London ( sr, Лондон) is an
urban neighborhood 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
Stari Grad, in city's downtown.
Location
London is located around the crossroads of two central streets of Belgrade, ''
Kralja Milana'' and ''
Kneza Miloša street'', just south of
Terazije
Terazije ( sr-Cyrl, Теразијe) 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 ...
, central Belgrade, between Terazije and
Cvetni Trg
Cvetni trg or Flower Square ( sr-cyr, Цветни трг) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade municipality of Vračar.
Location
Cvetni trg is a small, triangularly shaped neighborhood i ...
. North of it is
Andrićev Venac
Andrićev Venac ( sr-cyr, Андрићев венац; ) is a street and the surrounding List of Belgrade neighborhoods, urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad, Belgrade, Stari ...
, short, artistic promenade (with artificial stream) dedicated to the novelist and
Nobel prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
laureate
Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in ...
and the surrounding neighborhood which encompasses
Novi Dvor, seat of the
President of Serbia
The president of Serbia ( sr, Председник Србије, Predsednik Srbije), officially styled as the President of the Republic ( sr, Председник Републике, Predsednik Republike) is the head of state of Serbia.
The curr ...
and one of the main pharmacies in Belgrade,''1 Maj''. Along the Kralja Milana Street is also a
Park Aleksandrov
Park Aleksandrov ( sr, Парк Александров) is a park in Belgrade, a capital of Serbia. It is situated in the sole center of the city, along the main ''Kralja Milana'' street. Named Devojački Park until 2017, it is located in the muni ...
on the north and
Beograđanka
The Beograđanka ( sr-Cyrl, Београђанка; , lit. "Belgrade Lady"), officially ''Belgrade Palace'' ( sr, Палата Београд, Palata Beograd, ) is a modern high-rise building in the Belgrade downtown area.
A tall structure, it ...
, the tallest building in downtown Belgrade, on the south.
History
19th century
The building of the new hotel was constructed at the crossroad in 1873. As the hotel was named "London", after the capital of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, soon the entire surrounding area became known as London, too. As the
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly ( sr-cyr, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ) is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are proportionally elected to four-year terms by secret ballot. The as ...
at that time was located one block away, at the crossroad of the ''Kraljice Natalije'' and ''Kneza Miloša'' streets, the main guest were the deputies during the parliamentary recesses. It was a humble, low and unrepresentative edifice, so sometimes the deputies held sessions in the "Kasina" hotel on the Terazije square.
In this period, London was the eastern border of urban Belgrade. The commercial zone, with grocery stores (''čaršija''), spread from Terazije to London, while from this point on, the gardens and
fields
Fields may refer to:
Music
*Fields (band), an indie rock band formed in 2006
*Fields (progressive rock band), a progressive rock band formed in 1971
* ''Fields'' (album), an LP by Swedish-based indie rock band Junip (2010)
* "Fields", a song by ...
extended to the east until the marshy pond where the Slavija Square is today, where local population went for duck hunting.
[
Across the London building, in the Masarikova Street, is the headquarters of the Belgrade electric company. The dispatch center was built from 1962 to 1968. The building is located on the very spot where the first ]electric light
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...
in Belgrade was lit in 1882. At that time it was the "Proleće" kafana, later renamed to "Hamburg".
20th century
The hotel was later closed due to the ruining in 1962 and the kafana
Kafana is a distinct type of local bistro (or tavern), common in former Yugoslav countries and Albania, which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee, and often also light snacks (''meze'') and other food. Many kafanas feature live music ...
, later modern restaurant, was opened instead. In the 1980s, a popular disco club "London" was opened in the building.
In 1992 the restaurant was turned into one of the branches of the "Dafiment banka", one of two major pyramid scheme
A pyramid scheme is a business model that recruits members via a promise of payments or services for enrolling others into the scheme, rather than supplying investments or sale of products. As recruiting multiplies, recruiting becomes quickly im ...
s in Serbia (the second has been "Jugoskandic"). After the collapse of "Dafiment", London was turned into a casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
, later into a wine club. As of 2019, it hosts one of the supermarkets of the Idea retail chain. Still, all venues always had name London in their names: ''Restoran London'', ''Casino London'', ''Idea London'', etc.
References
Neighborhoods of Belgrade
Stari Grad, Belgrade
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