Donji Grad (; Lower town) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zemun.
Location
Donji Grad occupies the central part of Zemun, on the left bank of the Danube. It borders the neighborhoods of Gardoš on the north, Ćukovac and Muhar on the north-west, Kalvarija on the west, Tošin Bunar on the south-west, Retenzija on the south while the sub-neighborhood of Zemunski Kej is located along the Danube's bank. It roughly occupies the area bounded by the streets Bežanijska, Vrtlarska, 22. oktobra and Kej oslobođenja.
Administration
The local community of Donji Grad, which comprised only the small part of the neighborhood, had a population of 8,438 in 1981. Local communities of Dunav and Zemunski Kej were detached from Donji Grad in the 1980s, so the population diminished to 3,214 in 1991 and 3,104 in 2002. However, with all the local communities which formed Donji Grad (including 22.Oktobar, Jugoslavija and Radoje Dakić), population in 2002 was 28,174. By the 2011 census, most of the local communities of the urban Zemun area were merged into one called Zemun.
Characteristics
Being the central part of the formerly separate town of Zemun, the major cultural, historical and administrative facilities of Zemun are located in the neighborhood of Donji Grad.
The main street in Zemun, Glavna, passes through the middle of the neighborhood. Also, almost all of the squares of Zemun are either within or bordering Donji Grad: Karađorđev, Branka Radičevića, Masarikov, Senjski, JNA, Magistratski, Oslobođenja, Veliki, and Pobede.
There are four churches: two Roman Catholic and two Serbian Orthodox (Saint Archangel Gabriel and Church of the Holy Virgin. Within the parochial complex of the Church of the Holy Virgin is the Saint Sava Home, built from 1907 to 1909 which is the only surviving work of architect Kosta Atanacković Stanišić. After World War II the building was nationalized from 1946 to 2007 when was returned to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Since April 2019, the building became a new seat of the Central Archives of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Formation of the archive itself began in 1831. The entire church complex is declared a cultural monument.
Catholic Church of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on Veliki Trg from 1785 to 1817 (when the belfry was added), with service being held since 1795. It has four bells, cast in Vienna, and donated by the Austrian emperor Francis II. Described as monumental sacral complex, the baroque-style church occupies the entire block between the Veliki Trg and Zmaj Jovina Street. The church yard hosts remains of the Church of Saint Wendelin, which was located in the present Prvomajska Street, but was demolished. It acquired its present appearance after the 1848 reconstruction in the Empire style, with baroque elements. It has seven stained glass windows, and altar paintings ensemble representing Virgin Mary's Ascension, painted by Emanuel Dite in 1894. The church has an organ (originally since 1735, modern since 1910) and a library (since 2003), and is the seat of Zemun's Parish, originally established in 1721 by the Capucins. In January 2023, the government declared it a cultural monument.
Elementary school "Svetozar Miletić" in modern Nemanjina Street was founded in 1728 and is one of the oldest surviving educational facilities in Serbia. Founded by the monks, it was the first public school in Zemun, originally known as the "German School" and located in the northern section of the neighborhood, at Veliki Trg. It was later called "City School", "Main School", "General Junior Public Boys School" (in 1876) and "State Elementary Co-Ed School" when the first Sokol Sports Society was founded. In 1930 it was renamed to "Prince Tomislav", and the firs kindergarten in Zemun was opened within the school premises. It bears its present name since 1952.
Zemun's open farmers market and a commercial zone are situated along the main road. Also located in Donji Grad are Zemun's City Hospital, Sports' Hall "Pinki", Zemun's Gymnasium, the faculty of agriculture and the Magistrate building, the seat of the Zemun's municipal assembly. The plateau in front of the church was adapted into the combined central city square-farmers market area in 2011, with additional reconstructions and adaptations in 2016, 2020 and 2023.
Zemun's largest park, the City park, lies below the main street. There are two other smaller parks in the neighborhood, Yugoslav Army Park (), and Sonja Marinković Park ().