Lion ( sr-cyr, Лион) is 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 ...

. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of

Zvezdara Zvezdara ( sr-cyr, Звездара, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. The municipality is geographically hilly and with many forests. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 172,625 inhabitants. The ...

Location

Lion is located along the old 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 ...

, 3 kilometers south-east of downtown Belgrade (

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, Belgrade, Stari Grad. Today, Terazije has primarily function of the main trans ...

). It borders the neighborhoods of

Bulbuder Bulbulder ( sr-Cyrl, Булбулдер; often erroneously Bulbuder (Булбудер)) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara. Location Bulbulder is located in the w ...

on the north-east,

Đeram Stari Đeram, colloquially Đeram ( sr-Cyrl, Стари Ђерам), is an open greenmarket and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara. Location Đeram is located along ...

on the west, Lipov Lad on the south-west, Denkova Bašta on the south, and Cvetkova Pijaca on the east.

Characteristics

Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Lion was a commercial centar on the boulevard, with many tobacco and grocery stores, bookshops and craftsman shops. The neighborhood got its name after the

kafana Kafana is a type of local coffeehouse, bistro or tavern, common in the countries of Southeast Europe, which originally served coffee and other warm drinks while today usually also offer alcoholic beverages and food. Many kafanas feature live mus ...

"Lion", opened during the

Interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

at the corner of Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and Miloša Zečevića, which was named after the French town of

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. Kafana was a favorite place for pre-war state employees, clerks, military officers, teachers and writers, and was known for pool, chess and domino tournaments, so as for the Sunday's dances for the youth. After World War II it became a "typical socialist kafana", popular with the families for Sunday lunch, but also visited by the municipal clerks. In the 1990s it was turned into the restaurant, and then brewery, before it was closed by the end of the decade. The venue was later turned into the grocery store. Though mainly residential area today, Lion still has a developed commercial section along the boulevard so as several schools. Stadium of FK Hajduk and theater of "Zvezdara Teatar" are also located in the neighborhood. The population of Lion was 5,509 by the 2002 census. The Sixth Belgrade Gymnasium is located in the neighborhood, in the Milana Rakića Street. It was founded by the King

Alexander I of Yugoslavia Alexander I Karađorđević (, ; – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier ( / ), was King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 16 August 1921 to 3 October 1929 and King of Yugoslavia from 3 October 1929 until his assassinati ...

royal decree in 1933, and moved few times before settling in the present building in Lion, built from 1939 to 1942. It holds present name since 1958. Next to the gymnasium there is a park of the same name, sometimes also called Slavujev Potok Park. It covers .

References

Neighborhoods of Belgrade Zvezdara {{BelgradeRS-geo-stub