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Karađorđe's Park () is a public park and an urban neighborhood of
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, the capital of
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. While the park itself is located in Belgrade's municipality of
Vračar Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a popul ...
, majority of what is today considered the neighborhood of Karađorđev Park is since 1957 located in the municipality of
Savski Venac Savski Venac ( sr-cyr, Савски Венац, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 36,699 inhabitants. It is one of the three municipalities which constitute the ...
(though historically still within the old, much larger neighborhood of Vračar). As the first trees in modern park were planted in 1806, it is considered a predecessor of all green areas in Belgrade. It is sometimes described as the oldest park in Belgrade, but the proper park was planted only in 1848. In 1979, Karađorđev Park was added to
Historic Landmarks of Great Importance Immovable Cultural Heritage of Great Importance ( / ''Nepokretna kulturna dobra od velikog značaja'') are those objects of Immovable cultural heritage that enjoy the second-highest level of state protection in the Republic of Serbia, behind the Im ...
list, and it is protected by
Republic of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
.


Geography

Karađorđev Park is located on the southern slope of the Vračar hill, beginning at the Vračar plateau and the National Library of Serbia and ending at the highway interchange of
Autokomanda Autokomanda ( sr-cyr, Аутокоманда, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located on the tripoint of the Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac, Savski Venac and Vračar. Location Autokomanda is located ...
. It is elongated in the north to south direction, bordered by the Boulevard of the Liberation on the west and the ''Nebojšina'' street on the east. Today, Karađorđev Park in the term of neighborhood covers larger area than the park itself. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Vračar on the north,
Neimar Neimar ( sr-Cyrl, Неимар) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Vračar. Name The settlement was originally named Kotež Neimar. Kotež is a Serbian rendering of the French cottage, a ...
on the east and Autokomanda on the south, but the term spread on the area west and northwest of the park (former sections of Zapadni Vračar and
Englezovac Englezovac ( sr-cyr, Енглезовац) is an List of Belgrade neighborhoods, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Vračar. Location Englezovac is located in the western par ...
/
Savinac Savinac ( sr-cyr, Савинац) is an List of Belgrade neighborhoods, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Vračar. Location Savinac is located in the western part of the municipa ...
, respectively), so basically all the area along the Boulevard of Liberation from Autokomanda to the Slavija square is today called Karađorđev Park. Across the northernmost top of the park to the west is another park,
Park Milutin Milanković Park Milutin Milanković () is a park in Belgrade, a capital of Serbia. It is situated on top of the Vračar hill, in the municipality of Savski Venac and was the former location of the Belgrade Observatory from 1891 to 1929. Before it was named a ...
. It is one of the busiest parts of Belgrade with very dense traffic as the Boulevard of Liberation is one of the major routes to downtown Belgrade. Area is mostly non-residential, with public buildings (the Faculty of the veterinarian medicine of the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
, many clinics of the Belgrade Clinical Center, Children University Hospital,
Belgrade Meteorological Station Meteorology was first practiced in Serbia when meteorological data was gathered, monitored and recorded on a daily basis, in 1848, in Belgrade. Daily, meteorological forecasts started in 1892. The first meteorologist was Vladimir Jakšić. While ...
, etc.).


History


19th century

The predecessor to the modern park was a camp set by the Serbian army in 1806 during the siege of Belgrade in the
First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising (; sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; ) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac (Aranđelovac), Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt ...
. After the Serbs secured Belgrade, soldiers killed in the battle on the liberation day, 30 November 1806, were buried at this place. In 1806 the first trees were planted at the burial place,
chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...
trees and
black locust ''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to a few small areas of the United States, but it has been widely pl ...
s. The burial site was arranged as the
Insurgents Cemetery Monument to the Liberators of Belgrade in Karađorđe's Park is an authentic historical place of the camp of the main insurgent army and of the military cemetery of the liberators of Belgrade under Karađorđe during the Siege of Belgrade in 18 ...
in 1848, when the Monument to the Liberators of Belgrade was also erected. The tall memorial was one of the first public monuments in Belgrade. Out of the 50 original tombstones, 12 still survives. The patron of the monument was Aleksandar Karađorđević, the ruling prince of Serbia, and son of the First Serbian Uprising leader and the founder of the Karađorđević royal family,
Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović (; ;  – ), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe (; ), was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 ...
. After the monument was erected, it was suggested that the park should be planted around it. City officials dismissed the idea, citing lack of necessary funds. One of the first avenues in Belgrade was planted along the Kragujevac Road (modern Liberation Boulevard), in 1848, from which the park developed in time. The planted seedlings were of chestnut trees, and the chestnut alley descending from the original one still survives in the park. By 1887, the cemetery and monument became neglected. After ascending to the throne in 1889, king Alexander Obrenović ordered for the cemetery to be arranged. The remaining tombs were rearranged, the monument was renovated and the metal fence was placed around it, while the seedlings of
black locust ''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to a few small areas of the United States, but it has been widely pl ...
were planted in order to form the memorial park. As the king was coming from the Obrenović dynasty, a fierce rival of the former (and future) Karađorđević dynasty, this was seen as the kings attempt to reconcile two ruling families. Also, after creation of this one, numerous other memorial parks began to form throughout Serbia.


20th century

Another dynastic change followed in 1903, when the Karađorđević dynasty was restored the Serbian throne. Originally outside of the urban core of Belgrade, there were plans for the enlargement of the park 1903-1904, in order to mark the centennial of the First Serbian Uprising, which broke out in 1804. The works began only in 1907, after king Peter I Karađorđević became also president of the Society for the Embellishment of the Monuments, Parks and Environment. The society leveled the park's terrain, created pathways, planted grass, lindens, chestnuts and decorative shrubs. The hedge, which encircled the park was also planted, while
thuja ''Thuja'' ( ) is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to ''Thujopsis''. M ...
s were planted around the monument. This way, more or less, the present borders of the park were set. Also, during these works, an artificial hill with
gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...
on its top was built. Plans were made to erect a Monument to the Third-Class Reservists in 1914, but due to the outbreak of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the monument was erected on 29 July 1923. After the war, additional monuments were erected in the park. Since the occupational Austro-Hungarian forces demolished the Karađorđe monument in
Kalemegdan The Kalemegdan Park (), or simply Kalemegdan ( sr-Cyrl, Калемегдан) is the largest park and the most important historical monument in Belgrade. It is located on a cliff, at the junction of the River Sava and the Danube. Kalemegdan Pa ...
, in 1916, it was proposed after the war that new monument should be built in the park, close to the tombs of his comrades-in-arms. Also after the war, the park got its present name. The monument to Karađorđe was erected only in 1979, but it is located across the park. It is situated on the
Vračar plateau Vračar plateau () is a plateau on top of the Vračar Hill in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, with an absolute height of above sea level. It is the purported location of the 1594 Burning of Saint Sava's relics by the Ottomans. The dominant pos ...
, on the top of the mound at the entry section of the path which leads to the
Church of Saint Sava The Church of Saint Sava ( sr-Cyrl, Храм Светог Саве, Hram Svetog Save, lit='The Temple of Saint Sava') is a 79 m high Serbian Orthodox church, which sits on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It was planned as the bishopric ...
. Also during the Interbellum, a monument to
Alphonse de Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...
was erected. At the end of this period, an underground shelter was hastily built under the park. On the very first day of German attack, during the massive bombing of Belgrade on 6 April 1941, the shelter was directly hit, killing almost 200 people in it. Three small, shallow swimming pools in the central section of the park were also built. After the war, a monument to the
International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...
, dedicated to the fighters in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
1936-1939, was placed in the park in 1950. A small, pavilion-type ground floor house in the central part of the park, next to the swimming pools, was built in the 1950s, and in the 1960s, the venue was adapted into the children's cultural center by the Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia. After the 1960s, when the central pavilion with small pools was adapted for children's use, the park got its present appearance. In 1975 another monument was erected, dedicated to the victims of the 1941 bombing. In 1979 the park was declared a cultural monument.


21st century

Neglected for a long time, Karađorđev Park went through massive reconstruction and beautification in the early 2000s which completely rejuvenated the park, including new benches, children's playgrounds and
candelabra A candelabrum (plural candelabra but also used as the singular form) is a candle holder with multiple arms. "Candelabra" can be used to describe a variety of candle holders including chandeliers. However, candelabra can also be distinguished as b ...
. The idea at the time was to turn it into the first English type park in Belgrade, with added wall around the park, gates with porters and working hours, but after the failed bids for the job, the idea was put on hold. The central pavilion was abandoned, the pools were covered with earth in 2003 and the flowers were planted. There was another, even smaller, green pavilion, at the plateau behind the house. It was used for selling food and beverages but was demolished later. In September 2019, it was announced that the house will be adapted into the "
Momo Kapor Momčilo "Momo" Kapor ( sr-cyr, Момчило Момо Капор; 8 April 1937 – 3 March 2010) was a Serbian novelist and painter. He authored several screenplays, over forty novels, short stories, travel and autobiographic books and essays. ...
Endowment". First plans for the Momo Kapor's pavilion were made public in March 2023. The pavilion will be preserved (), the plateau in front of it will be paved with stone slabs in the color of pavilion's façade (), and swimming pools will be revitalized as the "linear shallow decorative water surface" (). The fountain will be added to the plateau complex, which will serve as an open air public cultural scene. On 23 October 2023, a monument to General Božidar Janković was dedicated in the park, close to the Monument to the Liberators of Belgrade. It marked the 120th anniversary of the Society of War Volunteers.


Characteristics

The park covers an area of .


Monuments

Monuments in the park include: * "Monument to the Liberators of Belgrade" (''Spomenik oslobodiocima Beograda/Споменик ослободиоцима Београда''), erected in 1848, the oldest public monument in Belgrade. Dedicated to those killed in the liberation of Belgrade in 1806, it is high, made of stone with the cover of artificial rock. Erected by the prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, it was renovated by the king
Aleksandar Obrenović Alexander I (; 14 August 187611 June 1903) was King of Serbia from 1889 until his death in 1903, when he and his wife, Draga Mašin, were assassinated by a group of Royal Serbian Army officers, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević. Accessio ...
in 1889. * "Monument to the third-class reservists" (''Spomenik Trećepozivaca/Споменик Трећепозиваца'', author Stamenko Đurđević), erected in 1923, dedicated to the soldiers of the final reserve (those unfitting for drafting and summoned only in the extreme situations) killed in the World War I. Made of natural stone, it is high. * "Monument to
Alphonse de Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869) was a French author, poet, and statesman. Initially a moderate royalist, he became one of the leading critics of the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe, aligning more w ...
" (''Spomenik Lamartinu/Споменик Ламартину''), dedicated to the French poet, erected in 1933 (street dedicated to him, ''Lamartinova'', also begins here). * Memorial to the International Brigades from the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War, built in 1950. * Stone memorial dedicated in 1975 to the victims killed in an underground shelter during German bombing of Belgrade on 6 April 1941. Built hastily before the war began, it suffered a direct hit by a bomb and collapsed, killing 192 Belgraders. * In 1979, it was decided to erect the Monument to Karađorđe (author Sreten Stojanović), but instead in the park named after him, the monument was erected on the Vračar plateau, across the ''Nebojšina'' street, in front of the
Temple of Saint Sava The Church of Saint Sava ( sr-Cyrl, Храм Светог Саве, Hram Svetog Save, lit='The Temple of Saint Sava') is a 79 m high Serbian Orthodox church, which sits on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It was planned as the bishopric ...
. * Monument to General Božidar Janković, dedicated in 2023.


See also

* Historic Landmarks of Great Importance in Serbia


References


External links


Karadjordjev Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karadordev Park Neighborhoods of Belgrade Parks in Belgrade Historic Landmarks of Great Importance Vračar