Miticeva Rupa (Mitic's hole)

Next to the Slavija Square, the plateau with the huge park represents the place informally called Miticeva Rupa, or "Mitic's hole". This is one of the best locations in the city, and yet there is a park there instead of some shopping mall or a bank or even an apartment building - how come? Well, there's this story that it's cursed. But not in a way that it's haunted or something anything like that, it's just that no building that was ever planned there managed to get made. Story goes that just before the Second World War, wealthy Serbian merchant mr Mitic bought the place, dug out a big hole and prepared the ground to build a giant store on that spot, but the Second World War interrupted his plan. After the war, the new government took away all his possesions including the plateau. The hole just stood like that for the next 35 years until the city authorities decided that it was time to fill the hole and build something there - since it was always nice to know the time, they decided to build a nice sundial clock. It was, of course, completely useless but added a nice touch to the place. Some time later, in the middle of the worst financial crisis in the nineties the clock was removed due to the plan to build a bank there. It turned out that the owner of the bank was a fraud so again, the city was left with a hole in the ground.

Only recently have the authorities again decided to do something about it - they put up a park there as the safest solution possible. So far the park hasn't failed, so it seems that the plan is working out. For how long - nobody knows... in the meantime, see the present condition of Miticeva rupa in this lovely picture by Belgrade daily photo blog.

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Comment by BelgradeDailyPhoto | 2008-12-29

"For how long - nobody knows..."

I hope the park stays for a long, long time. What with the heavy traffic there a little bit of green space is highly appreciated.