Šumice (Belgrade)

Šumice (Serbian Cyrillic: Шумице) is a park and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac.

Location

Šumice is located in the south-eastern section of the hill of Pašino Brdo and in the northern section largely overlaps with the neighborhood of the same name. On the south it is bounded by the "Ustanička" street and on the east by the "Vojislava Ilića" street, both streets separating it from the neighborhood of Konjarnik. On the west, the park itself borders the neighborhood of Dušanovac.

Park

The park consists of two parts, separated by the "Vojvode Toze" street into western (larger) and eastern sections. The modern park is a remnant of the much larger wood that existed before World War I. As at that time the urban Belgrade didn't spread east of the woods, it is recorded that during the extremely cold winters, wolves would come down from the Avala mountain all the way to Šumice.

The park is inhabited by hedgehogs and bats, but the main attraction in the park are the squirrels which often leave the park and climb on the trees in people's yards. Woodpeckers and blue tits, living in the park in the 1980s, are not seen anymore.

In the 1990s, in the general air of lawlessness, attempts were made to build concrete objects (shops, kiosks, etc) in the park itself, but eventually they were successfully removed. In spring 2007 the park was reconstructed. Maps, new wooden gazebos, benches, trash cans and children playgrounds were placed, while a new trim trail through the park was arranged.

Transportation

Šumice is well connected with other parts of the city, by public transportation:

Buses (with connecting areas of the city):

* No. 17: Konjarnik, Šumice, Autokomanda, Mostarska Petlja, Novi Beograd, Zemun; * No. 31: Konjarnik, Šumice, Slavija, Terazije, Square of the Republic. Studentski Trg; * No. 50: Konjarnik, Šumice, Banjica, Miljakovac, Rakovica, Vidikovac, Banovo Brdo;

Trolleys (with connecting areas of the city):

* No. 19: Konjarnik, Šumice, Crveni Krst, Slavija, Terazije, Studentski Trg; * No. 21: Učiteljsko Naselje, Šumice, Crveni Krst, Slavija, Terazije, Studentski Trg; * No. 29: Medakovic, Šumice, Crveni Krst, Slavija, Terazije, Studentski Trg;

Neighborhood

The neighborhood was constructed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A modern settlement, with lots of green areas, can roughly be divided in two parts: southern, with residential building, and northern with smaller, family houses and villas which were quite popular among Belgrade's celebrities in the 1980s. The population in 2002 was 7,228.

The main features in the neighborhood are:

* "Sport Center Šumice", used by the basketball and volleyball teams and for other events (karate and judo championships, etc). Previously, it was the "House of the Pioneers of Voždovac" ("Dom Pionira Voždovac"), including a cinema within the complex, which is located in the south-east corner of the park.

* New business center of "KoŠum" named after Šumice, but technically belonging to the neighborhood of Konjarnik.

* Hotel "Srbija".

* Health center "Šumice".

* Belgrade's VIII Gymnasium (ex XI) (in the northern corner of the park).