| 27 In the basement of today’s City Library is located an entrance to Kalemegdan Fortress. What is nowadays referred to as the Roman Hall, and which serves as avenueforexhibitionsandliteraryevenings, preserves the foundations of the ramparts and part of themain gate of the former Roman forti cation. The castrumwas erected at the end of the 2nd century or the beginningof the 3rd, and stationed therewas one of the most competent legions for defence against barbaric attacks, Flavia Felix, while the remnants and ruins were found when thelibrarywasrenovatedinthe1980s. Itwas around thismilitary camp that the Singidunum settlement developed, which the Romans had inherited fromCelts. Roman Belgradestretchedall thewaytothebuildingof theformerNationalLibraryintheKosančićev Venac [Kosančić’sWreath] neighbourhood, where traces of Roman Belgrade were also discoveredandexcavated.Thisattractivearchaeological site in theCity Library lives not only from the views of tourists and curious bypassers, but also from the generations of Belgraderswhocome to theRomanHall for arts, tomore easily connect via these imaginary distances with the clinking of Roman armour and the cannonof thehorsemenof ancient Singidunum. VIA CORDO We follow the traces of the Belgrade of antiquity in the city’s busiest pedestrian street.Namely,KnezMihailova[PrinceMihailo’s] Street, whichduring the timeof theRomans was known asVia cordo, themain accessroadleadingtoKalemegdanFortress. In that street, inthepassagewaythatconnects KnezMihailovawithVasinaStreet, between modernwindowdisplaysandmetalarchitectural constructions, youcanseearchaeological ndsdatingback to theperiod fromthe 2nd to the 4th centuries, whichwere excavatedalong that precise route. Itemsdisplayed in showcases, Roman jewellery or pottery, testify to howpeople lived at that time, just as thecashmachine locatedopposite these display cases testi es to how we live today andhowwe“mint”money.Thispassageway reminds us that we are only the current users of this city, passing through, like the Romans before us. And that’s why we should be careful what we leave behind! BATHS ONTHE PLATEAU IntheareafromStudents’Squaretothe plateau infrontof theFacultyof Philosophy, publicbathswerelocatedduringthetimethat thecitywas inhabitedbyRomans.Alongside their basic function as public baths, for the Romans these were places for encounters, socialising, business meetings, while some even had their own libraries. Is that sometimes recalled by the students of the faculties of philosophy and philology, who pass throughtheplateauonadailybasis,overladenwith books and lists of literature, and for whom spa is a considered noun? We don’t know,buttheremainsofthesebathscertainly represent a cultural heritage that is used on a daily basis. These are three connected walls, so-calledapses intheshapeofahorseshoe that areproppedupagainst thebuilding of the Rectorate. The baths constructed at the end of the 3rd century were discovered in 1968, and at that time eight chambers were excavated that belong to an establishedtypeof ancient thermalbaths.The largest part of the spawas inStudents’Park, but itwasdecided inthe1970s that itwould beburied, as thebestway toensure itspreservation. All that’s remained is the part with the students, to stand as a living lesson for Belgraders about the archaeology and history of their city. GREATMARKET Students’SquareisBelgrade’soldestcity square, thecentralpartofwhichcomprisesa park.KnownasStudents’Park, thisplacewas onceaTurkishcemetery, andfrom1824was the siteof thePazarište, Belgrade’s rstmarket. The market was formed following the complaintsofpeasants,becausetheirgoods werebeingboughtcheaplybytheTurksand thensoldonathighpricesinthetowns.Prince Miloš, togetherwiththeBelgradevizier, convenedameetingtodiscuss thisproposal, invitingprominentcitizensamongbothTurks and Serbs, and it was agreed that a market would be formed in Belgrade where everyone would be able to bring and trade their products.AfterthedepartureoftheTurks, the GreatMarket, as itwascalled, longremained theonlyplace for trading inBelgrade. Emilijan Josimović, the city’s rst urban planner, proposed in1887 thatpart of themarketbe converted into a park, and goods were still tradedontheGreatMarketuntil1926,when theentireareabecameapark.Wedon’thave anyinformationonhowexpensivefruitsand vegetables were back then, or howmuch it cost during those summers tobuy ahen for soup that was brought home still alive. But whilewe sit in the park and bask in the sun, inour slumberwemaybeable tohearwhat would be whispered to us by an old greatgreat granny of Dorćol, angry with her husband for getting drunk on a Sunday morning inMitina’s tavern. MOSQUE ANDTOMBS Bayrakli Mosque is the only preserved mosque of the 273 that existed in Turkish Belgrade. Built around 1575, it was originallycalledtheChokhadzhiMosque, according to theendowment of choh traderHadži Alija.TheAustrians converted it intoaCatholic church from 1717 to 1739, then from 1741 it once again became a mosque. Bajrakli mosque was named after the banner [barjak] thatwasplacedon it tomark thebeginningofprayers inallothercitymosques.Duringthe19th century,PrinceMihailoObrenović and King Aleksandar Obrenović participated in its reconstruction. Thismosquehas alwayssharedtheturbulenthistoryof thecity in which it lives... Another rare example of Ottoman architecture in Belgrade is the Sheik Mustafa Tomb. This is actually the mausoleum of seniordervishSheikMustafa,whowasoriginally from Belgrade. A tekye was once located on the corner of Višnjićeva and Braće Jugović streets, while this tomb is the only structure preserved from that period. Built from stone in the period from 1783-1784, passages from the Qur’an were written on the interior walls. U Cara Dušana 10 nalazi se i najstarija sačuvana kuća u Beogradu At number 10 Tsara Dušana Street stands the oldest preserved house in Belgrade
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