The Nikola Pašić Square ( sr, / ) is one of the central

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

s and an urban neighborhoods 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 ...

. The square is named after Nikola Pašić who served as mayor of Belgrade, prime minister of Serbia and prime minister of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. Until 1992 the square was named the Square of Marx and

Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
''

Stari Grad, Nikola Pašić Square lies in downtown Belgrade as the direct extension of Terazije. Named after Nikola Pašić, Serbia's famous early 20th century politician and Prime Minister, it overlooks the monumental building of the

House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia The House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia ( sr, Дом Народне скупштине Републике Србије, Dom Narodne skupštine Republike Srbije) is the seat of the National Assembly of Serbia. The building is ...

and itself extends into urban Belgrade's longest street,

Bulevar kralja Aleksandra Bulevar kralja Aleksandra ( sr-Cyrl, Булевар краља Александра, "King Alexander Boulevard") is the longest street entirely within the urban limits of Serbian capital Belgrade, with length of 7.5 kilometers. Known for decades a ...

, while Dečanska Street connects it to the Republic Square.

History

At the corner of Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and Dečanska Street, near the former "Topola" '' kafana'', the first

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

in Belgrade was open. It was located on the spot close to the modern fountain, where the '' jardinières'' facing the National Assembly are situated today. In order to make room for the "contemporary works in the style of the

Socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

", the new urban concept of Belgrade after 1945 "ruthlessly demolished all obstacles". In order to create the new, wide plateau of the square named after Marx and Engels and effectively being transformed into a parking later, several buildings were demolished prior to te beginning of the construction of Dom Sindikata in 1947. The square was built during the 1950s as part of a massive Terazije reorganization project. Inaugurated as the Marx and

Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
''

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. After the United Nations, it is the largest grouping of states worldwide. The movement originated in the aftermath o ...

held in Belgrade that year. The obelisk turned out to be a temporary one, as it was removed some time after the summit ended. The plateau was paved with the red granite slabs and while marble slabs which formed stripes. For the first two decades the plateau wasn't easily accessible for the pedestrians as it was used as an unofficial parking lot. In March 1970, city announced construction of three underground garages below the square, with 500 parking spaces each. They were designed by architect Stojan Maksimović. One was planned below the modern fountain plateau, another one was to be below the Vlajkovićeva Street, next to the parliament building, while the third was planned on the location of the Pioneer's Park. Works on the one below the plateau were to start in the second half of the year. The garage in Vlajkovićeva was also to have a circular, above the ground, multi-level parking lot. These two garages were to be connected underground. In the end, only the garage below the Pioneer's Park was finished, and even that was only in 2005. In the 1970s, city administration decided to remodel the square and make it more pedestrian friendly. Various ideas were given, including the creation of a hillock. Still, nothing has been done until the 1980s. On the initiative of Đoko Vještica, famous Belgrade radio host, the greenery was planted on the square, including the plane trees. The square was re-paved with the six-squared concrete slabs and the fountain was remodeled in 1987, too. NikolaPasicStatue

Subsequently, in the early 1990s, it was one of the Belgrade's first

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

s to change its name with the ending of the era of Socialist Yugoslavia. It was renamed from the Marx and Engels Square to the Nikola Pašić Square in 1992. A monument to Nikola Pašić was erected in 1998. When the statue was to be erected, ideas of bringing back the earth to the square in order to create an artificial hillock as a pedestal for the monument reappeared, but were again ultimately abandoned. In 2015, city organized design competition for three central squares, Republic Square, Terazije and Nikola Pašić Square. Design by Zorica Savičić and Zoran Dmitrović was selected. In 2017, city government announced reconstruction of the square which would include the demolition of the fountain and construction of a new, smaller one. In August 2020 city confirmed that the works may start in 2021. The design, especially the handling of its central piece, the fountain, met with negative public reactions so the city confirmed that the fountain will remain the same. City then announced that the fountain will be redesigned, but it will remain a classical fountain, though by August 2022 it became evident that reconstruction will not start before 2023. This project also included reconstruction of the area in front of the assembly building. The "lavish fountain" was planned for the plateau along the boulevard, while the cars should move underground, as the idea of an underground garage in the Vlajkovićeva Street was revived. Start was planned for 2016. Instead, only re-paving of the plateau began in October 2021, and was to be finished by February 2022, but the renovation dragged on. Public debate on arranging the area continued, with some supporting the present, open for all status, while other suggested former solution by Nikolay Krasnov, which included

avenue Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, ...

, decorative iron fence, gates and

sentry box A sentry box is a small shelter with an open front in which a sentry or person on guard duty may stand to be sheltered from the weather. Many boxes are decorated in national colours. Compare: In literature The sentry box at the entrance to Buck ...

es. This appearance was dismantled in the mid-20th century.

Characteristics

The dominant architectural features in the square are the massive "Dom sindikata" building and one of the Belgrade's largest fountains. Museum of Yugoslav History is located across the fountain. Adjacent to the square is the

Pioneers Park Pioneers Park (also ''Pionierspark'') is a suburb in the south of Windhoek, Namibia, in the Windhoek West parliamentary constituency. It was developed in the second half of the 20th century as a white community, with the previous black residents ...

as well as the buildings of the Belgrade City Hall and the Presidency of the Republic. The pedestrian section of the square is used for various public events, most notably open flower, honey, and book sales. On occasion, artificial

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

or beach volley sand courts are put up as seasonal attractions in winter and summer, respectively. Total plateau area of the square covers .

Features

Dom Sindikata

Dom Sindikata ("Trade Union Hall") is a massive building, built in the style of

. It was projected by

Branko Petričić Branko (Cyrillic script: Бранко; ) is a South Slavic male given name found in all of the former Yugoslavia. It is related to the names Branimir and Branislav, and the female equivalent is Branka. People named Branko include: * Branko Babić ...

and the construction began in 1947. It was finished by the Russian construction workers from 1953 to 1957. That year the first seminar was held and on 18 November 1957 the first musical show. The Great Hall with 1,600 seats, became one of the central entertainment multi-purpose venues in Belgrade (concerts, shows, cinema). Conductor stated that the hall is one of the five in Europe with the best acoustics. In the 1970s and 1980s it became a prestigious scene, Belgrade's version of Paris Olympia. A massive reconstruction ensued in 1978 when the interior of the entry hall was remodeled. In time it became the

multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measur ...

, with additional halls 2 (305 seats), 3 (105) and 4 (101), with the total area of . In 2013 the building was declared a

cultural monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage regist ...

. In July 2017 the facility was closed for the impending complete reconstruction, projected to last up to 8 months. Due to the protected status, the overall appearance has to be preserved. The unique marble floor, banisters and handrails will be repaired and with he help of the vintage photos, the "old feel" will be kept. After the reconstruction, it will have five halls with additional venues, while the Great Hall will be reduced to 1,300 seats and will still be the largest concert hall in Belgrade. The building is designed in the manner of

socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

, with the influences of the late

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. In terms of architecture, it is the symbol of the construction immediately after the war, and with its position and volume, it permanently set the outline of the square, which itself is one of the most important public spaces in Belgrade. Apart from architectural values, the building is important from the cultural and historical point of view, as many important political and cultural events happened in Dom Sindikata. For all that, it was declared a

in April 2013.

Bezistan

Bezistan is a shopping area in an indoor passage which 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 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 , 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 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, the club organized dance competitions for participant from the entire Yugoslavia. Band Zana was promoted for the first time here, while band

Aska Aska may refer to: Locations *Aska, Georgia, a community in the United States *Aska Hundred, or Aska härad, a former administrative division of Östergötland, Sweden *Asika, a town in Odisha, India, also known as Aska * Askas, a village in Cypru ...

practiced its choreography for their performance at the 1982

Eurovision song contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. The venue was closed in 1989. Bezistan covers an area of . The major feature within Bezistan was the "Kozara" cinema, one of the most popular in Belgrade for decades. It was closed in 2003, purchased by Croatian tycoon

Ivica Todorić Ivica Todorić (; born 2 January 1951) is a Croatian businessman. Until June 2017, he was the owner and chairman of the board of Agrokor, the largest privately owned company in Croatia. The operations of Agrokor are focused on two core businesses ...

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 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 includes 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.

Fountain

The original fountain was built in 1959. It was designed by Hranislav Stojanović. The fountain was remodeled in 1987. It was reconstructed in the shape of an artificial cascade stream, with "spring" in the section close to the parliament building, and the "mouth" in the newly added section of the high jetted water. There are also two drinking fountains at the head of the fountain. The fountain became one of the symbols of Belgrade, featured in numerous music and promotional videos and printed on the post cards, especially using the angle with the parliament building behind the fountain. In time, a custom of graduation celebrations developed around it. Every year, graduate students from both the elementary and secondary schools, celebrate the last day of school by jumping dressed into the fountain. In 2017, city government announced that, within the scopes of the reconstruction of the square, it will demolish the fountain and build a new, smaller one, with the sprinklers on the ground level. Demolition of "one of the most recognizable city fountains" prompted a public opposition to the project. Chief city urbanist Marko Stojčič stated in July 2019 that the fountain is not envisioned by the new project at all, adding that he will "insist to keep water in some form". In August 2019, deputy mayor Andreja Mladenović said that the fountain will not be removed, not specifying if the old one will be kept or the new one will be built instead. As the opposition among the citizens continued, Stojčić stated that the new fountain will be similar to the existing one "to the extreme degree". Political opposition in the city hall, threatened to physically prevent the works in the square if the fountain is to be removed. In August 2020, city confirmed that the fountain will keep its location and appearance, and that only its rim could be modernized. City also wanted to make the fountain operational during the winter, too, but the architects who designed the project were against it. Architect Savičić, co-designer, accepted that their proposal for the ground fountain will be dropped, but suggested that the fountain should at least be reduced to its 1987 size.

Birds

The square's open space attracts various bird species, among them:

feral pigeon Feral pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'' or ''Columba livia forma urbana''), also called city doves, city pigeons, or street pigeons,Nagy, Kelsi, and Johnson, Phillip David. ''Trash animals: how we live with natures filthy, feral, invasive, an ...

house sparrow The house sparrow (''Passer domesticus'') is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. It is a small bird that has a typical length of and a mass of . Females and young birds are coloured pale brown and grey, a ...

, hooded crow,

European kestrel The common kestrel (''Falco tinnunculus'') is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In the United Kingdom, where no ...

, and

common swift The common swift (''Apus apus'') is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger, though not stemming from those passerine species, being in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between th ...

. Furthermore, walking around the square, it is possible to hear great tit and woodpigeon sounds emanating from the nearby Pionirski Park. Large gulls regularly fly over the square at higher altitude. Ebird Hotspots
/ref>

Gathering spot

1982 Palestinian solidarity rally

On 9 July 1982, the square, then named after Marx and Engels, was the site of a Palestinian solidarity rally. Named the "Rally of Solidarity with the Plight of the Palestinian People" and held under the '

Death to fascism, freedom to the people "Death to fascism, freedom to the people!" ( sh-Latn-Cyrl , Smrt fašizmu, sloboda narodu! , separator= " / " , Смрт фашизму, слобода народу! , sl, Smrt fašizmu, svoboda narodu!, mk, Смрт на фашизмот, ...

' mantra, the event was Yugoslav youth's protest against

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

as well as the Israeli

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Organized by the Yugoslav Socialist Youth League (SSOJ), youth wing of

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

's ruling political party—the

Yugoslav Communist League The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, mk, Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na komunistite na Jugoslavija known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, sl, Komunistična partija Jugoslavije mk ...

(SKJ), the rally was held in front of 30,000 people. It featured speeches from the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...

(JNA) general-lieutenant and Order of the People's Hero holder as well as the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...

(PLO) representative in Yugoslavia, Mohammed Nabhan. It also saw musical performances by

Riblja Čorba Riblja Čorba ( sr-Cyrl, Рибља Чорба, pronounced ; translation: lit. ''Fish Stew'') is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1978. The band was one of the most popular and most influential acts of the Yugoslav ...

Električni Orgazam Električni Orgazam ( sr-cyr, Електрични Оргазам, lit=Electric Orgasm, translit=) is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of new wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed th ...

, Radomir "Točak" Mihailović, and

Aki Rahimovski Parni Valjak (; "steamroller") is a Croatian and former Yugoslav rock band. They were one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene, and one of the top rock bands in Croatia. Biography Parni Valjak was founded in 1975 in Zagreb. Unlike ...

1984 Maj Rok

On 25 May 1984, the

Day of Youth National Youth Day is a holiday dedicated to the youths of a country. It is observed by 18 countries, on many dates throughout the year. The United Nations agreed on the date of 12 August in 1999 in South Africa. National Youth Day International ...

in SFR Yugoslavia after

Marshal Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his death ...

's birthday, the square saw a large open-air rock concert that was free of charge, with twelve Yugoslav rock acts taking the stage in front of reportedly 90,000 spectators. The acts that participated in order of appearance were: Delta 9, Beta Kentauri, Dorian Gray,

U Škripcu U Škripcu ( sr-cyr, У Шкрипцу; trans. ''In Dire Straits'') was a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1980. The band was formed in 1980 by Milan Delčić "Delča" (vocals), Aleksandar Vasiljević "Vasa" (guitar) and Zoran Vulovi� ...

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, Divlje Jagode,

Zabranjeno Pušenje Zabranjeno pušenje () is a Bosnian rock band formed in Sarajevo in 1980. The group's musical style primarily consists of a distinctive garage rock sound with folk influences, often featuring innovative production and complex storytelling. Curre ...

Dʼ Boys D' Boys (pronounced as The Boys) was a Yugoslav synth-pop/pop rock band formed in Belgrade in 1982. Originally formed as a duo consisting of Peđa D'Boy (real name Predrag Jovanović, vocals and guitar, formerly of German band Jane) and Mirosl ...

Disciplina Kičme Disciplin A Kitschme, originally known as Disciplina Kičme ( sr-Cyrl, Дисциплина Кичме, transl. ''Backbone Discipline''), was a Serbian and Yugoslav and, for a period of time, British rock band, formed in Belgrade in 1981. The b ...

, Kerber, and Drugi Način.

1986 Maj Rok

On 24 May 1986, another Day of Youth celebration was scheduled for the Marx and Engels Square with a multitude of Yugoslav rock acts booked and over 100,000 in attendance. However, the concert got interrupted early on when a huge downpour began and began to endanger the safety of the gathered crowd. The event was moved for 6 September 1986. And even though the rain fell again, this time the celebration was held in full.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikola Pasic Square Neighborhoods of Belgrade Squares in Belgrade Stari Grad, Belgrade