Šuplja Stena ( Serbian

Cyrillic , bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця , fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs , fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic , fam3 = Phoenician , fam4 = G ...

: Шупља Стена) is a suburban settlement of

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, the capital of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of

Voždovac Voždovac ( sr-cyr, Вождовац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 158,213 inhabitants. The municipality is located in the south-central part of the urban ...

Location

Šuplja Stena is located in the woods of the

Avala Avala ( sr-cyr, Авала, ) is a mountain in Serbia, overlooking Belgrade. It is situated in the south-eastern corner of the city and provides a great panoramic view of Belgrade, Vojvodina and Šumadija, as the surrounding area on all sides is ...

mountain, 22 kilometers south from downtown Belgrade. Located right on the mountain's

wind rose A wind rose is a graphic tool used by meteorologists to give a succinct view of how wind speed and direction are typically distributed at a particular location. Historically, wind roses were predecessors of the compass rose (found on charts), as ...

, the place has a beneficial effect on human health, especially for the

respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...

Characteristics

Šuplja Stena is a non-residential, recreational complex which in the period of two decades (1970–90) grew into one of the most popular children resorts, mostly for the group vacations organized by the Belgrade's elementary schools. During holiday seasons, the complex was known for hosting several thousand children. The complex covers and area of 12 hectares and includes 2 buildings, 14

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas. The first house in England that was classified as a b ...

s, 3 open swimming pools, soccer, basketball and volleyball fields, etc. The name of the place, ''šuplja stena'', is Serbian for "hollow rock". The complex also includes a part of the Avala forest, with 1,200 pines and numerous oaks. In April 2022, it was announced that plans are to declare Šuplja Stena a natural monument by the end of 2022. Also, there is a possibility that the already protected landscape of the outstanding features Avala may be extended, to encompass Šuplja Stena.

History

The complex was built in the early 1970s by the municipal assembly of Belgrade's central municipality of

Vračar Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has a population of 56,333 inhabitants ...

. Originally, due to the healing effect of the

, Šuplja Stena was planned as an air spa for the rehabilitation of the children with respiratory problems. It was operational until 1992 when Serbian government designated the place as a shelter for the refugees from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, after the outbreak of the

Yugoslav wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...

. In 2003 the last refugees left Šuplja Stena but the devastated complex remained inactive until February 2012. Šuplja Stena became an object of bitter dispute between the municipality of Vračar and the Serbian state owned forestry company, "Srbijašume". "Srbijašume", which owns the lot but not the complex, claimed that the municipality is mismanaging the complex and asked the Republic's Directory for Properties to alienate the facilities from the municipality and that they offered to do reconstruction with their own funds, but that municipality rejected them. Municipality responded that they have absolutely no intention of giving away the complex they built to "Srbijašume" without any compensation and asked (already in 2002, with a proper offer) to buy the lot, too, because they do not wish to reconstruct Šuplja Stena so that it could be given to someone else, claiming that after 1997 the complex was left ruined and became a gathering place for drug addicts and vagrants. However, the government in 2006 refused to sell the lot to the municipality. The subject was brought to the public attention by the series of articles in newspapers, and in 2007 Vračar officially took over Šuplja Stena again. In February 2012, the reconstruction of one third of the complex was finished and it was open for children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suplja Stena Suburbs of Belgrade