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Academy Park
(Serbian: Академски парк)
Academy Park
Location within Belgrade
Location	Stari Grad, Belgrade  Serbia
Nearest city	Belgrade
Coordinates	44°49′10″N 20°27′29″E / 44.819471°N 20.457958°E / 44.819471; 20.457958Coordinates: 44°49′10″N 20°27′29″E / 44.819471°N 20.457958°E / 44.819471; 20.457958
Area	1.45 ha (3.6 acres)
Established	2007
Academy Park

Academy Park (Serbian Cyrillic: Академски парк) is a park in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is situated in the neighborhood of Studentski Trg, in the downtown. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad. Built from 1886 to 1889, Academy Park is one of the oldest parks in Belgrade.^[1]

Location

Academy Park is located halfway between the Republic Square (to the east) and the Belgrade Fortress (to the west). It is completely encircled by Studentski Trg, which is effectively turned into the four streets around the park.

Names

When formed, the park was called "Little Park" (Mali park) and later was renamed to "Pančić's Park" (Pančićev park). Today, it is officially named Academy Park,^[2] but colloquially it is also called "University Park" (Univerzitetski park) and "Students' Park" (Studentski park).

History

Roman period

Northern section of the park was excavated in 1968 in the project of building a furnace oil tank for the boiler room of the Belgrade's City Committee of the League of Communists located nearby. Under the lawn, the remnants of the ancient Roman thermae were discovered, including the frigidarium (room with the cold water), laconicum (room with the warm water where people would sweat and prepare) and caldarium (room with the two pools of hot water). The site became an archaeological dig in 1969 and 8 rooms in total were discovered, including the remains of the brick furnace which heated the water. It was a public unisex bath dated to 3rd or 4th century. The entire area of the park is actually within the borders of the "Protected zone of Roman Singidunum". It is situated in the area that used to be the civilian sector of the city, outside the fortress. The remnants were visible until 1978 and due to the lack of funds to continue excavations or to cover it with the roof or a marquee, the remains were conserved and buried again.^[3][4]

Great Market

Area of the park and the square surrounding it used to be a Turkish cemetery. At the beginning of the 19th century, farmers were selling goods at the entrances to the city. However, Turkish soldiers would often forcibly buy goods from them at the small prices, and then sell it themselves in the city for much higher amounts. After constant complaints from the farmers, vizier of Belgrade, after counseling with the city merchants, agreed to choose one place for the market. Market became operational in the 1820s. As per Serbian-Turkish agreement anyone could bring and sell goods, market quickly grew and became city's commercial center and was known as the Great Market (Serbian: Velika pijaca or Veliki pijac). Remaining, smaller part of Turkish cemetery, which was functional until the 1860s, was fenced by the local Turks to prevent further deterioration. After Turks completely withdrew from Belgrade and Serbia in 1867, the cemetery became overgrown with grass and was turned into the meadow, called "Little field" (Poljanče) by the local population. First modern Belgrade's urbanist Emilijan Josimović suggested dislocation of the market in 1867, as it was placed in the sole center of the city. He envisioned the social center or pedestrian square ("piazza") in the form of the park with tall deciduous trees instead.^[2][5][6]

Park

However, only the open space area around the market, was turned into the park which was named Little Park. Original park was constructed from the spring of 1886 to 1889. In 1897, a monument dedicated to the botanist Josif Pančić was erected in the park. It was the first such monument in Belgrade, and the park was soon renamed to Pančič's Park. The market continued to operate until 1926 when was finally closed and its area was used to enlarge the Pančič's park in 1927. The project was done by Đorđe Kovalevski. In 1929, a rococo stone ornamental fence with the massive gates made of wrought iron was built around the park, projected by Milutin Borisavljević. The fence and the gates cost seven time more than the construction of the enlarged park itself two years ago. In 1930, the monument dedicated to Dositej Obradović was transferred to the park from his previous location at the end of the Knez Mihailova street. A monument to Jovan Cvijić was dedicated in 1994.^[2][3][5]

Characteristics

The park covers an area of 1.45 hectares (3.6 acres). In 2007 it was declared the natural monument.^[1][2]

It was renovated in 2009 (when the new fence on the north side was built and the new seedlings were planted),^[4] 2011-12 and 2015. New plane trees, Callery pears and photinias were planted and three flower rondelles were restored around the three monuments (Pančić, Obradović, Cvijić).^[1] In 2008, two species of bats lived in the park.^[7]

Surrounding area is location of many educational and cultural institutions, thus the names (Academy/Students Park). They include:

• Rectorate of the University of Belgrade in the representative Captain Miša's Mansion;


• Faculty for Natural Sciences and Mathematics ( University of Belgrade);


• 
  University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy;


• 
  University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology;


• 
  Kolarac Public University, with concert hall;


• 
  Ethnographic museum;


• A monument to Petar II Petrović Njegoš;

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Akademski park.