VraÃÂar (, ) is an affluent urban area and municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 55,406 inhabitants.
With an area of only , it is the smallest of all Belgrade's (and Serbian) municipalities, but also the most densely populated. VraÃÂar is one of the three municipalities that constitute the very center area of Belgrade, together with Savski Venac and Stari Grad. It is an affluent municipality, having one of the most expensive real estate prices within Belgrade, and has the highest proportion of university educated inhabitants compared to all other Serbian municipalities. One of the most famous landmarks in Belgrade, the Saint Sava Church is located in VraÃÂar.
VraÃÂar borders five other Belgrade municipalities: Voà ¾dovac to the south, Zvezdara to the east, Palilula to the northeast, Stari Grad to the north and Savski Venac to the west. It is generally bounded by the three boulevards: Boulevard of Liberation, Southern Boulevard and the Boulevard of King Aleksandar.
Though today the smallest municipality of Belgrade, historically VraÃÂar occupied much larger territory. It was divided in three parts: East VraÃÂar, which roughly occupies the modern municipality, West VraÃÂar which is today a local community (sub-municipal unit) within the municipality of Savski Venac and Great VraÃÂar, which is today known as Zvezdara, though the local community of VraÃÂarsko Polje (VraÃÂar Field) retained its name within the Zvezdara municipality.
The neighborhood of VraÃÂar is located on the top of the VraÃÂar plateau, partially in the easternmost section of the municipality of Savski Venac as a result of a series of administrative changes of municipal boundaries after World War II. Despite its small area, being located less than a kilometer away from downtown (Terazije) it borders many other Belgrade neighborhoods: the square and neighborhood of Slavija to the north, Palilula to the northeast, ÃÂubura and GradiÃÂ Pejton to the east, Neimar to the south and the park and neighborhood of KaraÃÂorÃÂev Park to the southwest.
With , VraÃÂar plateau is one of the highest points in downtown Belgrade, which is generally built on a hilly terrain (32 hills altogether). The top of the hill was flattened and turned into the plateau when earth from the top was used to cover and drain the pond on Slavija, in the western foothills of the VraÃÂar hill. Almost no geographical features survive today as the area is completely urbanized, except for the small section of KaraÃÂorÃÂev Park on the southern slopes of the plateau. Some much larger parks, like major portion of KaraÃÂorÃÂev Park or parks Manjeà ¾ and Taà ¡majdan are left just outside the VraÃÂar's administrative borders.
The most dominant feature of modern VraÃÂar is the massive Church of Saint Sava. Its decades long, troubled construction shaped not only the present appearance of the plateau but also the entire skyline of Belgrade. The plateau has been reshaped in the early 2000s, with fountains, marble access roads to the church with pillars, and playgrounds added, while the already existing monument to the leader of the First Serbian Uprising, KaraÃÂorÃÂe, was erected on a low, artificial hillock. The plateau is also the location of the National Library of Serbia and KaraÃÂorÃÂev Park begins here, with the craftsmen settlement of GradiÃÂ Pejton and the bohemian quarter of ÃÂubura nearby.
VraÃÂar (derived from Serbian word vraÃÂ meaning the 'medicine man', 'healer') was first mentioned in 1440, during the siege of Belgrade by the Ottoman sultan Murad II. Ottoman map from 1492 mentions VraÃÂar as a tower. In 1560 it is mentioned as the Christian village outside the fortress of Kalemegdan with 17 houses. It is believed this village is the place where in 1595 the Turkish grand vizier Sinan Pasha burned at the stake the remains of Saint Sava, a major Serbian saint, to pacify and punish a rebellious population.
At the beginning of the 19th century VraÃÂar, as a geographical term, referred to a much wider area, from the village of Savamala (present Mostar) on the west to the village of Paliula (present neighborhood of Karaburma), which means it used to cover at least three times larger territory than the municipality covers today. By order of prince Miloà ¡ ObrenoviÃÂ, an alternative city centre with western characteristics was designed and built here while city of Belgrade was still under Turkish rule and for three quarters an oriental town with all the characteristics of Islamic architecture. On the other hand, VraÃÂar was built with broad streets and boulevards, first parks and monuments. It was housing all Serbian public buildings and state institutions in Belgrade, known as a place where the remains of the Serbian Saint Archbishop Sava Nemanjic were burned by Turks. The Masonic Temple on this site was destroyed during the German bombing of Belgrade on 6 April 1941. Today, it is the site of the biggest Christian Orthodox Cathedral in the world.
The Times on 17 October 1843 published a text full of exultations. 'Four years have passed since the time when I was last here, and how Belgrade has changed! I have hardly recognised it. The high belfry on the church (Cathedral) now screens by its shadow the Turkish mosques; many shops are now provided with new doors and glass windows, oriental clothing is more rare and houses with several storeys, in European manner, are being built everywhere'.
Many architects-baumeisters (builders) Germans, Czechs, Italians and the Serbians who appeared only at the end of the 1860s built new Serbian Belgrade in VraÃÂar. After 1867, when Turkish military garrisons left the Belgrade fortress Kalemegdan they extended their architectural activities on the ruins of the Turkish houses (Stambol gate, DorÃÂol, Palilula) and on the ruins of the Serbian huts in the Sava river port, Savamala.
When Belgrade was divided into six quarters in 1860, VraÃÂar was one of them. By the census of 1883 it had a population of 5,965.
In the eastern section of VraÃÂar, on the border of the KaleniÃÂ, ÃÂubura and Krunski Venac neighborhoods, a settlement of one-floor villas began to develop in the early 1920s. At that time, a tram line No. 1-a was passing through here, connecting downtown to Crveni Krst. As majority of the parcels were purchased by the army generals and their family members, the neighborhood became known as the "Quarter of the Generals" (Milivoje ZeÃÂeviÃÂ, Bogoljub IliÃÂ, Svetislav MilosavljeviÃÂ, families KociÃÂ, LukiÃÂ, PetroviÃÂ, ÃÂonoviÃÂ, etc.). The villas were later upgraded with additional floors and were given names (Villa Stana, Villa KociÃÂ, Villa IliÃÂ).
Since the 1880s, the neighborhood was roughly divided into Zapadni VraÃÂar (West VraÃÂar) and IstoÃÂni VraÃÂar (East VraÃÂar), divided by the road of à  umadijski put (present Boulevard of Liberation). The municipality of VraÃÂar was officially formed in 1952 after Belgrade was administratively reorganized from districts (rejon) to municipalities. Already on 1 September 1955 VraÃÂar was divided into Zapadni VraÃÂar (West VraÃÂar) and IstoÃÂni VraÃÂar (East VraÃÂar). Year and a half later, on 1 January 1957, parts of IstoÃÂni VraÃÂar merged with the municipality of Neimar and the western part of the municipality of Terazije to create new, albeit the smallest municipality in Belgrade, VraÃÂar. Zapadni VraÃÂar became municipality of Savski Venac, while the easternmost section of IstoÃÂni VraÃÂar became part of the municipality of Zvezdara (local community of VraÃÂarsko Polje; Zvezdara hill itself was styled Veliki VraÃÂar - Big VraÃÂar).
New municipal healthcare center, HC VraÃÂar, was built from 1969 to 1972.
In the 21st century, a massive construction in VraÃÂar began, with old houses and villas being demolished to make way for the high-rise buildings. The period of corruption and "investors' urbanism" ensued, where structures were built by the wishes of the investors, disregarding laws and regulations. As a result, accidents happened, most notably in the autumn of 2008 and in July 2021. In 2008 in the Dubljanska Street, while the foundations were dug for a new building, four neighboring houses were undermined and collapsed, with residents never getting legal satisfaction. In 2021, due to the same action, a ground floor of the older building in the Vidovdanska Street caved in. With non-planned construction of new buildings, and added annexes onto the existing ones, structures built without space between them where residents almost "sleep on top of each other", the overcrowded neighborhood earned a moniker of Favela VraÃÂar. The difference with the Brazilian favelas, which are home to the poorest classes of society, is that apartments in VraÃÂar's favela are purchased by the affluent class, who find it a matter of prestige to live in VraÃÂar.
Proclamation of several protected areas in VraÃÂar, including some preliminary and some announced, did not prevent demolition of old houses, including some deemed historically and artistically valuable. In some cases, when the protection would be announced, the investors would hasten the demolitions and construction. Various other scandals received public and media attention, like planned demolition of villas in the neighborhood of Neimar, addition of new floors on the old buildings in the Krunska Street, demolition of several Interbellum villas in the neighborhood of Krunski Venac, especially the 1927 villa in Takovska Street as one of the first representatives of the moderna-style in Belgrade, which was demolished in 2018. The House of Pera Velimiroviàat 25 Resavska Street, built in 1908, was demolished in June 2020, despite being under the preliminary protection. In December, after public protest subdued, even older house from the 19th century, on the lot adjoined to the already demolished building, was demolished, too. Other projects which caused public debate include attempt of building on the small green area in the Tomaà ¡a Jeà ¾a, which prompted residents to self-organize and clash with the investors since 2017, and house at 4 SredaÃÂka Street. Designed by then official city urbanist Milutin FoliÃÂ, and built by his family studio (he officially withdrew after taking the office), the building was not permitted until he took office. The terraces of the building spread above the neighboring, urbanized lot, but when residents complained, city replied that this area was meant to be the square anyway.
In September 2020, city administration made public its plan for demolishing the entire block bounded by the Krunska, SmiljaniÃÂeva, Kneginje Zorke and Njegoà ¡eva streets, including the building of the Museum of Natural History. After major negative public, experts' and political reaction, only few days later city administration abandoned the plans, and in April 2021 placed this specific block under protection, calling it a "priceless heritage". City announced new rules in 2020, which stipulated that the facades of the new buildings which are not in the protected zones will have to be approved by the Institute for the Cultural Monuments Protection, but nothing changed. When on 25 December 2020 temporary protection of another zone, East VraÃÂar, expired, the demolitions expedited and the "edifices started to fall down like houses of cards". It included the villa at 4 Nikolaja Krasnova Street, with a recognizable facade, which caused further public objections. Institute stated that it works on the house's protection and that it will protect it in 2022, but it was nevertheless demolished in August 2021. Instead of a one-floor villa, a 7-storey building will be built, though the façade should resemble the old villa.
The smallest municipality in Serbia, in terms of area, became the example of urban chaos. As there are basically no non-urbanized lots left, the demolition of old villas and houses sped up. Other, public areas were also destroyed to make room for highrise, so some sections have no sidewalk at all, and the green areas were reduced. Streets turned into "tunnels" and there is no chance of finding free parking spot anymore. It was also noted that investors usually began demolitions in summer, when people tend to be on vacation, so that reduced number of residents and neighbors can protest. Belgrade school shooting occurred in VraÃÂar on 3 May 2023.
As VraÃÂar has a very small area by itself, its sub-neighborhoods are also small, some of them encompassing only a street or so:
As the other two central Belgrade municipalities, Stari Grad and Savski Venac, VraÃÂar has been depopulating for the last five decades. Despite that, VraÃÂar is by far, thanks to its small area, the most densely populated municipality of Belgrade, with 18,967 inhabitants per square kilometer (2011 census; 28,380 back in 1971).
The ethnic composition of the municipality:
Recent presidents of the municipality:
Mrs Dunja VlahoviÃÂ (b. 1912), who was municipal president from January 1957 when VraÃÂar was restored as one municipality, was one of the first female municipal presidents in Serbia.
District (Serbian: srez) which comprised the suburban area of Belgrade after 1945 was called VraÃÂar District (VraÃÂarski srez) though the name Belgrade District was also used. In 1955 the VraÃÂar District merged with the City of Belgrade and parts of some bordering districts to create new, enlarged Belgrade District.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):
VraÃÂar is a residential and very important commercial part of Belgrade. The tall skyscraper in downtown Belgrade, the BeograÃÂanka, Cvetni Trg (famous for its flower shops), TreÃÂa beogradska gimnazija (Third Belgrade High School-Elite high school in Belgrade) and the square of Slavija occupy the western section of the municipality. Other important features are the Church of Saint Sava and the National Library of Serbia on the VraÃÂar plateau, northern section of the big interchange Autokomanda and the stadium of the FK Obilià(Miloà ¡ ObiliàStadium) and the Architecture high school in the extreme west of the municipality. Commercial center of the municipality is the area surrounding the KaleniÃÂ, largest open green market in Belgrade.
The "VraÃÂar plane tree" is a tree in the Makenzijeva street, protected as the natural monument. It is a London plane, high in 2013 and is estimated to be planted .
VraÃÂar is twinned with following cities and municipalities: