The long-neglected St. Nicholas’ Park near the Bristol Hotel will soon be completely renovated, thanks to the Belgrade Waterfront company, and upon completion of the works, it will become one of the most modern and engineering-innovative parks in this part of Europe.
In the former garden of the famous Serbian benefactor and philantropist Luka Celovic, which was later turned into the St. Nicholas’ Park, today only 40 to 50 trees remain, and after the reconstruction, more than 200 adult trees of autochtonous species from our climate will be planted in it, such as maple, sycamore or oak. All aesthetically representative and completely healthy and preserved trees, mainl plane trees, will be kept in the park, while they will be joined by adult trees, up to 15 metres high, which will fit perfectly into the ambient of the park with an exciting history, longer than a century.
A large public garage with two levels and almost 420 parking lots will occupy the underground part of the park, and its construction will also be financed by Belgrade Waterfront, and managed by „Parking Servis“. By constructing a new garage, the Serbian capital will take another important step in the fight against the chronic lack of parking spaces in the city centre. It will be completely adapted to the park design, so it will have two entrances, i.e. exits for vehicles and chargers for electrical cars, while in the immediate vicinity of the roundabout near the current Belgrade Bus Station there will be an underground pedestrian passage with the lift.
Thanks to a modern engineering solution, optimal space is provided on the roof of the garage, i.e. in St. Nicholas’ Park for the unhindered growth of existing and new greenery that will once again adorn this iconic place, once an integral part of many postcards of Belgrade from the beginning of the 20th century. In addition to being largely self-sustaining, the greenery will also be of different heights and will consist of lawns, bushes and already mentioned high, mature trees of various kinds. In this way, one of the first parks in our country will get its natural ambience, as it once adorned it, and a smaller, modern fountain will be placed in the middle of the greenery.
To pay symbolic tribute to Luka Celovic, the former president of the Belgrade Cooperative, who did a lot for his people, Belgrade Waterfront will erect a long-awaited monument to this famous Serb from Trebinje in the renovated St. Nicholas Park. On the other hand, the „Cross from the Little Market“, one of the oldest monuments in Belgrade dating back to 1862, will be temporarily displaced and restored, and then returned to the same place in the park where it used to be. However, now a special access, as a monument of this importance deserves, will be made. Also, within the entire new green oasis, there will be different relaxation zones, several pedestrian and one main, winding path that will slow down the movement of the visitors and enable them to stay longer in the natural environment.
