The best of Belgrade

The monument to Stefan Nemanja is the work of Russian sculptor Aleksandar Julijanovic Rukavishnikov, a member of the Russian Academy of Arts, dedicated to the great prefect Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Serbian medieval Nemanjic dynasty. In that way, it represents the highest monument on the territory of Serbia. The monument was unveiled on Savindan, January 27, 2021. The monument represents the ruling figure of Stefan Nemanja in the aristocratic one livery.On the pedestal are reliefs from Nemanja's life and Serbian history during his reign. On the front side of the pedestal, just below the monumental figure, is the Studenica Cross, one of the recognizable symbols from Nemanja's endowment of the Studenica Monastery. On the outside of the pedestal, the Studenica Monastery and the Hilandar Monastery are shown, the two most important endowments of Stefan Nemanja. Other reliefs are made in the image of Serbian frescoes, and one of them is dynasty Nemanjić, based on the fresco from the monastery of Visoki Decani in Metohija.
Behind monument is located building of former main railway station.The first train from this station left for Zemun on August 20, 1884, with all the court honors. At that time, the passengers were King Milan, Queen Natalija and Crown Prince Aleksandar Obrenović. The station building is large, it has about a hundred rooms. Above the entrance is the clock, one of the first public clocks in Belgrade. Due to the needs, the building of the former Main Railway Station should be turned into a museum or gallery. After the reconstruction, it has not yet been decided whether it will include the Museum of Medieval Serbia or the Museum of the History of Serbia. Due to needs of project "Belgrade waterfront", building of railway stations is reordered.

Now we are located at the crossroad of Balkanska and Admirala Geprata street. We will continue the tour along Balkanska Street all the way to Terazije and the Moskva Hotel. Until that, i'm going to tel you a brief story about this legendar sreet. Balkanska Street used to have a special status. Reason for that is because most of the passengers came to the capital by train, and then from the railway station, on foot to Terazije and the rest of the city.This street, is known for the best četen-alva and ice cream, but also for arts and craft shops. Balkanska Street was one of the most famous and accessible craft centers for city ladies and gentlemen. Today, there are only a few handicraft shops from which hand-made hats remind of the former elegance and charm of this region.

Now you reached the Terazije. Hotel Moskva and Terazijska fountain is in front of you. Hotel Moskva is a four star hotel in Belgrade, one of the oldest currently operating in Serbia. This hotel is founded in 1908 and named Rossiya. Why Rossiya? Reason for that is help of the insurance company Rossiya, which supported his idea and announced a tender for the construction. Many famous people passed through it as guests of the hotel - actors, writers, politicians, artists… Greats like Indira Gandhi, Richard Nixon, Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Robert De Niro, Kirk Douglas, Mila Jovovich, Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Charles and many others, whose paintings adorn the hotel corridors today.The presidential apartment of the Hotel Moskva is decorated with original pieces of furniture from the court of the Serbian dynasty Obrenović. Apartment is named Albert Einstein. He stayed there with his wife Mileva Marić. Impressive, isn't it?
In front of hotel you will notice fountain.It was built in 1860 as a symbol of the return of Prince Miloš Obrenović to the throne. Terazije fountain from the list of Belgrade landmarks. it is shaped like an obelisk, a pillar with a metal vase on top.Its historical, artistic and urban values ​​are great, especially having in mind the fact that the whole street was named after the Terazije fountain. Before the construction of the Terazije fountain, this square was called Prestolonaslednikov trg, and in 1940 was it named Terazije.

Afer you crossed the street and passed Terazije, now you are at the beggining Knez Mihajlova street. When it comes to the name Knez Mihailova, an interesting fact is that it is one of the few streets that has not changed its name since its inception, which is a real undertaking, considering that only 150 streets in Belgrade have kept their original name since the 1870s! It was named after Prince Mihailo Obrenović, whose famous monument on horseback is located on Republic Square, just before entering the street, and in parallel with the National Theater, the construction of which was ordered by Prince Mihailo! It is intresting that total length of Knez Mihilova is a little less than 800 meters, and you can cross it in 1065 steps.
At the very beginning of Knez Mihailova, there is the famous palace "Albania". It is interesting how the palace "Albania" got its name. Namely, it was named after the tavern of the same name from 1860, which was located on the same place as today's palace. one of the frequent guests was Branislav Nušić! The tavern was demolished in October 1936, aafter 2 years, the construction of the famous palace began, which is still one of the most important buildings of modern architecture.
tavern "Russian Tsar", another architectural masterpiece and cultural monument of inestimable importance! The building was built between 1922 and 1926. Since its inception it has not significantly changed its purpose - restaurant, in the mezzanine part is a business space, while the upper floors are intended for housing. Similar to the palace "Albania", the name of the Russian Tsar is associated with a building that existed there before, although the name is part of the Russian Emperor Alexander II Nikolayevich Romanov! Guests of the "Russian Tsar" for decades were are famous writers, artists, actors, composers.
Turn to the right and you wil reach Republic square

After you turned left from Knez Mihajlova street, you wil notice a big square and many of people on it. This square is wellkown as ,,meeting place" for may of Belgradians and tourists. on your left you will notice a monument. This is formerly mentioned monument of Prince Mihailo on horse. Behind monument is located building of National Museum. The National Museum in Belgrade was founded in 1844 and is the oldest museum institution in Serbia. The greatest value kept in the National Museum is Miroslav 's Gospel (Miroslavljevo jevanjdjelje) the oldest and most precious Cyrillic manuscript, written around 1190. The Museum's collections have over 400,000 of the most representative and top archeological and historical-artistic objects.This building was a real palace in its time, and the facade is based on the principles of the Neo-Renaissance and contained elements of neo-baroque on the domes. Due to its architectural-urbanistic and cultural-historical values, the building of the National Museum has been determined as a cultural asset of great importance for the Republic of Serbia.
Now turn on your right side and you will notice magnificent building of National Theatre. It was founded in 1868, and moved into the current building, on the site of the then Istanbul Gate, in 1869. Within it, the art units Opera, Ballet and Drama function, and the performances take place on the Grand Stage and the "Rasa Plaovic" Stage. Today it represents one of the most representative and most important cultural institutions in Serbia. Now you can turn to the way of Knez Mihajlova, at point we been before this one.

You are in the middle od Knez Mihajlova. In front of you is Delijska fountain.A little known fact is that this fountain was demolished and rebuilt as many as 3 times! The last and most important reincarnation of the fountain was carried out in 1987, when the great renovation of Knez Mihilova Street began, which was then turned into a pedestrian zone
On your left side you wil notice a building of Endowment of Nikola Spasic. Nikola spasic was serbian traider and philantopist.Nikola Spasić is one of the most famous and larger Belgrade endowment holders, who bequeathed all his movable and immovable property to Belgrade in order to establish an endowment under his own name. There are data that Nikola Spasić, thanks to his faithful and dedicated work, had property that had value as the Nobel Foundation at that time.
Opposite this building you will notice building of Serbian Academy of science and art known as SANU. This is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society Of Serbian Letters. The Academy's membership has included Nobel laureates Ivo Andrić, Mikhail Sholokhov, Peter Handke as well as, Josif Pančić, Jovan Cvijić, Mihajlo Pupin, Nikola Tesla, Milutin Milanković,and many other scientists, scholars and artists of Serbian and foreign origin.

You have come to the end of Knez Mihajlova. On your right side is Rajiceva shopping mall. A large number of tourists come to Belgrade as because of the impressive history and beauty of the city, as well as because of the low prices that are a real paradise for shopping lovers! This is favorite place for shopping! There is terrace on the rooftop whit magnificent view on knez Mihajlova and Kalemegdan.
At the end of street next to shopping mall is located The Library of Belgrade. It is a parent library for more than a dozen municipal libraries and their branches. It is also the largest lending library in Serbia. The overall size of Belgrade City Library holdings exceeds 1,500,000 items. Library operates at approximately 70 facilities, covering an area of 13,000 square meters, and has more than 140,000 users. It is a partner in the most important European cultural projects. An interesting fact is that the Library was ceremoniously opened by serbian famous poet Desanka Maksimović.

After you crossed the street you will reach the entrance of Belgrade fortress. You will notice many of souvenires stands. continue straigt and turn to the left you wil see a fountain. Now you are at Kalemegdan park. This is one of parts of Belgrade fortress. You will notice behind fountain little scene. This is known as summer scene a place where acustic music plays are oftenlly held,

Tow you wil find stairs. In front of you will find magnificent flower garden. On right side are barried one of the serbians heroes of Word War 2.It holds the remains of four recipients of the Order of the People's Hero of SFR Yugoslavia.It was built in 1948. Remains of Ivo Lola Ribar (1916–1943) and Ivan Milutinović (1901–1944) were buried there on 29 March 1948. Remains of Đuro Đaković (1886–1929) were buried on the 20th anniversary of his death in 29 April 1949. Moša Pijade (1890–1957) was buried in the tomb in March 1957. Now you can continue straight and you will notice The Winner Monument.

Now we are in upper town of Belgrade fortress. On your left you will see The winner monument. is the name of the triumphal monument that was erected in 1928 in the Upper Town of the Belgrade Fortress on the occasion of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki Front. The monument consists of a bronze male figure with a falcon in his left hand and a lowered sword in his right, the work of sculptor Ivan Meštrović. from this place there is a view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, as well as New Belgrade and bridges. phenomenal view isn't it

The Passarela was built to shorten the route from the Kalemegdan Fortress and the Sava Promenade. There is an elevator to make easier way down.

This part of the city is especially attractive to Belgraders and tourists who come to visit the capital. The reason for this is the unusual, modern and attractive appearance of this part of the city, long walking and cycling trails. In this way, Belgrade is connected to other city areas such as Dorcol, Danube Quay, Kalemegdan, Savamala, Sava Square, Belgrade Fair. In addition to all the above, there are also children's playgrounds. In the very area of Belgrade waterfront is the Belgrade port, where many international river cruisers from all over Europe dock. Along the entire promenade there are various cafes and restaurants - you can find something for everyone's taste. The Sava River gives a relaxing feeling with its appearance and many walkers admire it. This part of the city is a perfect place to get away from the city crowds and enjoy the scenes of modern architecture and ambience, all with a view of one of the most beautiful rivers.

was a cooperative bank founded in 1882 to promote savings and support small enterprises, craftspeople and the poor of Belgrade.The majority of the building was constructed on the old embankment, and since the land was underwater due to the proximity of the river, the foundation of many walls has to be made of reinforced concrete, the first time in Belgrade, but using the iron for clamps, since there were was no round iron in Belgrade at the time. The social status of the Belgrade Cooperative dictated that the representativeness and monumentality become the only possible architectural concept. It was designed in the style of academism, with elements borrowed from both eclectic academic style, as well as contemporary Art Nouveau architecture.City's Institute for the protection of the cultural monuments drafted the reconstruction project for the building in 2009. As the building is withing the location of the Belgrade Waterfront project, the investors of this project renovated the venue in 2014. Reconstruction included refurbishment of the object as it is, without reconstruction of the missing parts.