Caplja
Encyclopedia
Čaplja is a projected river island (ada) in Serbia
, on the left bank of the Danube
. According to the General Urbanistic Plan (GUP) of Belgrade, it will be formed in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula
.
section of the municipality of Palilula between the Danube and the Jojkićev Dunavac canal, ending section of the Vizelj stream in Pančevački Rit
(Jojkić's Little Danube, named so after the former mayor of Belgrade, Đurica Jojkić) on the east, and the weekend settlement of Crvenka
on the west.
At present, the designated area has two major sections: eastern and smaller one is a small island of Kožara
on the Jojkićev Dunavacs mouth into the Danube, and western and much larger floodplain
between the Danube and the embankment which protects the inner areas of Pančevački Rit (Krnjača
, Crvenka). The area is floodable, thickly forested, uninhabited (that is, without permanent population) and densely crisscrossed by the elongated bog
s and slow streams.
. It is decided that each project, proposed to the city government for the future island, should also propose a name for it.
It is intended to keep and protect the existing autochthonous vegetation, wetland and marshy ecosystem
s. Also, the forests should be repopulated by the natural species of trees that grow in these areas, and even the existing poplar
plantations will be replaced by the native sorts of trees. It is also projected to keep the vegetation in the widest possible range, so the present view of the left bank of the Danube should stay intact. When the construction of the leisure facilities is all done, it is expected not to cover more than a 40 % of the island, while 60 % will remain intact natural environment.
. Also, a road connection to the road of Zrenjaninski put will be constructed.
As the future island is still just a vision of the city government, and no accepted plan or a project for it does exist, it is only revealed that facilities on the island will comprise an aqua park
.
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...
, on the left bank of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. According to the General Urbanistic Plan (GUP) of Belgrade, it will be formed in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula
Palilula Belgrade
Palilula is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It has the largest area of all municipalities of Belgrade.- Location :...
.
Location
The area designated for the future island is located in the BanatBanat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
section of the municipality of Palilula between the Danube and the Jojkićev Dunavac canal, ending section of the Vizelj stream in Pančevački Rit
Pancevacki Rit
Pančevački Rit is a small geographical area in south-western Banat, Serbia. It is situated between the rivers Danube and Tamiš, in the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.-Features:...
(Jojkić's Little Danube, named so after the former mayor of Belgrade, Đurica Jojkić) on the east, and the weekend settlement of Crvenka
Crvenka, Belgrade
Crvenka is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.- Location :...
on the west.
At present, the designated area has two major sections: eastern and smaller one is a small island of Kožara
Kožara
Kožara is a river island in Serbia, located on the left bank of the Danube. It is part of the Belgrade City proper and belongs to the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula....
on the Jojkićev Dunavacs mouth into the Danube, and western and much larger floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
between the Danube and the embankment which protects the inner areas of Pančevački Rit (Krnjača
Krnjaca
Krnjača is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.- Location and population :...
, Crvenka). The area is floodable, thickly forested, uninhabited (that is, without permanent population) and densely crisscrossed by the elongated bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s and slow streams.
Name
Except for the island of Kožara, major part of the area has no name of its own though it used to be called Crvenka, just like the modern weekend settlement. City government proposed temporary name of čaplja, which is Serbian for heronHeron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
. It is decided that each project, proposed to the city government for the future island, should also propose a name for it.
Formation
The projected area of the island is 5,82 km². The formation should be achieved by digging a canal along the existing embankment, which would turn the wetland into a real island. Though some articles already nicknamed it the twin island of Veliko Ratno Ostrvo (which is 800 meters away), Čaplja is going to be almost three times larger in area, differently shaped, it will not have any land of bridge connection to each other, and unlike Veliko Ratno Ostrvo which is protected by the law and any human interference is prohibited, future island is projected as the major tourist and recreational attraction.It is intended to keep and protect the existing autochthonous vegetation, wetland and marshy ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. Also, the forests should be repopulated by the natural species of trees that grow in these areas, and even the existing poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
plantations will be replaced by the native sorts of trees. It is also projected to keep the vegetation in the widest possible range, so the present view of the left bank of the Danube should stay intact. When the construction of the leisure facilities is all done, it is expected not to cover more than a 40 % of the island, while 60 % will remain intact natural environment.
Function
The recreational complex is envisioned for the use during entire year. The canal which will separate it from the embankment will be navigable and used for nautical sports. Across the embankment, a 100 hectares large golf terrains are projected, so as a marina which will connect the island to the ports in Belgrade (600 meters away) and ZemunZemun
Zemun is a historical town and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
. Also, a road connection to the road of Zrenjaninski put will be constructed.
As the future island is still just a vision of the city government, and no accepted plan or a project for it does exist, it is only revealed that facilities on the island will comprise an aqua park
Water park
A waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
.