Gavrilo Princip Park | |
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Парк Гаврила Принципа | |
Location | Savski Venac, Belgrade |
Coordinates | 44°48′27″N 20°27′34″E / 44.807539°N 20.459557°ECoordinates: 44°48′27″N 20°27′34″E / 44.807539°N 20.459557°E |
Open | All year |
Gavrilo Princip Park (Serbian: Парк Гаврила Принципа, romanized: Park Gavrila Principa) is a park in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Originating from 1836, it is one of the oldest parks in the city and in 1864 it was declared the first public park in Belgrade.[1] Named Financial Park until 2017, it is located in the municipality of Savski Venac.
Location
Gavrilo Princip Park is located in the northern part of Savski Venac. It stretches between the streets of Kneza Miloša on the east, Admirala Geprata on the north, Balkanska on the west and Nemanjina on the south. It is embedded between the buildings of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Finance Ministry and Supreme Court of Cassation.[2]
Name and history
Residence of prince Miloš in downtown Belgrade was located across the Cathedral Church, where the Patriarchal See of the Serbian Orthodox Church is today. As Turks were still residing in the Belgrade Fortress, in order to move further away from them, prince Miloš began building another residence on 25 August 1829. He has chosen an uninhabited area along the Topčider road, modern Kneza Miloša street. The residence, planned as the sojourn for his sons Milan and Mihailo, was finished in 1836 and included a large garden, nucleus of the future park. The building had one floor, it was long and spacious, built in the typical architectural style of the day and faced towards the Sava river. Prince used it to entertain his foreign guests.[3][4]
Surviving documentation shows that the park was built in the "English style" and cost 10,245 Groschen.[5] At that time, inhabitants of Belgrade called the garden Sovetski Park (Council's Park), as it was closed for the general public and only the government ministers and counselors were allowed into it. After both princes, Miloš in 1839 and his son Mihailo in 1842, went into exile, both the residence and the garden were handed over to the state which in turn vested it to the Finance Ministry, so gradually it became known as the Financial Park. It was an English style park. Prince Mihailo, who returned to the throne in 1860, in July 1864 declared the Financial Park a "people's park", that is, the first public park in Belgrade.[3][4]
The park was in the vicinity of the military complex situated along and around the Topčider road. Army orchestra known as the Military Band, performed every Sunday in the park. After the Ottomans withdrew from Belgrade Fortress, their last hold in Belgrade, the fortress was placed under the military jurisdiction and the band's performances were relocated there, too.[6]
Parts of park were demolished in time. In 1889 for the building where the modern Finance Ministry is located, and in 1926 when construction of the present building of the Government began. Park was hit in the German bombing of Belgrade in 1941. Even though the modern park is on its original location, its present appearance originates completely from the period after World War II. The park covers an area of 1.95 hectares (4.8 acres) today. It went through a complete reconstruction in 2004, after which a monument to prince Miloš was erected in the park. Another refurbishment ensued in 2011 and in 2015 a monument to Gavrilo Princip was constructed. On 18 April 2017, Belgrade City Assembly officially changed its name to Gavrilo Princip Park.[3][7]
In January 2021, demolition of the building at 14 Admirala Geprata, which separates the park from this street, was announced. New, planned building will have "transparent" ground floor, which would allow view on the Hammam of Prince Miloš and northern section of the park. The hammam itself will be reconstructed and adapted into the cultural center. Also planned is an underground garage below the park.[8][9]
References
- ^ Anica Teofilović, Vesna Isajlović, Milica Grozdanić (2010). Пројекат "Зелена регулатива Београда" - IV фаѕа: План генералне регулације система зелених површина Београда (концепт плана) [Project "Green regulations of Belgrade" - IV phase: Plan of the general regulation of the green area system in Belgrade (concept of the plan)] (PDF). Urbanistički zavod Beograda.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Beograd - plan grada. M@gic M@p. 2006. ISBN 86-83501-53-1.
- ^ a b c Branka Vasiljević (26 April 2017), "Park Gavrila Principa i Aleksandrov - oaze u srcu grada", Politika (in Serbian), p. 16
- ^ a b Branka Vasiljević (23 June 2013), "Prestonički parkovi - mladići od šezdeset leta", Politika (in Serbian)
- ^ Branka Vasiljević (24 May 2019). ""Парк фест" у најстаријој зеленој оази у Земуну" ["Park fest" in the oldest green oasis in Zemun]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 17.
- ^ Goran Vesić (23 October 2020). Паркови у историји нашег града [Parks in the history of our city]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 14.
- ^ Dejan Aleksić (19 April 2017). "Spomenik Sibinjanin Janku na Zemunskom keju, Gagarinu na Novom Beogradu" (in Serbian). Politika.
- ^ Daliborka Mučibabić (5 January 2020). "Poslovni objekat umesto zgrade iz koje je ubijen Đinđić" [Business edifice instead of the building from which Đinđić was assassinated]. Politika (in Serbian). pp. 1 & 16.
- ^ Daliborka Mučibabić (12 January 2021). "Ulica kneza Miloša i njena okolina – kulturno dobro" [Kneza Miloša Street and its surroundings - cultural monument]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 17.