Cvetni trg

Pedunculate Oak at the square in 2005

Cvetni Trg or Flower Square (Serbian Cyrillic: Цветни трг) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Vračar.

Location

Cvetni Trg is a small, triangularly shaped neighborhood in what was the central part of the previously large neighborhood of Vračar. In terms of modern administrative divisions, it is located in the western part of the municipality of Vračar, on the Belgrade's main street of Kralja Milana and the border of the municipality of Savski Venac. Other two streets that mark the borders of the neighborhood are Njegoševa and Svetozara Markovića, but the term generally comprises few adjoining blocks to the north and east, making a local community with a population of 25,759 in 2002. Cvetni Trg is located right across the Yugoslav drama theatre and the Manjež park.

History

Area of Cvetni Trg was one of the Vračar's area covered in the vast forests of oak and ash trees. Forest was cut long time ago to make place for urban development (small open green market and future supermarket) with only one tree surviving today. A 30 meters tall pedunculate oak (Serbian: hrast lužnjak) with a crown diametar of 18 meters, is believed to be 200 years old now.^[1] Since 1980 it has been protected by the state as the natural treasure.

Cvetni Trg got its name because of the many flower shops located there, which survived until early 2000s when most of them were closed. The dominant feature of the neighborhood since 1958 became the first and, at that time, the largest modern supermarket in the Balkans, the first one with shelves and baskets. As a curiosity, it was the first store to sell coca-cola cans in this part of the world. Since 1960 it became part of the Serbia's largest store chain, Centroprom and for decades remained the Belgrade's supermarket with highest revenues. It was renovated in 1990 acquiring modern, marbled appearance. However, as C-market (successor of Centroprom) was bought by Delta Holding system, the supermarket was closed on November 1, 2006 and the thorough reconstruction began to change its purpose from grocery market to the BMW car salon which is to be open on February 7, 2007. As of 2011 it is again a supermarket (branded Maxi Exclusive).

In early 2000s, the section of Njegoševa street north of Cvetni Trg was closed for traffic, paved with stone and turned into a series of small stairs-like plateaus, used as patios for local coffee shops, thus enlarging the area of the square.

References

1. ^ "Vekovi u krošnjama" (in Serbian), Politika: 32, 2008-04-26 

Coordinates: 44°48′21.3″N 20°27′54.2″E / 44.805917°N 20.465056°E / 44.805917; 20.465056