Bulevar kralja Aleksandra
Encyclopedia
Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra (Serbian
Cyrillic: Булевар краља Александра; King Aleksandar Boulevard), with length of 7,5 kilometers, is the longest street entirely within the urban limits of Belgrade
, capital of Serbia
. Known for decades after the World War II
as "Bulevar Revolucije" (Boulevard of the Revolution), it is so distinct in the Belgraders' hearts and minds that they simply refer to it as Bulevar, although there are 20 boulevards in Belgrade.
and Zvezdara
, in which the main part of the Bulevar is located. Starting at the Square of Nikola Pašić, it goes for the most part in the south-east direction, curving only near the end, in the neighborhood of Mali Mokri Lug
, after which the Bulevar extends into the road of Smederevski put, which connects Belgrade with the town of Smederevo
.
road). As population settled along the road, gradually it became a street, originally known as Sokače kod zlatnog topa ("Alley at the golden cannon"). It was later renamed to Markova (Marko's street) and in 1834 was renamed again to Fišeklija, after many shops in the street which sold gunpowder
in fišeks, cone
-shaped paper bags. In the end of the 19th century it was renamed after then ruling Serbian king Aleksandar Obrenović
, the last from the Obrenović dynasty. Despite being one of the most unpopular modern Serbian rulers, when he was overthrown, new king Peter I Karađorđević from the rival Karađorđević dynasty didn't change the street's name. In Communist Yugoslavia after World War II, the Boulevard was first renamed Bulevar Oslobođenja (Boulevard of the Liberation) and then Bulevar Revolucije. In the late 1990s, the name was switched back to its pre-war form.
The first section of the Bulevar, from its beginning to the crossroads with the Takovska and Kneza Miloša streets, is located in the municipality of Stari Grad. The Bulevar begins from the large fountain on the Square of Nikola Pašić. The entire left side of this section is occupied by the monumental building of the former Assembly of Serbia, while on the right side is Pionirski Park, and buildings of the Belgrade City Hall and Presidency of Serbia (Andrićev Venac
) behind it.
The next section, until the crossroad of Vukov Spomenik
, is divided between the municipalities of Palilula (left side) and Vračar (right side). The left side is occupied by the main building of the Post Office of Serbia
, JAT Airways
terminal, St. Mark's church (declared a culture monument), Tašmajdan park
, famous restaurant "Madera", the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law
(work of Petar Bajalović, a culture monument), Metropol Hotel Belgrade
, Belgrade University Library
and Technical faculties. The residential building at No 63, built in the first decades of the 20th century in the Academism style has been also declared a culture monument. The entire section is declared a "protected complex of Old Beograd".
The right side is mainly residential and commercial, apart from the building of the Embassy of the Czech Republic
. A new ultra-modern commercial building is being built on the corner of Kneza Miloša street (former kafana
"Tri lista duvana" (Three tobacco leaves). The collective residential building at No 46, built in 1930, is a work of Aleksandar Janković
, in the simplicist Modernist style. It was badly damaged in Luftwaffe
's bombing of Belgrade
on April 6, 1941, but later reconstructed and built-on in the 1950s and included into the "protected complex of Old Beograd".
At the crossroad and underground station of Vukov Spomenik
begins the Zvezdara section of the Bulevar. It runs through the neighborhoods of Đeram, Lipov Lad
, Lion
, Zvezdara, Cvetkova Pijaca
, Zeleno Brdo
and Mali Mokri Lug
. This part is mostly residential and commercial, with some important facilities located in the Bulevar: Municipal assembly of Zvezdara, open green markets of Đeram, Cvetkova pijaca and Mali Mokri Lug, "Kluz" clothing factory, roundabout of dozen bus and tramway lines
and industrial zone Ustanička (Electrical industry "Nikola Tesla", "Utenzilija", fondry "Livnica", presses of "Glas Javnosti", etc).
es.
In the 1990s, with the deterioration of the economic system in Serbia and imposed sanctions, the sidewalk
s of the Bulevar became the gathering place for the street dealers of all sorts of goods that were unavailable in official stores. They were especially known for selling cigarettes, jeans, cookware, flowers, etc. Similar development caught the neighborhood of Zeleni Venac
too, and they both became synonymous for the black market during 1990s. Dealers were for the most part removed from the street after 2000, mostly into the new closed fair-like shopping center "Depo".
Municipality of Zvezdara began an initiative to erect a monument to the King Aleksandar Obrenović somewhere along the street.
A popular Serbian movie named after the Bulevar, "Bulevar Revolucije" was made in 1992. Directed by Vladimir Blaževski, it starred Bojana Maljević and Branislav Lečić
.
in 2008.
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
Cyrillic: Булевар краља Александра; King Aleksandar Boulevard), with length of 7,5 kilometers, is the longest street entirely within the urban limits of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, capital of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. Known for decades after the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as "Bulevar Revolucije" (Boulevard of the Revolution), it is so distinct in the Belgraders' hearts and minds that they simply refer to it as Bulevar, although there are 20 boulevards in Belgrade.
Location
Due to its length, Bulevar stretches through four out of eight urban municipalities in the old section Belgrade: Stari Grad, Palilula, VračarVracar
Vračar is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade. With an area of only , it is the smallest of all Belgrade's municipalities, but also the most densely populated. Vračar is one of the three municipalities that constitute the central area of the...
and Zvezdara
Zvezdara
Zvezdara is a hill, forest, urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
, in which the main part of the Bulevar is located. Starting at the Square of Nikola Pašić, it goes for the most part in the south-east direction, curving only near the end, in the neighborhood of Mali Mokri Lug
Mali Mokri Lug
Mali Mokri Lug is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the south-eastern section of Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara. It marks the border with the municipality of Grocka. It mostly stretches between Bulevar kralja Aleksandra and the Highway Belgrade–Niš,...
, after which the Bulevar extends into the road of Smederevski put, which connects Belgrade with the town of Smederevo
Smederevo
Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
.
History
In the mid 18th century, route of the Bulevar was a famed Carigradski drum (ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
road). As population settled along the road, gradually it became a street, originally known as Sokače kod zlatnog topa ("Alley at the golden cannon"). It was later renamed to Markova (Marko's street) and in 1834 was renamed again to Fišeklija, after many shops in the street which sold gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
in fišeks, cone
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
-shaped paper bags. In the end of the 19th century it was renamed after then ruling Serbian king Aleksandar Obrenović
Aleksandar Obrenovic
Not to be confused with Alexander I of Yugoslavia.Alexander I or Aleksandar Obrenović was king of Serbia from 1889 to 1903 when he and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated by a group of Army officers, led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević-Accession:In 1889 Alexander's father, King Milan,...
, the last from the Obrenović dynasty. Despite being one of the most unpopular modern Serbian rulers, when he was overthrown, new king Peter I Karađorđević from the rival Karađorđević dynasty didn't change the street's name. In Communist Yugoslavia after World War II, the Boulevard was first renamed Bulevar Oslobođenja (Boulevard of the Liberation) and then Bulevar Revolucije. In the late 1990s, the name was switched back to its pre-war form.
The Boulevard
Andricev Venac
Andrićev Venac is a street and the surrounding urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad...
) behind it.
The next section, until the crossroad of Vukov Spomenik
Vukov Spomenik
Vukov Spomenik or colloquially Vuk is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
, is divided between the municipalities of Palilula (left side) and Vračar (right side). The left side is occupied by the main building of the Post Office of Serbia
Pošta Srbije
Pošta Srbije is the national postal service of Serbia with its base in the capital, Belgrade. Public postal traffic was introduced in Serbia in 1840. The first stamp was printed in 1866...
, JAT Airways
Jat Airways
Jat Airways is the national airline of Serbia and the former national airline of Yugoslavia, and has its head office in the Jat Airways Business Center in Belgrade. It was established in 1927 as Aeroput, making it currently one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation...
terminal, St. Mark's church (declared a culture monument), Tašmajdan park
Tašmajdan park
Tašmajdan Park , colloquially Tašmajdan or simply just Taš, is a public park and the surrounding urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula...
, famous restaurant "Madera", the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law
University of Belgrade Faculty of Law
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Law , also known as the Belgrade Law School, is one of the first-tier educational institutions of the University of Belgrade, Serbia...
(work of Petar Bajalović, a culture monument), Metropol Hotel Belgrade
Metropol Hotel Belgrade
The Hotel Metropol Palace is one of Belgrade's tourist symbols and architectural monuments. It opened in 1961 on Bulevar kralja Aleksandra, the longest street in the urban part of the city, designed by Serbian architect Dragiša Brašovan...
, Belgrade University Library
Belgrade University Library
The Svetozar Marković University Library is the central library within the system of the University of Belgrade’s libraries, named after Svetozar Marković, Serbian political activist in the 19th century...
and Technical faculties. The residential building at No 63, built in the first decades of the 20th century in the Academism style has been also declared a culture monument. The entire section is declared a "protected complex of Old Beograd".
The right side is mainly residential and commercial, apart from the building of the Embassy of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. A new ultra-modern commercial building is being built on the corner of Kneza Miloša street (former kafana
Kafana
Kafana , kafeana , kavana are terms used in the former Yugoslav countries for a distinct type of local bistro which primarily serves alcoholic beverages and coffee , and which sometimes also has a live band.The concept of a social gathering place for men to drink...
"Tri lista duvana" (Three tobacco leaves). The collective residential building at No 46, built in 1930, is a work of Aleksandar Janković
Aleksandar Jankovic
Aleksandar Janković is a Serbian football coach and former player.-Playing career:...
, in the simplicist Modernist style. It was badly damaged in Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
's bombing of Belgrade
Bombing of Belgrade in World War II
The city of Belgrade was bombed during two campaigns in World War II, the first undertaken by the Luftwaffe in 1941, and the latter by Allied air forces in 1944.- German bombing :...
on April 6, 1941, but later reconstructed and built-on in the 1950s and included into the "protected complex of Old Beograd".
At the crossroad and underground station of Vukov Spomenik
Vukov Spomenik
Vukov Spomenik or colloquially Vuk is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
begins the Zvezdara section of the Bulevar. It runs through the neighborhoods of Đeram, Lipov Lad
Lipov Lad
Lipov Lad is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :...
, Lion
Lion, Belgrade
Lion is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :...
, Zvezdara, Cvetkova Pijaca
Cvetkova Pijaca
Cvetkova Pijaca or colloquially Cvetko is an open green market and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
, Zeleno Brdo
Zeleno Brdo
Zeleno Brdo is the northern extension of Mali Mokri Lug, north of the Bulevar kralja Aleksandra. It extends into Mirijevo on the north and Cvetkova Pijaca and further into Zvezdara on the east. Located on top of the hill of the same name , it forms a local community of its own, with a population...
and Mali Mokri Lug
Mali Mokri Lug
Mali Mokri Lug is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the south-eastern section of Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara. It marks the border with the municipality of Grocka. It mostly stretches between Bulevar kralja Aleksandra and the Highway Belgrade–Niš,...
. This part is mostly residential and commercial, with some important facilities located in the Bulevar: Municipal assembly of Zvezdara, open green markets of Đeram, Cvetkova pijaca and Mali Mokri Lug, "Kluz" clothing factory, roundabout of dozen bus and tramway lines
Belgrade tram system
The Belgrade tram system is a large network with 12 lines totalling 127.3 route km. It is operated with around 200 trams, including ČKD Tatra KT4, CAF Urbos, and DUEWAG Be 4/6 vehicles. The first tram line was introduced in October 1892...
and industrial zone Ustanička (Electrical industry "Nikola Tesla", "Utenzilija", fondry "Livnica", presses of "Glas Javnosti", etc).
Characteristics
The Bulevar is one of the most important traffic routes in Belgrade. For the most part it has tram tracks for the city public transportation lines. Despite its length and traffic importance, there are no lines of the third type of city transportation in it: trolleybusTrolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es.
In the 1990s, with the deterioration of the economic system in Serbia and imposed sanctions, the sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
s of the Bulevar became the gathering place for the street dealers of all sorts of goods that were unavailable in official stores. They were especially known for selling cigarettes, jeans, cookware, flowers, etc. Similar development caught the neighborhood of Zeleni Venac
Zeleni Venac
Zeleni Venac or colloquially Zelenjak is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
too, and they both became synonymous for the black market during 1990s. Dealers were for the most part removed from the street after 2000, mostly into the new closed fair-like shopping center "Depo".
Municipality of Zvezdara began an initiative to erect a monument to the King Aleksandar Obrenović somewhere along the street.
A popular Serbian movie named after the Bulevar, "Bulevar Revolucije" was made in 1992. Directed by Vladimir Blaževski, it starred Bojana Maljević and Branislav Lečić
Branislav Lecic
Branislav Lečić is a Serbian actor, and politician. He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade as an actor in 1978...
.
Renovation
First phase of a major renovation of the Bulevar started in August 2006. To date first 1.5 kilometers of the street has been completed. The next phase will start as a part of constructing light rail systemBELAM
BELAM is a defunct plan for a rapid transit system in Belgrade. It was due to begin construction in 2008. It was intended to relieve Belgrade's growing traffic congestion issues, with the first stretch of line opening in 2012...
in 2008.
Sources
- Serbian Wikipedia article
- Municipality of Zvezdara page on the Bulevar
- Beograd - plan grada; M@gic M@p, 2006; ISBN 86-83501-53-1
- Beograd - plan i vodič; Geokarta, 2007; ISBN 978-86-459-0297-2