Zvezdara
Encyclopedia
Zvezdara is a hill, forest, urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute City of Belgrade
, the capital of Serbia
.
and Karaburma
on the north, Ćalije
on the north-east (all in the municipality of Palilula), Mirijevo
on the east, Mali Mokri Lug
on the south-east, Cvetkova Pijaca
and Konjarnik
on the south, Lion
on the south-west and Bulbuder
on the west. The area had a population of 10,095 by the 2002 census of population. However, after the creation of the municipality in 1955, the entire section west and south-west of Zvezdara is today considered as part of it in a narrow sense (Lion, Bulbuder, Lipov Lad, Cvetkova Pijaca, etc.).
opservatorija replaced zvezdara, which in turn completely disappeared from spoken language as such, but remained as a name of Belgrade's neighborhood. As a result, many today believe Zvezdara was named that way simply after stars (Serbian zvezda, star). In 1935 the Clinical Center (KBC) Zvezdara was built as a bequest by wealthy Serbian merchant Nikola Spasić. The area was rich in water, originally used for city waterworks. Several public drinking fountains were built (like Pasha's fountain, dating from the First Serbian Uprising
, in modern Živka Davidovića street or the Fountain of the third-class reservists, for the killed soldiers of the World War I
. near KBC Zvezdara).
on the east and south-east, Voždovac
on the south and south-west and Vračar
on the west.
Zvezdara basically has no real city parks, but has two large wooded areas, Zvezdara Forest (with an arranged park within, in the north-central part) and the northern section of Stepin Lug
in the southern part of the municipality. Peti Park (Fifth park) is a minute green area in the neighborhood of Lipov Lad which gained a lot of publicity in the mid 2000s with a public movement to keep the area green.
Zvezdara does not come out on the river banks of two major Belgrade's rivers (the Danube
and Sava). The major water flows in the municipality are two creeks, both of which are partially conducted underground in the city sewer: Mokroluški potok
and Mirijevski potok. For several hundred meters, the Bolečica
river flows through the southernmost part of the municipality, near Bubanj Potok
.
s Metal) and upper Bulevar kralja Aleksandra section (textile Kluz, electronics Nikola Tesla, plastics Utenzilija, presses Glas Javnosti and Kurir, foundry
Livnica).
-type store named "Depo" ("depot").
. Additionally, in almost parallel way, the Highway Belgrade–Niš goes through the southern part. Ruzveltova and Mije Kovačevića in the eastern section are among the busiest and most polluted traffic areas in the city. Other major city routes include streets Vojislava Ilića, Ustanička, Dimitrija Tucovića, Dragoslava Srejovića, Milana Rakića, Jovanke Radaković, Mirijevski venac and Matice Srpske. The large bus garage
depot of GSP Belgrade
, city's public transportation company and Lasta, its sister company, are located on the highway.
There is no railroad passing through the municipality, but Vukov Spomenik is one of the underground train stations of the future Belgrade Metro, which for now operates as part of the Belgrade-Pančevo
railway (local Beovoz
rail), connecting Nova Pazova
(in the province of Vojvodina
), Belgrade and Pančevo (in Vojvodina again).
Theaters:
Churches:
Sports:
of bus line number 65. It consists of several small urban patches in the northern section of Zvezdara Forest, north of the observatory and Mihajlo Pupin Institute
and along the Dragoslava Srejovića street, which divides it from the neighborhoods of Karaburma and Ćalije on the north and north-east, respectively, both in the municipality of Palilula.
and Košutnjak
, Zvezdara is the largest forest in the urban zone of Belgrade, a crescent
-shaped wooded area which covers most of the Zvezdara Hill. The northern and eastern border of the wood is formed mostly by the Dragoslava Srejovića street. It borders the neighborhoods of Karaburma on the north, Ćalije on the north-east, Mirijevo on the east, Cvetkova Pijaca on the south and Zvezdara itself on the west.
In the beginning of the 20th century the Veliki Vračar Hill area was designed for afforestation. After the construction of the observatory in 1929-32 on top of the hill, the forest creation began making a unique artificially created green zone in Belgrade's urban tissue. Today, the observatory is roughly in the middle of the forest.
The Zvezdara Forest today covers an area of 137 hectare
s, out of which 21 hectare is arranged as a park. Apart from the observatory, objects within the forest or near it include the "Mihajlo Pupin Institute" in the north-central and seven small stadium
s (FC 29. Novembar, FC Zvezdara, FC Mladi proleter) in the north-western section. Patches of the northern section are urbanized, forming a neighborhood of Zvezdara II (especially along the Dragoslava Srejovića street). The forest is also damaged by the unauthorized individual residential construction, so in 2007 Belgrade City government announced further plans to extend the Zvezdara Forest to the north and south, connecting it in the process to Ada Huja
and Šumice
, respectively, either as real park or just avenue
s, and thus creating Belgrade's greenway
.
Number of animal species protected by Serbian and international laws live in Zvezdara forest. Some of them are:
Kisela Voda
, Republic of Macedonia
Honoring this cooperation, one street between Zvezdara and Mirijevo was named "Kisela Voda" in the mid 2000s.
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...
, the 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...
.
Location
The Zvezdara neighborhood (44.8°N 20.508°W) is located south-east of downtown Belgrade. In its original sense, the neighborhood of Zvezdara comprises areas around the Zvezdara Forest, including the neighborhood of Zvezdara II. It borders the neighborhoods of BogoslovijaBogoslovija
Bogoslovija is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is mostly located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula, with some parts belonging to the municipality of Zvezdara....
and Karaburma
Karaburma
Karaburma is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.- Location :...
on the north, Ćalije
Calije
Ćalije is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula....
on the north-east (all in the municipality of Palilula), Mirijevo
Mirijevo
Mirijevo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara...
on the east, 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,...
on the south-east, Cvetkova Pijaca
Cvetkova Pijaca
Cvetkova Pijaca or colloquially Cvetko is an open green market and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
and Konjarnik
Konjarnik
Konjarnik is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac and Zvezdara...
on the south, Lion
Lion, Belgrade
Lion is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :...
on the south-west and Bulbuder
Bulbuder
Bulbulder is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :...
on the west. The area had a population of 10,095 by the 2002 census of population. However, after the creation of the municipality in 1955, the entire section west and south-west of Zvezdara is today considered as part of it in a narrow sense (Lion, Bulbuder, Lipov Lad, Cvetkova Pijaca, etc.).
Name and history
Until the 1930s, the Zvezdara hill was known as Veliki Vračar (Great Vračar). In the 19th century the foothills were not urbanized and, being far from the city center, were used by the Belgraders as a resort and picnic area, named Baba Ružin kraj ("Grandma Ruža's neighborhood"). In 1929-32 an observatory designed by Czech-born architect Jan Dubový (1892–1969) was built on top of the hill. The observatory was originally called zvezdara ("star-house") in Serbian, so the hill and the developing suburban area of Belgrade around it was named that way soon. In time, LatinismLatinism
A Latinism is an idiom, structure, or word derived from or suggestive of the Latin language. For Latinistic words in English, see Latin influence in English....
opservatorija replaced zvezdara, which in turn completely disappeared from spoken language as such, but remained as a name of Belgrade's neighborhood. As a result, many today believe Zvezdara was named that way simply after stars (Serbian zvezda, star). In 1935 the Clinical Center (KBC) Zvezdara was built as a bequest by wealthy Serbian merchant Nikola Spasić. The area was rich in water, originally used for city waterworks. Several public drinking fountains were built (like Pasha's fountain, dating from the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
, in modern Živka Davidovića street or the Fountain of the third-class reservists, for the killed soldiers of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. near KBC Zvezdara).
Location
The municipality of Zvezdara is located east of Belgrade and occupied almost the entire eastern urban section of the city. It borders the municipalities of Paliula on the north-west, north and north-east, GrockaGrocka
Grocka is a suburban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
on the east and south-east, Voždovac
Voždovac
Voždovac is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
on the south and south-west and Vračar
Vracar
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...
on the west.
Geography
Despite being one of Belgrade's minor municipalities in terms of area (31 square kilometer), Zvezdara covers some of the highest sections of urban Belgrade, including the hills:- Stojčino Brdo (270 meters)
- Orlovica (265 meters, also, but incorrectly, named Orlovača on some city maps)
- Zvezdara (253 meters)
- Mokroluško Brdo (234 meters)
Zvezdara basically has no real city parks, but has two large wooded areas, Zvezdara Forest (with an arranged park within, in the north-central part) and the northern section of Stepin Lug
Stepin Lug
Stepin Lug or Gaj is a park-wood and, for the most part, non-residential suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac and Zvezdara .- Location :Stepin Lug is located on the south-eastern outskirts of Belgrade...
in the southern part of the municipality. Peti Park (Fifth park) is a minute green area in the neighborhood of Lipov Lad which gained a lot of publicity in the mid 2000s with a public movement to keep the area green.
Zvezdara does not come out on the river banks of two major Belgrade's rivers (the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and Sava). The major water flows in the municipality are two creeks, both of which are partially conducted underground in the city sewer: Mokroluški potok
Mokroluški potok
The Mokroluški potok is a stream in north-central Serbia, which forms a 15 km-long former right tributary to the Sava river. During its entire concourse, it runs through the urban section of Belgrade...
and Mirijevski potok. For several hundred meters, the Bolečica
Bolecica
The Bolečica is a short river in north-central Serbia, a 12 km-long right tributary to the Danube. During its entire flow it runs through the suburban section of Belgrade and despite being short it flows through the three Belgrade's municipalities, next to the half dozen of suburbs of Belgrade ...
river flows through the southernmost part of the municipality, near Bubanj Potok
Bubanj Potok
Bubanj Potok is a non-residential suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.-Location:...
.
Population
The population of modern municipality of Zvezdara had a steady, large growth until 1980s and 1990s when birthrates plunged in all of Serbia. But Zvezdara remains one of the most densely populated areas in entire Serbia, with 4,436 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2005. Population of Zvezdara according to the official censuses of population :- 1948 - 56,177
- 1953 - 66,580
- 1961 - 88,919
- 1971 - 112,938
- 1981 - 128,753
- 1991 - 135,694
- 2002 - 132,621
- 2005 - 137,523
Ethnic groups
Ethnic composition by the 2002 census of population:- SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
- 119,570 (or 90.16%) - Montenegrins - 1,715 (or 1,29%)
- YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
- 1,609 (or 1,21%) - Roma - 1,251 (or 0,94%)
- MacedoniansMacedonians (ethnic group)The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
- 790 (or 0,60%)
Neighborhoods
|
Lion, Belgrade Lion is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :... Lipov Lad Lipov Lad is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :... 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,... Mirijevo Mirijevo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara... |
Padina (Belgrade) Padina is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.... Slavujev Venac Slavujev Venac is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :... |
Veliki Mokri Lug Veliki Mokri Lug is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zvezdara.- Location :... Vukov Spomenik Vukov Spomenik or colloquially Vuk is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia... 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... |
History and administration
The municipality of Zvezdara was created on September 1, 1955, from (at that time) new neighborhoods around the observatory. On January 1, 1957 Zvezdara was greatly enlarged as the municipalities of Stari Đeram and Mali Mokri Lug were annexed to it. Villages of Kaluđerica, Vinča and Leštane (previously parts of Mali Mokri Lug) were later detached and annexed to the municipality of Grocka. In the first half of the 1970s, all settlements in the municipality became part of the Belgrade city proper (uža teritorija grada) so the entire municipality of Zvezdara is today one of six municipalities which are completely part of urban Belgrade. Recent presidents of the Municipal assembly were:- Vučeta Mandić (from 1996 to 2000)
- Petar Moravac (born 1964; from 2000 to November 19, 2004)
- Milan Popović (born 1948; from November 19, 2004 to February 18, 2005)
- Ljubiša Stojmirović (born 1950; from February 18, 2005 to June 28, 2005)
- Milan Popović (2nd time; from June 28, 2005)
Industry
As many areas of modern Zvezdara municipalities were villages and rural areas annexed to it in the 1950s, entire southern and eastern sections (Padina, Veliki Mokri Lug, Mali Mokri Lug, Mirijevo) are without industry. Industrial facilities are mostly grouped in two sections: Konjarnik (plastics Bukulja, precise and optical instruments Precizna mehanika, white metalWhite metal
The white metals are any of several light-colored alloys used as a base for plated silverware, ornaments or novelties, as well as any of several lead-base or tin-base alloys used for things like bearings, jewellery, miniature figures, fusible plugs, some medals and metal type.Some of the metals...
s Metal) and upper Bulevar kralja Aleksandra section (textile Kluz, electronics Nikola Tesla, plastics Utenzilija, presses Glas Javnosti and Kurir, foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
Livnica).
Commerce
As most of the Bulevar kralja Aleksandra goes through the municipality of Zvezdara, one of the strongest commercial zones in Belgrade developed around this, the longest street in the old section of Belgrade (9 kilometers). The long zone along the boulevard, simply known as "Bulevar" (despite there are some 20 boulevards in Belgrade), apart from several dozens of shops of all kinds, hosted also hundreds of street sellers, which are now confined to the large covered fairFair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
-type store named "Depo" ("depot").
Transportation
Some of the busiest streets in Belgrade pass through the municipality of Zvezdara. Basically, the main street that goes through the central part of the entire municipality iz Bulevar kralja Aleksandra which continues through the municipality of Grocka to the town of SmederevoSmederevo
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...
. Additionally, in almost parallel way, the Highway Belgrade–Niš goes through the southern part. Ruzveltova and Mije Kovačevića in the eastern section are among the busiest and most polluted traffic areas in the city. Other major city routes include streets Vojislava Ilića, Ustanička, Dimitrija Tucovića, Dragoslava Srejovića, Milana Rakića, Jovanke Radaković, Mirijevski venac and Matice Srpske. The large bus garage
Bus garage
A bus garage or bus depot is a building where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where Streetcars or Trams were stored, and the operation transferred to buses...
depot of GSP Belgrade
GSP Belgrade
CTC Belgrade is a public company responsible for urban and suburban public transportation in Belgrade. The acronym "GSP" stands for Gradsko saobraćajno preduzeće...
, city's public transportation company and Lasta, its sister company, are located on the highway.
There is no railroad passing through the municipality, but Vukov Spomenik is one of the underground train stations of the future Belgrade Metro, which for now operates as part of the Belgrade-Pančevo
Pancevo
Pančevo is a city and municipality located in the southern part of Serbian province of Vojvodina, 15 km northeast from Belgrade. In 2002, the city had a total population of 77,087, while municipality of Pančevo had 127,162 inhabitants. It is the administrative center of the South Banat...
railway (local Beovoz
Beovoz
Beovoz is a commuter rail that provides mass-transit service within Belgrade metropolitan area in Serbia. The main usage of today's system is to connect the suburbs with downtown Belgrade...
rail), connecting Nova Pazova
Nova Pazova
Nova Pazova is a settlement in Serbia, founded by German settlers.It is situated in the Stara Pazova municipality, in the region of Syrmia , in the autonomous province of Vojvodina...
(in the province of Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
), Belgrade and Pančevo (in Vojvodina again).
Culture, education and sports
Educational and research facilities:- leading ICTInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
researchers, Mihajlo Pupin InstituteMihajlo Pupin InstituteMihajlo Pupin Institute is an institute based in Belgrade, Serbia notable for manufacturing numerous computer systems used in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - especially early CER and later TIM line of computers. It is named after Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin.The Institute is well known in... - Zvezdara observatory
- Republic Bureau of Statistics
- VI Belgrade Gymnasium
- Technical school
- Medical center (KBC Zvezdara)
- City hospital (Gradska bolnica)
- Anti-tuberculosis hospital
Theaters:
- Tetar Kult
- Zvezdara Teatar
Churches:
- Saint Prince LazarLazar of SerbiaLazar Hrebeljanović , was a medieval nobleman that emerged as the most powerful Serbian ruler after the death of the previous, childless, Emperor Uroš the Weak, which resulted in years of instability in the Serbian realm. As Stefan Lazar, he was Prince of Serbia from 1371 to 1389, ruling what is...
(Bulbuder) - Shroud of the Holy Mother of God (Đeram)
- Saint TrifonSaint TrifonGreat-Martyr Trifon [or Tryphon] is the patron saint of Kotor. A portion of his relics is kept in the Church of the Theotokos of the Sign, in Pereyaslavl sloboda, Russia. His feast day is celebrated on February 14...
(Mali Mokri Lug) - Saint Prophet Elias (Mirijevo)
- Saint Father Nikolay (New CemeteryNovo grobljeNovo groblje is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third Christian cemetery in Belgrade. The newly developed cemetery in that period had no chapel or church...
)
Sports:
- Stadium FK Hajduk BeogradFK Hajduk BeogradFK Hajduk Beograd is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia.-Recent seasons:1 Championship abandoned officially on May 14, 1999 due to the NATO attacks on FR Yugoslavia.-Current squad:...
- Stadium FK ZvezdaraFK ZvezdaraFK Zvezdara was a football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. It merged into FK Srem Beograd in 2002.During the 1990s and early 2000s, the club had a questionable pedigree with rumours of mafia-type activities continuously attached to its leadership - controversial businessmen Miodrag "Miša" Nikšić...
- Stadium FK Balkan BukovicaFK Balkan BukovicaOFK Balkan Mirijevo is a football club based in Mirijevo, Belgrade, Serbia. During the 1990s the was known as FK Balkan Bukovica, after sponsor, however during winter break in 2008 Balkan Bukovica changed its name to OFK Balkan Mirijevo...
- Stadium FK 29. November
- Stadium FK Mladi Proleter
- Sports center "Zvedara" (popularly styled "Olimp")
Zvezdara II
A northern sub-neighborhood of Zvezdara, today mostly centered around the roundaboutRoundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
of bus line number 65. It consists of several small urban patches in the northern section of Zvezdara Forest, north of the observatory and Mihajlo Pupin Institute
Mihajlo Pupin Institute
Mihajlo Pupin Institute is an institute based in Belgrade, Serbia notable for manufacturing numerous computer systems used in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - especially early CER and later TIM line of computers. It is named after Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin.The Institute is well known in...
and along the Dragoslava Srejovića street, which divides it from the neighborhoods of Karaburma and Ćalije on the north and north-east, respectively, both in the municipality of Palilula.
Zvezdara Forest
Zvezdara Forest (Zvezdarska šuma or Zvezdani Gaj, Serbian Cyrillic: Звездарска шума or Звездани гај) After TopčiderTopcider
Topčider is a forest park and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica, Rakovica and Savski Venac...
and Košutnjak
Košutnjak
Košutnjak is a park-forest and urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica and Rakovica .-Location:...
, Zvezdara is the largest forest in the urban zone of Belgrade, a crescent
Crescent
In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points .In astronomy, a crescent...
-shaped wooded area which covers most of the Zvezdara Hill. The northern and eastern border of the wood is formed mostly by the Dragoslava Srejovića street. It borders the neighborhoods of Karaburma on the north, Ćalije on the north-east, Mirijevo on the east, Cvetkova Pijaca on the south and Zvezdara itself on the west.
In the beginning of the 20th century the Veliki Vračar Hill area was designed for afforestation. After the construction of the observatory in 1929-32 on top of the hill, the forest creation began making a unique artificially created green zone in Belgrade's urban tissue. Today, the observatory is roughly in the middle of the forest.
The Zvezdara Forest today covers an area of 137 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s, out of which 21 hectare is arranged as a park. Apart from the observatory, objects within the forest or near it include the "Mihajlo Pupin Institute" in the north-central and seven small stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
s (FC 29. Novembar, FC Zvezdara, FC Mladi proleter) in the north-western section. Patches of the northern section are urbanized, forming a neighborhood of Zvezdara II (especially along the Dragoslava Srejovića street). The forest is also damaged by the unauthorized individual residential construction, so in 2007 Belgrade City government announced further plans to extend the Zvezdara Forest to the north and south, connecting it in the process to Ada Huja
Ada Huja
Ada Huja is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.- Location :...
and Šumice
Šumice (Belgrade)
Šumice is a park and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.- Location :...
, respectively, either as real park or just avenue
Avenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
s, and thus creating Belgrade's greenway
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
.
Number of animal species protected by Serbian and international laws live in Zvezdara forest. Some of them are:
- East European Hedgehog (lat. Erinaceus concolor; Serbian: evropski belogrudi jež)
- European MoleEuropean MoleThe European Mole, Talpa europaea, is a mammal of the order Soricomorpha. It is also known as the Common Mole and the Northern Mole....
(lat. Talpa europaea; Serbian: krtica) - Common BuzzardCommon BuzzardThe Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
(lat. Buteo buteo; Serbian: mišar) - Tawny OwlTawny OwlThe Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...
(lat. Strix aluco; Serbian: šumska sova) - Long-eared OwlLong-eared OwlThe Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
(lat. Asio otus; Serbian: mala ušara) - Scops Owl (lat. Otus scops; Serbian: ćuk)
- Little OwlLittle OwlThe Little Owl is a bird which is resident in much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, Asia east to Korea, and north Africa. It is not native to Great Britain, but was first introduced in 1842, and is now naturalised there...
(lat. Athene noctua; Serbian: kukumavka)
International cooperation
Zvezdara is twinned with the following cities and municipalities:Kisela Voda
Kisela Voda municipality
Kisela Voda is one of the ten municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia.-Geography:The municipality borders Karpoš Municipality to the northwest, Centar Municipality to the north, Aerodrom Municipality to the northeast, Studeničani Municipality to the...
, Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
Honoring this cooperation, one street between Zvezdara and Mirijevo was named "Kisela Voda" in the mid 2000s.