Skadarlija Bohemian quarter

Skadarlija is a historic street, in a neighborhood in the downtown area of Belgrade. It is considered the main bohemian quarter of Belgrade, and is often referred to as ‘the Montmartre of Belgrade’. The history of Skadarlija began in the 1830s with the settlement of Gypsies in the abandoned trenches in front of the ramparts. The 1854 town plan of Belgrade reveals that the Gypsy hovels had been replaced by brick buildings that artisans, caterers, petty clerks and others had moved into. The whole locality was referred to as the Gypsy Quarter until 1872, when the street was named after the town of Skadar, the capital of the Serbian medieval state.

Today Skadarlija is a short and curved street and a remarkable Belgrade tourist attraction. It includes well-known restaurants, hotels, art galleries, antique and souvenir shops and the Sebilj fountain. Groups playing Serbian brass or traditional urban music and actors dressed in traditional Serb costumes perform up and down the street. Restaurants offer the national Serbian cuisine, most notably roštilj (grilled meat) with pivo (beer).