Vračar
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History
Vracar is geographical toponym which denotes the huge region from the Danube to the Topcider river around the moat of the medieval Belgrade fortress- Kalemegdan, city and villages Savamala and Palilula next to it. Etymologically, the word Vracar is of Slavic origin and older then Belgrade, but its meaning is unclear. Its highest point is Vracar's plateau on Savinac and on East Vracar.(present Vracar municipality).The terms Vracar and Vracar's platau were first mentioned in 1492, in Turkish documents. Some other from 1560, describe Vracar as Christian settlement with 17 houses.
West Vracar(XIX century Belgrade - Savski Venac Municipality since 1957)
At the beginning of the XIX century by order of Prince Milos Obrenovic (Serbian Knez Miloš Obrenović), new alternative city centre with western characteristics was designed and built here while city of Belgrade was still under Turkish rule and for three quarters an oriental town with all the characteristics of the Islam architecture. On the other hand, Vracar was built with broad streets and boulevards, first parks and monuments. It was housing all Serbian public buildings and state institutions. The London "Times" on 17 October 1843, published a text full of exultations. "Four years have passed since the time when I was last here, and how Belgrade has changed! I have hardly recognised it.The high belfry on the church (Cathedral) now screens by its shadow the Turkish mosques; many shops are now provided with new doors and glass windows, oriental clothing is more rare and houses with several storeys, in European manner, are being built everywhere".Many architects-baumeisters (builders) Germans, Czechs, Italians and the Serbians who appeared only at the end of the '60s of the XIX century built new Serbian Belgrade in Vracar. After 1867, when Turkish military garrison left the Belgrade fortress Kalemegdan they extended their architectural activities on the ruins of the Turkish houses (Stambol gate, Dorcol, Palilula) and on the ruins of the Serbian huts in the Sava port.( Savamala)
The center of new Serbian Belgrade was in West Vracar: From the crossroad of the streets Prince Milos Obrenovic's Street)("Setulja"-Main walking street) and Queen Natalia Obrenovic (SerbianKraljica Natalija Obrenović's street)(Abadzijska-main commercial street)-Narodnog Fronta to the crossroad of the Prince Milos Obrenovic's Street and Nemanjina street(the town's main traffic arteries especially after the completion of the railway station in 1884.) In the centre of West Vracar of that time was the Residence of the Prince Michael I of Serbia surrounded by Financial Park, the first National Parliament, Military Academy, Ministry of Finance, Ridding school, Voznesenska-Military church, etc. The monumental buildings of Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Government of Serbia and General staff were added here as well, but much later.
East Vracar(Vracar Municipality)
East Vracar started to be built since 1880 when a well-known Scottish businessman and nazarene Francis Mackenzie bought a large piece of land nearby (Englezovac), parcelled it out into lots for selling and donated a piece of land to Serbian Orthodox Church for the construction of Temple of Saint Sava. Later, East Vracar extended to Grantovac-piece of land belonging to American consul Edward Maxwell Grant and Krunski Venac around Krunska street-one of the most beautiful streets of Belgrade starting from the Royal Park and ending with Kalenic's market-largest Belgrade 's open air market and commercial centre of East Vracar.After the Second World War, territory of Vracar was split by municipalities of Savski Venac and Zvezdara. Nowadays, the remnants of East Vracar comprise the smallest municipality of Belgrade, thus losing any of its historical or economic importance.
Gallery
Hystorical references
-Beograd-Izdanje opstine beogradske 1911. -Zapisi starog Beogradjanina 2000. -Iz starog Beograda - Zivorad P. Jovanovic,1964. -Siluete starog Beograda - Milan Jovanovic - Stojimirovic,1971. -Uspon Beograda, Milivoje M.Kostic,2000. -Beogradske gradske pijace,JKP Beogradske pijace,1999. -Vracarski glasnik,1997-2004
External links
- [1] (in Serbian)
