Flower Square and Two-Hundred-Year-Old Oak

Why is it significant?

You have arrived at Flower Square — Cvetni Trg, one of the most beloved and charming urban gathering spots in Vračar.

Key Facts

Open the walk

You have arrived at Flower Square — Cvetni Trg, one of the most beloved and charming urban gathering spots in Vračar. In the 1880s, the Belgrade Municipality established the capital's first specialized open-air flower and vegetable market here, quickly transforming the square into a fashionable promenade where society ladies shopped for fresh bouquets and fragrant herbs. Today, the square is lined with lively open-air cafes and restaurants shaded by leafy pergolas.

Towering in the center of the stepped pedestrian terrace stands a colossal pedunculate oak tree. This natural wonder is over two hundred years old, measuring more than twenty-five meters in height with a trunk circumference of nearly four meters. Officially protected as a rare natural monument, this ancient giant is a living relic of the primeval oak forest that blanketed the hills of Vračar before the expansion of modern Belgrade.

On the lower tier of the square sits an expressive bronze statue of Borislav Pekić, one of Serbia's greatest twentieth-century novelists and political dissidents. Sculpted by Zoran Maleš in 2016, Pekić is depicted sitting thoughtfully in an open coat, gazing at the passing crowds. In 1958, Flower Square also made economic history by hosting the very first modern American-style self-service supermarket in socialist Yugoslavia.

The expansive crown of the two-century-old oak filters the golden sunlight, casting soothing shade over patrons sipping rich espresso at outdoor cafe tables. Gentle water cascading down the modern fountains mingles with lively conversations, embodying the intellectual warmth, relaxed sophistication, and bohemian charm that makes central Belgrade so utterly enchanting. The shaded terrace of Flower Square and its monumental oak tree remain a cherished civic gathering place for intellectual discussion and community life. This historic landmark stands as an enduring testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Serbian capital.

Walk south along Kralja Milana Street to the grand roundabout of Slavija Square.