Stara Karaburma
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Karaburma ( sr-cyr, Карабурма) is an urban neighborhood of the municipality of Palilula,
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, Serbia. As of 2002, it has a population of 55,343 inhabitants.


Name

The name, Karaburma, is
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
for ''black ring'' which is supposed to mean that the area was forbidden, that is, it should be avoided by people. However, this may be an example of
folk etymology Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...
as the old Ottoman and
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n maps name the area Kajaburun (Kaya-burun) which is Turkish for ''rocky headland''. Chronicler
Milan Milićević Milan Đakov Milićević (; June 4, 1831 – November 17, 1908) was a Serbian writer, biographer, publicist, ethnologist and one of the founders of the Association of Writers of Serbia. Biography He was born of a good and old Serbian family i ...
confirms this, using also the name ''Kajaburma'' as the mid-variant of the name, referring to Karaburma as the "nose" of the hill which descends into the Danube.


Geography

Karaburma was geographically a headland peaking into the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
. It was the ending section ("nose" or "point") of the Great Vračar hill, today called
Zvezdara Zvezdara ( sr-cyr, Звездара, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. The municipality is geographically hilly and with many forests. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 172,625 inhabitants. The ...
, which descended in slopes where modern neighborhoods of Karaburma and Ćalije are today, plunging into the river. When the neighboring island of Ada Huja was connected to the mainland thus becoming a peninsula, Karaburma's area on the right bank of Danube also became known as Ada Huja, so Karaburma is now a few hundred meters away from the river. In the expansion of the population of
jackal Jackals are Canidae, canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe Canina (subtribe), canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-b ...
s in the outskirts of Belgrade since the 2000s, the animals were reported in Karaburma in the spring of 2022.


History


Antiquity

The oldest settlement known by name on the territory of modern Belgrade was found in the Karaburma area. Remains of the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
(and later
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
) settlement of
Singidunum Singidunum ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Сингидунум, Singidunum) was an ancient city which later evolved into modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The name is of Celtic origin, going back to the time when the Celtic tribe Scordisci settled the a ...
were found near Karaburma and neighboring Rospi Ćuprija, including
necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...
(Horseman's grave 16) rich in artifacts and parts of ''dunum'', fortress, so it is believed that the settlement itself was located here. These remains represent a limited archaeological evidence as there were almost no traces left of the Celtic town, except for them. The necropolises contained valuable artistic artifacts which belonged to the warriors of the
Scordisci The Scordisci (; ) were an Iron Age cultural group who emerged after the Celtic settlement of Southeast Europe, and who were centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava), Margus (Morav ...
tribe. An apparent Celtic cultural influences have been woven into the spiritual culture of the Singidunum inhabitants, and later mixed with Roman classical cultural elements. Though it is today generally considered that the old Celtic fortress was located where the modern
Belgrade Fortress The Belgrade Fortress ( sr-Cyrl, Београдска тврђава, Beogradska tvrđava, Hungarian: Nándorfehérvár), consists of the old citadel (Upper and Lower Town) and Kalemegdan Park (Large and Little Kalemegdan) on the confluence of th ...
is, it can't be confirmed as there are no records of where the Celts settled. Some historians suggested that it was rather close to the necropolises in Karaburma and Rospi Ćuprija. Celtic settlements belonged to the
La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a Iron Age Europe, European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman Republic, Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age ...
. In the area bounded by the modern Karaburma, Rospi Ćuprija and, at that time island, Ada Huja, Romans cultivated
grapevines ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...
and used thermal springs for public bathhouses.


Later period

For centuries area was a true swamp with vast
quick clay Quick clay, also known as Leda clay and Champlain Sea clay in Canada, is any of several distinctively sensitive glaciomarine clays found in Canada, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, the United States, and other locations around the world. The cla ...
areas so it was avoided by humans ever since the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
period. Today non-existing thermal springs along the Danube's bank fumed and heated the water so the swamp was in constant mist. In the 19th century Serbian prince
Miloš Obrenović Miloš Obrenović (; ; 18 March 1780 or 1783 – 26 September 1860) born Miloš Teodorović (; ), also known as Miloš the Great () was the Prince of Serbia twice, from 1815 to 1839, and from 1858 to 1860. He was an eminent figure of the Firs ...
ordered that Karaburma will be the official place of death sentences executions (until 1912) which just added to the notoriety of the area. Until Belgrade's expansion after the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Karaburma was sparsely inhabited with small and scattered shanty towns. Today it is a modern neighborhood 10 minutes away from downtown Belgrade with good transportation connections. Before the joint German-Austro-Hungarian occupation of Serbia in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Austro-Hungarian army temporarily entered Belgrade, from 3 to 14 December 1914. Already on 4 December they erected gallows in Karaburma for hanging civilians, so as in several other locations around the town.


Interbellum

A whole string of new neighborhoods encircled eastern outskirts of Belgrade, with names usually containing "suburb" and some member of the
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
. These original names either never became popular or were suppressed after World War II and replaced. The inspiration for the design of the neighborhoods came from the complex built in 1912 along the in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. It consisted of 40 one-floor houses with gardens, indented from the main street. This style became very popular across the Europe. Two such suburbs originated on territory of modern Karaburma, Suburb of King Alexander Karađorđević and Suburb of Prince Paul Karađorđević. The rapid development of Karaburma during the
Interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
is connected with the development of the textile industry and the business enterprises of the Ilić family, especially
Vlada Ilić Vlada Ilić ( sr-cyr, Влада Илић; 6 September 1882 – 3 July 1952) was a Serbian merchant, industrialist, and politician, who, as a mayor of Belgrade, from 1935 to 1939 oversaw the unprecedented development of the city. Named the "firs ...
was an industrialist and mayor of Belgrade from 1935 to 1939. In 1897, German entrepreneurs Eugen Michael and Carl Wolf founded a cloth factory in Karaburma, near the modern ''Velje Miljkovića'' Street. Kosta Ilić, father of Vlada, purchased the factory in 1906, in partnership with his sons. In 1910 the company was transformed into the
joint-stock company A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareho ...
with the capital of 3,000,000 dinars in gold. Prior to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the Ilić brothers acquired the latest English technology for the cloth production as they bought the "Crompton Ltd", a Belgrade branch of the "Ungarische Tehtilindustrie". "Crompton Ltd", a successor of "Hattersley & Crompton", had looms made by the latest Hattersley technology, which boosted the production. After his brother Sotir died in 1935, Vlada took over as a sole head of the conglomerate. Company was boosted when the new contract was signed with the Yugoslav Army in 1939. After acquiring the Michael's factory in 1906 in Karaburma, Ilić sequestered a room and adapted it into the school for the children of his workers. He personally paid the teacher's wages. As the factory complex expanded and number of workers grew, the provisional school became too small, so Ilić rented the upper floor of the nearby ''Lavadinović''
kafana Kafana is a type of local coffeehouse, bistro or tavern, common in the countries of Southeast Europe, which originally served coffee and other warm drinks while today usually also offer alcoholic beverages and food. Many kafanas feature live mus ...
, still fully financed by him. The local population objected that a school and kafana share a building. Ilić then purchased a lot, some away and built a proper school while the old one remained in use until 1933. Named elementary school "Cloth Factory Ilić", it was built from his donations in 1923. It has been renamed "Jovan Cvijić" in 1931, a name it still bears today. The school was relocated from the factory premises in 1934 in the new building, built on the land in Old Karaburma donated by the industrialists, brothers Ivković, where it is still located. During Ilić's tenure as a mayor, a King Peter II Bridge (today the
Pančevo Bridge Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on the shores of rivers Tamiš and Danube, in the southern ...
across the Danube was built and open on 27 October 1935, right at the western edge of Karaburma. A railway from the Belgrade Main railway station, which encircled the central ridge of the city along the rivers, and then continuing over to the King Peter II Bridge was also constructed. He also built apartments in Karaburma for his employees, and even his villa was built on a location close to his factories, though in the western neighborhood of
Viline Vode Viline Vode (Serbian Cyrillic: Вилине воде) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula. Location Viline Vode is located on the right bank of the Danube, stretch ...
. After the war Ilić was imprisoned and his companies nationalized by the new Communist government. Well known after-war Serbian state owned textile companies, like ''Beteks'', ''Beko'' and ''Vunarski kombinat'', some of which were located in Karaburma, developed from Ilić's factories. Another person who worked on development of Karaburma in this period was deputy mayor Viktor Krstić. He conducted the waterworks in the neighborhood, though only for the public service at first, and built 4 drinking fountains in Karaburma in 1932. He also organized the paving of the streets with ''kaldrma'', a type of
cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...
. On one of the fountains, the inhabitants of Karaburma placed a memorial plaque, thanking Krstić for bringing the water in the neighborhood. None of the fountains survived until today.


Modern period

After the economic collapse in the 1990s and bankruptcy of the major industrial companies, Karaburma began to change as the vast and neglected, previously heavily industrialized areas, began to deteriorate. Since the 2010s, demolition of several derelict industrial complexes began. In April 2017 a new Big Fashion Mall was open on the lot of the former sportswear and sport equipment
kombinat Combine () is a term for industrial business groups, conglomerates or trusts in the former socialist countries. Examples include VEB Kombinat Robotron, an electronics manufacturer, and IFA, a manufacturer of vehicles, both in East Germany, a ...
"Sport". In October 2018 it was announced that even larger lot of the former "Minel Kotlogradnja" factory will be demolished. A new residential-commercial complex will be built instead, starting from August 2019. Even larger shopping mall, Big Fashion Park, was opened in this complex in December 2019.


Location

Karaburma is located between the neighborhoods of
Zvezdara Zvezdara ( sr-cyr, Звездара, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. The municipality is geographically hilly and with many forests. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a population of 172,625 inhabitants. The ...
(south), Bogoslovija (west), Ada Huja (north),
Rospi Ćuprija Rospi Ćuprija ( Serbian Cyrillic: Роспи Ћуприја) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula. The name comes from Ottoman Turkish ''(o)rospı(lı) köprü'' 'brid ...
(east) and
Ćalije Ćalije ( sr-cyr, Ћалије) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem ...
(southeast). Its entire southern border ('' Dragoslava Srejovića street'') is also municipal border between Palilula and Zvezdara, for the most part dividing it from the Zvezdara woods. Northern border is the ''Višnjička street'' while the eastern is the ''Mirijevo Boulevard''.


Administration

On 1 September 1955, Karaburma became one of the municipalities of Belgrade, but already on 3 January 1957 it was incorporated into the municipality of Palilula. Today, it roughly consists of several communities: ''Stara Karaburma'' (Old Karaburma), the western section, ''Karaburma-Dunav'' or ''Nova Karaburma'' (Karaburma-Danube or New Karaburma), the eastern section. The south-eastern corner, which extends into Ćalije, is also known as Karaburma II.


Characteristics

Karaburma is a residential area, and one of the most populous neighborhoods of Belgrade, with a combined population of 34,343 (several local communities which make the neighborhood). Some of distinctive features are two green markets and the stadium of
OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English language, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club''), also known in English as OFK Belgrade and currently referred to as OFK ...
. Pedestrian square in the Marijane Gregoran Street has been adapted into the Park of Serbian-Greek friendship, which covers .


References


Sources

* ''Beograd - plan grada''; M@gic M@p, 2006; * ''Beograd - plan i vodič''; Geokarta, 1999; {{commons category, Karaburma Neighborhoods of Belgrade Former and proposed municipalities of Belgrade Archaeological sites in Serbia Palilula, Belgrade