Banjica
Encyclopedia
Banjica is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade
, the capital of Serbia
. It is divided between the Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac
(western half) and Voždovac
(eastern half).
), on the Banjica hill. On the west, the hill descends into the valley and neighborhood of Lisičji Potok
and further continues into the hill and woods of Topčider
while on the south it descends into the valley of the creek of Kaljavi potok, bordering the neighborhoods of Kanarevo Brdo
(south-west) and Jajinci
(south-east). To the north, Banjica extends into the elite neighborhood of Dedinje
while the eastern side is covered by the Banjička šuma (Banjica forest), a long narrow belt of deciduous woodland along the Boulevard of Liberation, which separates Banjica from the neighborhoods of Voždovac and Trošarina
.
The name of the neighborhood comes from the Serbian word banja, meaning spa
, thus it can be translated as the "small spa".
Banjica used to be a suburban village, inhabited in the early 19th century by migrants from southeastern Serbia who came after the end of the Second Serbian Uprising
in 1815. In 1903 Banjica was the location of the military parade made for coronation of king Petar I Karađorđević of Serbia. Until World War II
Banjica remained a quiet village with most of its population employed in crop production to support the growing agricultural demands of Belgrade. During the World War II Banjica was also a place where the German
forces together with their Serbian collaborators
ran a Banjica concentration camp
. After the war, the village was heavily urbanized, with new large apartment buildings built in place of old family houses. Banjica had a population of 17,711 in 2002.
There is a small (by western standards) shopping mall next to the school, and a well-stocked green market up the hill, where people bring fresh grocery goods from afar. The school's name is "Bora Stanković
" and it is for grades 1-8 (ages 7–15). There is no high school
in the neighborhood, but due to good public transport
students can easily reach numerous high schools in Belgrade
(most popular choices are Fourth and Twelfth College-Preparatory High Schools, which are the closest). This area is known as Banjica II.
Public transport includes bus
, trolleybus
and tram
lines. Bus lines toward the city are 47, 48, 50, 59, 78, 94, trolleybus lines are 40 and 41, tram lines are 9, 10 and 14. The public transport station near the school is also the place where people living in nearby villages switch from their local buses (400(seasonal), 401, 402, 403, 405, 406, 407 and 408) to the above-mentioned lines toward the city.
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...
. It is divided between the Belgrade's municipalities of Savski Venac
Savski Venac
Savski Venac is one of 17 urban municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Savski Venac is one of the three municipalities that constitute the very center of the city .-Location:Savski Venac is located on the right bank of the Sava river...
(western half) and Voždovac
Voždovac
Voždovac is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
(eastern half).
Location
Banjica is located 5-6 kilometers south of downtown Belgrade (TerazijeTerazije
Terazije is the central square and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad.- Location :...
), on the Banjica hill. On the west, the hill descends into the valley and neighborhood of Lisičji Potok
Lisicji Potok
Lisičji Potok is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac.-Location:Lisičji Potok is located in the eastern section of the municipality...
and further continues into the hill and woods of Topčider
Topcider
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...
while on the south it descends into the valley of the creek of Kaljavi potok, bordering the neighborhoods of Kanarevo Brdo
Kanarevo Brdo
Kanarevo Brdo is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Rakovica.-Location:...
(south-west) and Jajinci
Jajinci
Jajinci is an urban neighborhood located in the municipality of Voždovac, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It was the site of the worst carnage in Serbia during World War II when German occupational forces executed nearly 80,000 people, many of them prisoners of the nearby Banjica concentration...
(south-east). To the north, Banjica extends into the elite neighborhood of Dedinje
Dedinje
Dedinje is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac...
while the eastern side is covered by the Banjička šuma (Banjica forest), a long narrow belt of deciduous woodland along the Boulevard of Liberation, which separates Banjica from the neighborhoods of Voždovac and Trošarina
Trošarina
Trošarina is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Voždovac....
.
History
Findings of the ancient Vincha civilization such as figurines or the oval terracotta with meander art and Old European inscriptions place civilized human activity in Banjica to 7,000 years ago.The name of the neighborhood comes from the Serbian word banja, meaning spa
Destination spa
A destination spa is a short term residential/lodging facility with the primary purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or sources of mineral waters...
, thus it can be translated as the "small spa".
Banjica used to be a suburban village, inhabited in the early 19th century by migrants from southeastern Serbia who came after the end of the Second Serbian Uprising
Second Serbian Uprising
The Second Serbian Uprising was a second phase of the Serbian revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which erupted shortly after the re-annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire, in 1813. The occupation was enforced following the defeat of the First Serbian Uprising , during which Serbia...
in 1815. In 1903 Banjica was the location of the military parade made for coronation of king Petar I Karađorđević of Serbia. Until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Banjica remained a quiet village with most of its population employed in crop production to support the growing agricultural demands of Belgrade. During the World War II Banjica was also a place where the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces together with their Serbian collaborators
Nedic's Serbia
Serbia under German occupation refers to an administrative area in occupied Yugoslavia established by Nazi Germany following the invasion and dismantling of Yugoslavia in April of 1941...
ran a Banjica concentration camp
Banjica concentration camp
Banjica concentration camp was a quisling and Nazi German concentration camp in occupied Serbia from June 1941 to September 1944 in World War II, located in the eponymous suburb of Belgrade. It started as a center for holding hostages, but later included Jews, Serbs, Roma, captured partisans, and...
. After the war, the village was heavily urbanized, with new large apartment buildings built in place of old family houses. Banjica had a population of 17,711 in 2002.
Characteristics
Today, Banjica is mainly a residential area, but with large diversity in administrative and sports buildings. The most notable ones are:- VMA (Vojno-medicinska akademija), a famous military hospitalMilitary hospitalMilitary hospital is a hospital, which is generally located on a military base and is reserved for the use of military personnel, their dependents or other authorized users....
. A massive, modern building constructed in 1980 on top of the Banjica hill, thus visible from many lower parts of the city. It is the largest single hospital in Serbia.
- Orthopedic hospital, just north-west of the VMA.
- Police academy.
- Banjica sports centre, which includes the open pools, one of the most popular in Belgrade during summer.
- FK RadFK RadFK Rad is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It plays at Stadion Kralj Petar I, which is located in the southern part of the city's Banjica neighbourhood....
stadiumStadion Kralj Petar IStadion Kralj Petar I is the home ground of FK Rad. It's also known simply as Stadion FK Rad. The all-seated stadium was named after Kralj Petar I, a famous Serbian king from the early 1900s. The stadium has a seating capacity for around 6,000 people....
, right next to the sports centre.
- newly built Church of the Saint Vasilije Ostroški.
- Museum of the Banjica concentration camp, on the corner of the Crnotravska and Generala Pavla Jurišića Šturma streets.
- Hotel Best WesternBest WesternBest Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
(former "Mladost") in the Banjica forest.
There is a small (by western standards) shopping mall next to the school, and a well-stocked green market up the hill, where people bring fresh grocery goods from afar. The school's name is "Bora Stanković
Borisav Stankovic
Borisav "Bora" Stanković was a Serbian writer belonging to the school of realism. His novels and short stories depict the life of people from South Serbia...
" and it is for grades 1-8 (ages 7–15). There is no high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in the neighborhood, but due to good public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
students can easily reach numerous high schools in Belgrade
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...
(most popular choices are Fourth and Twelfth College-Preparatory High Schools, which are the closest). This area is known as Banjica II.
Public transport includes bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
and tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines. Bus lines toward the city are 47, 48, 50, 59, 78, 94, trolleybus lines are 40 and 41, tram lines are 9, 10 and 14. The public transport station near the school is also the place where people living in nearby villages switch from their local buses (400(seasonal), 401, 402, 403, 405, 406, 407 and 408) to the above-mentioned lines toward the city.