The Lookout from Kajmakčalan

One of Belgrade’s most unusual cultural monuments can be seen in the Pioneer Park – a stone lookout made of rocks brought from Mt. Kajmakčalan, Greece. This is a monument to the memory of the great victory won by the Serbian army against Bulgarians on Mt. Kajmakčalan in World War I. To commemorate their triumph, the Serbian Supreme Command decided to take some rocks from the 2,524 m Saint Ilija summit to their homeland. The stone lookout was covered in vines and rocks, to make it resemble as much as possible the original lookout that had been so helpful to the Serbian troops during the famous Battle of Kajmakčalan, which is remembered for the huge losses suffered by the Serbian army and for the altitude at which it was won. The central portion of this peculiar monument is occupied by brass memorial plaques with the names of all the generals who bravely fought in the Great War. Until 1944, the Pioneer Park was surrounded by a high wall and used as the Old Palace’s garden. After the wall was removed and the park became open to the public, the Lookout from Kajmakčalan was subjected to restoration treatments. Beside the Lookout, a variety of rare and protected plants make this park special and interesting, both for tourists and the locals.

Other cultural landmarks located in this botanical park, as many call it, are the statue of Nadežda Petrović (16), the famous Serbian sculptor and painter, and the monument to Ivo Andrić, our only winner of the Nobel prize in literature (17). With its lush greenery, rare trees and herbs, benches and walking avenues, this park is a popular place for sightseeing, walking and rest.