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Voždovac (Serbian Cyrillic: ????????) is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Neighborhood
[] Location
The neighborhood of Voždovac is located 4-5 km south of downtown Belgrade, on a hill in the northern part of the municipality. Three long, more or less parallel streets shape the neighborhood into an elongated form in the north-west to south-east direction: western border is marked by the Boulevard of Liberation, which also makes the border to the municipality of Savski Venac, eastern by the Kumodraška street, while the Vojvode Stepe street goes in between. Due to its shape, Voždovac borders many other neighborhoods: Autokomanda on the north, Diplomatska Kolonija on the north-west, Banjica (and Banjica Forest) on the west, Trošarina and Banjica II on the south-west, Kumodraž (it's sub-neighborhoods of Kumodraž II and Torlak) on the south, Brace Jerkovic II and Mitrovo Brdo on the south-east, Brace Jerkovic on the east and Dušanovac on the north-east.
Name and history
Name Voždovac is derived from the word vožd meaning leader (literally, a "duke", "supreme vojvoda"), one of the titles used by the Karadorde Petrovic, the leader of the First Serbian Uprising. He also commanded the liberation of Belgrade from the Turks in 1806, and on the very spot from where he started that operation today stands a Church of the Saint Emperor Constantine and Helena, popularly called the Voždovac Church (Voždovacka crkva).
Characteristics
Originally a residential area, as the neighborhood was growing and stretching to the south, it developed different features. The south-western extension to Torlak, along the Vojvode Stepe street, developed almost rural look, while the southern extension into the Kumodraž II is turned into one of the most heavily industrialized areas in the "Old Belgrade". The western area, along the Boulvard of Liberation became somewhat of an elitistic neighborhood. Three faculties of the University of Belgrade are located in the neighborhood: Management (FON), Political sciences (FPN) and Transportation. Population of the neighborhood was 22,516 in 2002.
Municipality
[] Location
The municipality is located in the south-central part of the urban area of Belgrade and in the central section of the wider Belgrade City area. It stretches meridonally (north to south) for almost 40 kilometers (25 mi), spreading to the south more than any other urban municipality of Belgrade. Due to its shape, it borders more municipalities than any other: Vracar on the north, Zvezdara on the north-east, Grocka on the east, Sopot on the south, Barajevo on the south-west, Cukarica and Rakovica on the west and Savski Venac on the north-west.
Geography
Municipality is located in the northern section of the Šumadija region ("Low Šumadija"). The southern part covers the northern section of the woods of Lipovicka šuma and roughly corresponds to the valley of the Topciderka river which flows between the Pinosava and Ripanj plateaux. The central area is occupied by one of two "Belgrade" mountains, the 511 meters (1,677 ft) -high Avala (the other one being Kosmaj). In the northern, urban section, Voždovac covers several of the 32 hills on which Belgrade is built, including Torlak and Pašino Brdo.
Apart from Topciderka, numerous smaller rivers and intermittent creeks flow in the northern part of the municipality: Zavojnicka reka, Vranovac, Milošev potok, Bubanj Potok, Kamena voda, Lipica, Drenjak, Kumodraški potok and parts of Rakovicki potok, Bolecica and Jelezovac. The spring and the valley of the former Mokroluški Potok (now mostly conducted underground) is also located in the municipality. Despite having large wooded areas in the non-urban section (slopes of Avala, northern part of Lipovicka šuma, Stepin Lug/Gaj), the urban area has only one real park, Šumice.
Population
The massive population growth was halted in the late 1980s, despite still growing settlements on the southern and south-eastern outskirts of Belgrade. Still, with 1,011 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,618.5/sq mi), Voždovac is still densely populated, especially concerning large unurbanized areas in the south. Population of Voždovac according to the official census of population (since 1991 a new methodology is used):
- 1961 - 85,458
- 1971 - 134,206
- 1981 - 159,364
- 1991 - 156,373
- 2002 - 151,768
Ethnic groups (2002 census)
Settlements
The municipality of Voždovac has both urban neighborhoods of the Belgrade City proper (uža teritorija grada) and separate, suburban settlements in the Belgrade City Metro area.
Urban:
Suburban towns:
Suburban rural:
Neighborhoods of Ripanj:
History and administration
The municipality of Voždovac originates from 1904. In 1945 Belgrade was divided into districts (rejon) and Voždovac became part of District VI. In 1952 the districts were abolished and the municipalities re-established. Municipality of Pašino Brdo was annexed to Voždovac on September 1, 1955 and today makes its northernmost part. The municipality was territorially shaped in the early 1960s when the municipality of Ripanj was added to Voždovac (the village of Veliki Mokri Lug was later detached and annexed to the municipality of Zvezdara). However, shaped this way, the elongated municipality causes problem to the inhabitants of its southern part as they have to travel over {[km to mi|30}} to the municipal assembly. There is an idea of separating suburban settlements (Beli Potok, Pinosava, Zuce, Ripanj) and creating new sub-Avalan municipality (Avalski Venac), with the village of Vrcin in the municipality of Grocka but no official move has been done so far in that direction. Presidents of the municipal assembly:
1952 - 1955; Nikola Stepanovic (1916)
1955 - 1956; Vucko Ivkovic (1913)
1956 - 1965; Petar Kolundžija
1965 - 1973; Zoran Nastic
1973 - 1978; Munir Lasic
1978 - 1982; Dragomir Maric
1982 - 1986; Borislav Kuzmanovic
1986 - 1988; Milorad Lekovic
1988 - 1991; Zoran Višnjic
1991 - 1992; Zoran Antonic
1992 - 1994; Božidar Simatkovic
1994 - 1997; Zoran Modrinic (1947)
1997 - October 12, 2000; Nebojša Atanackovic (1943)
October 12, 2000 - December 9, 2004; Stevan Radovic (1940)
December 9, 2004 - (present); Goran Lukacevic (1966)
Economy
Suburban parts of the municipality are mostly agricultural, but the urban section has a large industrial zone, one of the largest in the city, mostly along the Kumodraška street. It comprises the factories of Vatrosprem, Tunelogradnja, Soko Štark, Napred, Montaža, Ratko Mitrovic, etc. Some facilities of the Belgrade's Communal Company and of Electricity company (EDB) are located in the neighborhood of Marinkova Bara, along the highway. A small center of the building companies and cement plants is growing along Bubanj Potok.
Administrative center of the municipality is located in Dušanovac, along the Ustanicka street. It encompasses the building of the Municipal assembly, the police and fire station, the local clinical-ambulance center, the Fifth Municipal Court of Belgrade and the Special section of the Supreme court of Serbia for organized crime and war crimes (formerly the Supreme Military Court of Yugoslavia).
The Belgrade-Niš highway passes through the northern and eastern parts of the municipality while the road of Kružni put (and the projected Belgrade beltway) goes through the central parts, including the junction of two roads and tollbooth on Bubanj Potok, which marks the entrance into the Belgrade City proper. A railway also goes through the municipality, parallel to the Kružni put.
Trivia
The football club from the area, FK Voždovac, plays in First League of Serbia within which they finished 3rd in the 2005/06 season.
The neighborhood of Jajinci was the place where the 3rd European Peoples Global Action conference was held in July 2004.
International cooperation
Voždovac is twinned with following cities and municipalities[1]:
And has signed friendship charters with following cities and municipalities:
See also
References
- ^ [1] Stalna konferencija gradova i opština. Retrieved on 2007-06-18.
- Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija, Third edition (1986); Prosveta; ISBN 86-07-00001-2
- Jovan Đ. Markovic (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6
External links
Coordinates: 44°47'N 20°29'E? / ?44.783, 20.483
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