Zemun City Park and Franciscan Monastery

Why is it significant?

You have entered Zemun City Park — Zemunski Park, a splendid botanical sanctuary laid out in the 1880s on the grounds of the historic Austrian sanitary quarantine known as the Kontumac.

Key Facts

Open the walk

You have entered Zemun City Park — Zemunski Park, a splendid botanical sanctuary laid out in the 1880s on the grounds of the historic Austrian sanitary quarantine known as the Kontumac. Established in 1730 by the Habsburg imperial authorities, the Kontumac functioned for over a century as a fortified health frontier, where merchants, travelers, and goods arriving from the Ottoman Empire were required to isolate for up to forty days to prevent the spread of the plague.

Deep within the park stands the Franciscan Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, founded by Catholic friars in the mid-eighteenth century. The monastery church features a graceful Baroque belfry and preserves an exceptional collection of religious paintings by Austrian and Flemish masters, alongside an ecclesiastical library housing incunabula and illuminated manuscripts from the sixteenth century.

Among the celebrated historical figures confined to the Kontumac quarantine was French romantic poet Alphonse de Lamartine, who spent three weeks in isolation here in March 1833 while returning from his Journey to the East. Danish fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen and Serbian language reformer Vuk Karadžić also endured quarantine within these wooded grounds before entering the Habsburg lands.

Towering linden, hornbeam, and chestnut trees create a cool, dappled green canopy over the park's gravel promenades. Nearby rises the palatial neo-Renaissance facade of the Zemun Gymnasium, founded in 1879, where generations of prominent scientists and writers studied. The park offers an idyllic fusion of nature, academic prestige, and European historical heritage. The ancient trees and shaded walkways of Zemun City Park offer a peaceful retreat where educational heritage and monastic tranquility converge along the banks of the Danube. This historic landmark stands as an enduring testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Serbian capital. This historic landmark stands as an enduring testament to the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Serbian capital.

Exit the park northward along Gospodska Street toward Magistrate Square.