The position in which Belgrade was founded, and in which it has developed over the centuries, has always been its advantage, but also its fate. Over the rule over Singidunum, Alba Graeca, Nandorfehervar, Belgrade, as this city has been called throughout history, spears have been crossed countless times. Numerous peoples tried to conquer the walls of the White City, and in all these turmoils, the city was completely destroyed to the grounds more than 40 times. That is why Belgrade failed to preserve stories about its long history on the sumptuous facades. The story of Belgrade lives on its streets, among the people who live here and who visit it, and of course in its taverns where numerous pages of history textbooks are written. Visit the Russian Tsar Monument and go back in time with top gastronomic delights.
Prince Mihailo, the ruler of the young principality of Serbia, had a great desire to, after the departure of the Turks from Belgrade, transform his capital and bring the European spirit to
the streets of this, until then, provincial town. He entrusted the task to the urbanist Emilian Josimović, and in just fifteen years he traced the streets and squares that we still walk on in the center of Belgrade. At that time, on the corner of Knez Mihajlova and Obilićev Venac, the original building was being built, the predecessor of the Russian Tsar, who even today, 95 years later, warmly welcomes guests with open doors, now in a new, Monument spirit.
As a sign of gratitude to the late, beloved Prince Mihailo, during whose reign the Principality of Serbia was finally liberated from centuries of Turkish rule, the city of Belgrade decided to repay him by erecting a monument on the then Theater Square. The work of making this grandiose equestrian sculpture was entrusted to the famous Italian sculptor Enrico Pazzi, and it was placed in its place on December 19, 1882. But the unveiling of the monument did not
go without controversy. Namely, according to the social codes of that time, it was somewhat inappropriate for a male person to appear bareheaded in public, especially when it comes to such a respected person as Prince Mihailo. Enrico Pazzi made Prince Mihailo without a hat, which offended part of the public at the unveiling of the monument. However, the storm soon subsided, and the monument to the prince still stands proudly on the Republic Square, near our and your Russian Tsar.
Belgrade, as a city of fascinating and above all turbulent history, could not preserve the story of its past on the facades of magnificent buildings that adorned its streets. However, one place in the city hides stories about more than twenty centuries of our city. It is, of course, Kalemegdan Park and Belgrade Fortress. If we look closely, in this area we will find traces of Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Ottoman, Austrian and, of course, Serbian past.
We can almost bring to life the stories of encounters of countless peoples, cultures, religions, civilizations. Stories about the turbulent past of the city on the eternal border. So, go to Kalemegdan, get to know your city in order to love it even more… and then head for refreshment to our and your Monument Russian Tsar.
When you go to your favorite restaurant, Monument Russian Tsar, it is very likely that the road will take you across Terazije Square. Terazije is one of the busiest, central city squares and the heart of the city for centuries. And do you know why Terazije (Scales) bears that name? Namely, since the reign of the Roman Empire over this area, the Belgrade Fortress has been supplied with water from Mokroluška springs, a ten-kilometer-long aqueduct constructed by the Romans in the first century. Towers were built at precisely defined distances on the water supply route, on which water was piped, in order to gain a boost for its further course. At the time of the arrival of the Ottomans, in 1521, this aqueduct was still in operation, and the Ottomans called these towers “water scales”. One of the towers was located on the site of today’s Terazije fountain, so this whole area was named Terazije after it.
Miloš Obrenović is most responsible for the development of the square in this place, who ordered Serbian craftsmen and merchants to move their shops from the town in the trenches and build them on the site of today’s Terazije Square. And in honor of Miloš’s coming to power again, in 1860, the Terazije fountain was built on the site of the former tower, which also bears the initials of Prince Miloš Obrenović.
