chief of the cartwright and blacksmith guild,

13566-578: The truly highest structure in Belgrade. The building was hit during the heavy „Easter bombing“ of Belgrade by the Allies on 16 April 1944. Germans defended it fiercely during the 1944 Belgrade Offensive against the Red Army and Yugoslav Partisan forces. In the evening of 19 October 1944, 22-years-old Partisan Mladen Petrović placed the Yugoslav flag with red star on the top of Palace Albanija. Petrović

13699-507: The works, though the foundations for the building were laid. The ill fortune of the location of the "third Albanija" since then spurred an urban myth in Belgrade, and the place became known as a jinxed and cursed property named Mitićeva rupa ("Mitić hole"). After the war, Communist government imprisoned Vlada Mitić and confiscated his entire property, including the lot on which the tower was planned and funds prepared for its construction. From 1946 to 1980, 26 different project were completed for

13832-514: The yard of the Gestapo headquarters. The entire ordeal happened on 17 August 1941. Their corpses were then hanged on the light poles on Terazije. For a long time, it was claimed that bodies were left for days, while the Belgraders were "sitting in restaurants and drinking cold beer". Historian Milan Koljanin wrote that this was a negative stereotype pushed for a decades. Police reports from

13965-429: Was "Zlatna Slavina" inn, frequently visited by the journalists and writers, adjoined by the bookstore and publishing house. The old hotel "Balkan" with one floor leaned on it. A bit protruding was the bakery ("bread shop") famous at the time for its products (egg burek , various kifli , pogačice , hot kaymak lepinjas ). In May 1904, the insurance company "Rusija" purchased the estate of Nikola Vuković across

14098-426: Was 5,033 in 1981, 4,373 in 1991 and 3,338 in 2002. Municipality of Stari Grad later abolished local communities. Borders of the Terazije local community were streets: Dečanska, Nikola Pašić Square, Kneza Miloša , Kraljice Natalije, Sremska, Kolarčeva and Makedonska. That way it encompassed Andrićev Venac , Pioneers Park , Park Aleksandrov , London , Terazije Terrace and part of historical Savamala . Borders of

14231-403: Was 74 metres (243 ft) tall, and served as the parachuting attraction. It was located in the new fairground Sajmište complex across the Sava river, as the nucleus of the modern New Belgrade . The imposing and domineering structure was visible from all parts of Belgrade due to its height and position in the flat and low terrain. After German occupation in April 1941, Sajmište was turned into

14364-592: Was Terazije First official proposal came in 1857, from Toma Vučić-Perišić , one of the leaders of the Defenders of the Constitution . Though Ottoman administration over Serbia was limited at the time, it was still strong enough to prevent building of the monument. They couldn't allow a memorial to the bitter enemy of their empire. After the Saint Andrew's Day Assembly in 1858–1859, dethroned Miloš Obrenović

14497-431: Was a big discrepancy in the gender ratio of the emigrants, one woman to five men, their number in Belgrade never grew over 500. As a result of the cordial relations the two communities had, there were Kalmyk–Serbian marriages, where Kalmyk men would marry Serbian women. As witnesses from that period reported, children from those marriages had "white complexion inherited from us, and slanty eyes inherited from them". Pagoda had

14630-454: Was a narrow extension of the square in this area, in the direction of the goldsmith Mihailo P. Petković's store, where the row of fiakers was usually parked. The Old Konak was demolished in 1904, while the Palace with Towers was torn down in 1911. Its demolition made space for the planned Novi Dvor . The foundation stone was laid in 1911. However, due to the ensuing strings of wars, it was completed only in 1922. Today, Stari Dvor serves as

14763-468: Was always a possibility for the city to demolish it and go with its plan. In May 2020 city reiterated that it will not demolish it, but due to the ownership issues, lack of paperwork, plans and designs, and COVID-19 pandemic , the reconstruction was moved for 2021. Nothing has been done by August 2022, when the reconstruction of the upper section of the Nušićeva Street was announced, which should include

14896-465: Was built, with several toy and slipper stores covered with roller shutters ( ćepenak ) at the ground level. The upper floor was the seat of the "Zvezda" monthly magazine, edited by Janko Veselinović . The "Zlatni Krst" kafana was built next to it, today replaced with the highrise built in the 1960s. There was also an "Albanez" inn, sort of students' mess hall , as its clientele were mostly high and middle school students, and their professors. Next to it

15029-416: Was built. A webbed roof, shaped like a semi-opened dome, made of concrete and projected by Vladeta Maksimović, was constructed to cover the plateau and the fountain. Because of that feature, and a small shops located in it, it was named "Bezistan", though it never functioned as the bezistan in its true, oriental sense of the term. Revitalization and reconstruction was projected for the second half of 2008, but

15162-713: Was consecrated on 12 December 1929. The guests included members of the Kalmyk diaspora in Czechoslovakia and France , so as the representatives of the Russian organizations in Belgrade, including the atamans of the Don Cossacks and the Terek Cossacks , as the Kalmyks in Russian Empire mostly served in the army horse units. The temple soon became an attraction, being listed in tourist guides, and

15295-410: Was demolished in April and May 1881 to make way for the Stari Dvor . Designed by Aleksandar Bugarski , it was built on the orders by the prince, later king Milan Obrenović . The foundation stone was laid on 23 June 1881 and the building was finished by 1883. By the turn of the century, the square formed with an "egg-shaped" base, where the Palace Albanija is today. Near this base, a low, yellow house

15428-550: Was done by the architects Veselin Lučić, who designed the project, and Jelisaveta Načić . Along the central part of the square regular flower beds were placed, surrounded by a low iron fence. Refurbishment included artistic candelabra, public three-faced clock, a special kiosk in the Serbian-Byzantine style, circle bars for the protection of the trees in the avenue and granite curbs. On the side towards today's Nušićeva street

15561-429: Was dug under Terazije in 1967, connecting Iguman's Palace with Hotel Moskva. Another underground passage, connecting Hotel Balkan and Palace Albanija, envisioned as an underground shopping mall, was finished in 1968. Terazije Tunnel, for traffic, was opened on 4 December 1970. On 12 December 1975, old Terazije Fountain was relocated from Topčider back to the square, and placed at its present location. On 25 January 2020,

15694-532: Was elected as the chief. Many Kalkmyks worked in the brickworks owned by the industrialist Miloš Jaćimović (1858-1940) and soon he became a major benefactor of their community. In 1928 he donated the lot on which the temple was built and also provided the building materials, bricks and roof tiles. That same year, Kalmyks were granted permission to build the temple, given to them from both the political and Serbian Orthodox Church authorities. King Alexander I of Yugoslavia also helped them financially. The temple

15827-640: Was leading through the gate into the city and across the moat. Also, the existence of the water tower, with drinking fountain, helped the area to become sort of the "parking lot" in front of the city entrance. After the collapse of the First Serbian Uprising , the Ottomans regained Belgrade in October 1813, and their vanguards burned wooden hovels in Savamala neighborhood. When the main Ottoman army landed,

15960-446: Was liberated. After the war, engineer Lazarević participated in the reconstruction of the building. The façade was fully reconstructed from war scars only in 1958, when the original, Italian marble, was replaced with the cheaper, domestic one. In the 2010s, the façade was equipped with the decorative lights. They are also used to color the façade in different patterns and shapes in order to celebrate or commemorate certain events. For

16093-485: Was one of the first public buildings in Belgrade after World War II projected outside of the Socialist realism style, rather being a Modernist edifice. The building also has an imitation of a penthouse with a series of "ribbed bachelor apartments ". Brkić had to follow two rules: the building was not to be higher than 8 storeys, which was the height of the neighboring building, and he had to take into consideration that

16226-613: Was part of the German-appointed puppet regime in Serbia , stripped them of financial support in 1942 as they were not of "Serbian nationality". With the advance of Yugoslav Partisans and Soviet Red Army in the September 1944, and fearing the reprisals of the latter, some 300 remaining Kalmyks withdrew with German troops, first to Germany and then resettling in New Jersey , United States of America, where they established

16359-471: Was patterned after the project Hochhaus in Berlin , designed by Hans Poelzig . Prljević previously collaborated with Poelzig. The building originally had four basement floors: the boiler room, storage rooms for the tenants and two for the storage rooms of the shops. The lobby was designed to host 10 different shops and the mezzanine was designated for the restaurant. Up to the fourth floor were offices and from

16492-561: Was planned, it was later decided that three buildings will be built, sharing the same or similar appearance and characteristics. The architectural design of the Little Albanija is patterned after the Palace Albanija and represents its smaller version. The building is officially known as the "House of Siniša Zdravković" or the "House of the Brothers Zdravković". It was finished in 1940, immediately after Palace Albanija. It

16625-504: Was publicly beaten, receiving 25 hits. The artisans then agreed to relocate. Ilija Čarapić , the president of the Belgrade Municipality 1834–1835 and 1839–1840, had a special task of assigning the parcels in Terazije to these craftsmen and whoever accepted to fence the lot on his own, would have it for free. One of the lots was granted by prince Miloš to his favorite architect, Hadži Nikola Živković . Driving together in

16758-529: Was recorded that during the cold winters, wolves would reach the pond. The draining of the pond began in the 1830s, but the underground water from Terazije still soaks the land between Terazije and the Sava river. Being outside of the moat and the city walls at the time, it was considered "distant" by the citizens. As it was located in front of the Stambol Gate and close to the Tsarigrad Road , some artisan shops and khans developed in time. The road

16891-588: Was removed from the roof of Igumanov's bequest, the Igumanov's Palace. It wasn't just taken down, but was smashed with hammers by the members of the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia . This made a way for the first neon commercial signage in 1958. A mobile advertisement for the Zagreb's Chromos Corporation, it was the first neon commercial sign in Belgrade. In February 2020, deputy mayor Goran Vеsić said that

17024-526: Was restored to power and the idea of erecting a monument to Karađorđe on Terazije was abandoned. The "Kasina" kafana and later hotel was built in 1858. It was named as the gambling was organized for the VIP members (female variant of the word casino ). Clientele originally included members of the Serbian Progressive Party . National Assembly of Serbia was seated in the venue's hall for

17157-400: Was returned on 28 May 2011. Terazije, as the central city square, was also used as the hanging location by the previous occupiers, too. During World War I, the Austrians hanged at Terazije citizens who didn't obey the curfew . However, this resulted in incidents, where drunk Austrian soldiers would pull or drag the bodies of the hanged ones, so the bodies and the gallows were removed. Also,

17290-535: Was the 1926-1932 US ambassador to Belgrade, John D. Prince . The Kalmyks soon became known as diligent workers. Apart from brickworks, they mostly worked as carters and tailors. Best known Kalmyk in Yugoslavia was Učur Kuljdinov, footballer of the FK Jugoslavija . They were also known for horse breeding . When Palace Albanija , which was to be the highest building in the Balkans , was built in 1938-1940,

17423-502: Was the first highrise building in Belgrade and for a long time the tallest one, dominating the architecture of Belgrade of the time. Though the tallest building, Albanija wasn't the tallest structure in Belgrade. The Škoda Tower , donation by the Czechoslovakian Škoda Works company after the 1937 lucrative deal with Yugoslav government, was opened on 2 June 1938, one year before Palace Albanija. The latticed steel construction

17556-465: Was then transferred to the Budućnost company, which demolished the building completely in the mid-1960s and constructed a new, two-floor building instead. The company set its cooling service in it, but the edifice has been locked and out of use for a long time. Belgrade pagoda is considered as one of the earliest Buddhist temples in Europe, probably only second specifically built for this purpose and in

17689-519: Was wounded while bringing the flag to the top of the building, but recuperated enough to participate in Syrmian Front , where he was killed, together with his brother. Taking over the building opened the way for the Partisan army to the Belgrade Fortress and allowed the charge which liberated the wider area surrounding the Belgrade Main railway station , so just one day later the entire Belgrade

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