Bulevar kralja Aleksandra

Location of the boulevard was always important for the traffic. In Roman period, it was a starting section of the 924 kilometers long Via Militaris, which connected Singidunum, predecessor of Belgrade, and Constantinople, and in more local terms, Singidunum with fortresses and settlements along the Danube border of the Roman Empire, like Viminacium. Built in the 1st century AD, the road was six meters wide, with rows of shops, forges and arsenals, while Romans were buried along the road in stone sarcophagi. Archeological remnants of the Roman road can still be seen below the “Depo”, former depot of the city’s public transportation company. Majority of boulevard's course is part of the “Ancient Singidunum” archeological locality.[4]

Singidunum's castrum occupied part of today's Belgrade Fortress, but the civilian zone spread from the Kralja Petra Street, over the both Sava and Danube slopes, till Kosančićev Venac, extending in a series of necropolises from Republic Square, along the Bulevar kralja Aleksandra all the way to the Mali Mokri Lug. During almost every construction downtown where digging is involved, more remains are being discovered. In 2007, on the location of the former kafana Tri lista duvana at the corner of Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra and Kneza Miloša Street, several necropolises were found. Just across, in Pioneers Park, there is Archaeological Site Pionirski Park. When the underground garage was dug, 19 tombs were discovered.[5] The entire Singidunum was surrounded by vast necropolises and the main and the largest ones stretched along today's boulevard, where numerous graves, grave steles and sacrificial altars were discovered.[6][7]

In Ottoman period, Turks built a major cemetery in the lower part of the modern boulevard, spreading from Batal mosque (location of the modern House of the National Assembly of Serbia) to Tašmajdan.[4] During this period, the route of the Bulevar was a famed Tsarigrad Road (Constantinople Road), officially bearing that name to 1849. There were stations (menzulana) along the road, where the horses could be replaced, and which also served as the post offices. On Belgrade section there were stations in Mali Mokri Lug (Meyhane of Nadži-Ašik-Mihailo), Boleč and Grocka. The fourth was near Smederevo.[8]

In the mid-19th century, near the modern crossroads with the Takovska Street (later named Ratarska then), was where city ended at the time, and the fields began. The Batal mosque was located there, giving its name to the developing neighborhood. Kafana Valjevo was located where the Czech embassy is today. At the crossroad was the house of the Savić family, used as a medical facility and across it was the Marić pharmacy. Next to the pharmacy was a curvy road which was leading to the Tašmajdan cemetery. The cemetery wasn't divided into parcels, but had numerous narrow, crossed paths, grown into bushes. This was also the location of Fišeklija, a series of gunpowder stores, where gunpowder was sold in fišeks, cone-shaped bags made from waxed paper. The stores developed in the second half of the 19th century, after Prince Miloš ordered for gunpowder stores to be removed outside of the city due to the safety reasons.[8]

Already in 1880, city newspapers were reporting on the bad condition of the Tašmajdan cemetery. The burial lots were purchased in the Saint Mark's Church, which became quite wealthy, but the cemetery was neglected. Also, as the land was owned by the church, city administration had no interest into arranging the cemetery itself. Part of the cemetery on the side of the Takovska, belonged to the Catholics and the Lutherans. The hill in the direction of modern Seismology Institute was allocated for the graves of soldiers, drowning victims, suicides and non-Christians in general, except for the Jews, who had their own cemetery. Newspapers described the cemetery and the surrounding area as the "shelter for rascals and danglers, who tear the flowers, steal monuments, defile graves with slurs and in other ways, so that cemetery is an abomination of Belgrade where there is no any piety for the deceased".[8]

As the city expanded, cemetery became inadequate. One the one side, it became too small for the function of the city’s main graveyard. On the other, once projected to be on the outskirts of the city, as Belgrade grew, Tašmajdan practically became downtown and close to the Royal court. The first official initiative for the removal of the cemetery came in 1871 from Mihailo Jovanović, Metropolitan of Belgrade.[9] As the city was in the financial crisis at the time and wasn’t able to buy such a large lot for the new cemetery, mayor of Belgrade Vladan Đorđević donated a patch of his land to the city for the purpose of establishing a new cemetery.[10][11] Though the Belgrade New Cemetery became operational in August 1886,, the reinterment of the remains from Tašmajdan dragged on for the several decades, being finished only in 1927.[12]

As population settled along the road, gradually it became a street, originally known as Sokače kod zlatnog topa ("Alley at the golden cannon"). It was later renamed to Markova ("Marko's Street"). The major gunpowder magazine was located in the abandoned and derelict Batal Mosque, but as the town was expanding, the magazine was relocated and the small gunpowder shops were open instead so in 1872 was renamed to Fišeklija. There was also a large khan next to the mosque.[13] In 1896[4] it was renamed to "Smederevski put" ("Smederevo Road") and later that year it was renamed after then ruling Serbian king Aleksandar Obrenović, the last from the Obrenović dynasty. Despite being one of the most unpopular modern Serbian rulers, when he was overthrown, new king Peter I Karađorđević from the rival Karađorđević dynasty didn't change the street's name.

Because of the vicinity of the cemetery in Tašmajdan, there were many shops of funeral equipment and stonecutters. Small shops in time evolved into larger facilities, mostly selling old and cheap goods for the poorer citizens. Mostly owned by the Jewish merchants, these second hand shops formed the predecessor of modern flea markets, stretching along the street to the location of modern Law Faculty. That's where the horse race track began, occupying area along the road to the modern Vukov Spomenik. Above it were the tram sheds, where later the Depo was built. Again, this was the eastern edge of the city, with only few edifices further than this point. The house of the quilt maker Laza Mitić, in the center of the orchard on the slope to the stream of Bulbulderski Potok, and Antulina Vila, surrounded by vineyards, were the only two edifices in this area until 1910.[8]

The first automobile repair shop in Belgrade was open in the Bulevar. It was situated among the blacksmith shops and second-hand shops, in the commercial zone. Owned by Tričko Puškar, it was opened several years after the first automobile arrived in Belgrade on 3 April 1903 and was located a bit down from the kafana "Tri lista duvana".[14]

In the early 20th century, the road was partially paved with cobblestone and the linden tree avenue was planted. The sidewalks were paved with large stone slabs, which were later, when the sidewalks were paved with the asphalt concrete, placed on the Kalenić market where they still stand as of 2019. There was a riding track between the pedestrian sidewalk and the carriageway. After 1918, construction of highrise began around Vukov Spomenik, extending in the direction of Cvetkova Pijaca. By this time, the flea market ceased to exist.[8] In the 1920s and 1930s, after the cemetery was closed and relocated to the New Cemetery and Tašmajdan was gradually turned into the park, so as construction of the Saint Mark's Church and the building of the General Post Office, the road became a proper modern and urbanized street.[15] In the building of the Czechoslovak embassy, Yugoslavia signed capitulation in June 1941, after the Axis attack in World War II.[8]

In 1943, as part of the strategic bombing campaign within the scopes of the oil campaign against Nazi Germany, the U.S. began massive bombardment of the oil fields and refineries in Romania, known as the Operation Tidal Wave campaign. On their return, as Belgrade was important strategic point, the bombers threw their unused bombs on the city. German occupational forces dug several pools across the city to storage water for extinguishing the fires. The largest such pool was built along the Bulevar, between the buildings of the Main Post Office and National Assembly, where part of the Takovska Street is today. In time, citizens began to use the pools for swimming and the Germans didn't try to stop them. In order to keep the appearance of normal life during occupation, Germans even organized a water polo match between the German soldiers and local youth. After the war, some swimming competitions were held in this pool by the new authorities, but the pool was ultimately re-filled by 1950.[16]

In Communist Yugoslavia after World War II, the Boulevard was first renamed "Bulevar Crvene Armije" ("Boulevard of Red Army" or "Red Army Boulevard") in 1945 and then “Bulevar Revolucije” in 1952. In 1997[4] the name was switched back to its pre-war form. During the period of Yugoslav Wars and sanctions against Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the sellers of the used and cheap goods were selling it on the sidewalks and on the hoods of the cars, turning part of the street into an open flea market again.[8]

First phase of a major renovation of the Bulevar started in August 2006. To date first 1.5 kilometers of the street has been completed. The next phase will start as a part of constructing light rail system in 2008.

In February–July 2010, a complete reconstruction of most of the Bulevar was conducted. All installations were replaced, new pavement, sidewalks and traffic lights were constructed. Also, tram tracks were transferred to the center of the street, rather than to be located partially in the middle and partially along the sidewalks. Electrical grid for the trams was also replaced and LED lamps were introduced for new LED street lighting.[4][17] However, reconstruction of that magnitude was to include cutting and replacement of the Bulevar’s 2.5 kilometers long avenue which constituted of 423 plane trees. Public outcry resulted in protests and physical obstruction of cutting, so that in some instances police had to intervene. City had to change some of the original plans: they bought more mature seedlings than those they originally planned, they planted 61 trees more than they cut and the modern way of watering the trees is introduced.[4] In the spring of 2014, former city manager Aleksandar Bijelić, and several of his collaborators, were arrested and indicted, in connection with the negotiations for the 2010 reconstruction which cost 1.7 billion dinars (€16.8 million). They were accused of inflicting a damage to the city worth 650 million dinars (€6 million).[4][18] By March 2020, the Court of Appeals quashed the prosecutor's indictment two times, also overturning the decision on Bijelić's 11-month long custody.[19]

The depot was originally built in 1892 as the city's first garage and workshop for the public transportation vehicles. It is the location from which the very first tram in Belgrade, drawn by horses at the time, went on its maiden voyage on 14 October 1892, when the line Kalemegdan-Slavija was established. After World War II it kept its purpose, as a garage of GSP Beograd, the city public transportation company.[4][21][22]

In the 1990s, with the deterioration of the economic system in Serbia and imposed sanctions, the sidewalks of the Bulevar became the gathering place for the street dealers of all sorts of goods that were unavailable in official stores. They were especially known for selling cigarettes, jeans, cookware, flowers, etc. Similar development caught the neighborhood of Zeleni Venac too, and they both became synonymous for the black market during the 1990s. In order to move the illegal sellers from the streets, the city adapted depot into the closed, fair-like shopping center "Depo", with 160 market stalls, in 1996. Sellers were for the most part removed from the street after 2000, selling mostly cloths and cosmetics.[4][21]

The object burned to the ground on 23 August 2014 due to the bad electrical installations. All market stalls, with the complete stocks of all sellers burned. Mayor of Belgrade Siniša Mali promised that the halls will be rebuilt and that sellers will return to the object. The attempt to relocate the sellers to the Đeram market was unsuccessful as the process dragged for several years and the adapted location ("Depo 2") was deemed inappropriate by the sellers, so they refused to move in and asked for depot to be reconstructed. Out of 80 stalls provided on the Đeram, only 10 worked for a while. Apart from the reconstruction, several other possibilities were mentioned, including the turning of the reconstructed object into the museum of city transport (already proposed in 1996), which was a proposition of the Institute for the protection of the cultural monuments as Depo is under the preliminary protection. Other propositions, endorsed by the Institute, included a museum, art gallery, craft studios, etc.[4][21][22][23][24][25]

In August 2016 city changed the general urban plan and envisioned the commercial facilities, including a hotel, which was a sign that the Depo will not be reconstructed or preserved. On 28 August 2017, mayor Mali announced that city decided to sell the entire lot, which covers 4,316 m² (46,460 sq ft) on which city allows the construction of a commercial-residential complex. The set price is €4 million. Object No. 4, the only one that didn't burn in 2014, has a transformer and a rectifier which still supply the tram's overhead wires. For that reason, the city will retain the authority over the object.[4][21][22][23][24]

Official version of the cause of fire was soon replaced by the rumors that the fire was set on purpose so that lot can be sold. City refuted those stories claiming that Depo will be rebuilt, in one way or another, as personally confirmed by the mayor of Belgrade Siniša Mali a month after the fire. Yet, it was declared an "extra economic zone" and offered for sale. Since the fire investigation had to be concluded in order for city to sell the lot, reporters asked the prosecutor's office for information. In October 2017, the prosecutor stated how investigation concluded that the 3 years old fire wasn't anyone's fault but refused to disclose any documentation saying that it might compromise the process if the office eventually decide to start the investigation again in the future.[26] But on 9 October city announced that the lot was already sold for €4.125 million. The buyer, Israeli company "BKA Development" was registered in Serbia only on 26 September, or less than two weeks prior to the selling of Depo.[27] The "BKA Development" is a joint venture of two Israeli companies, "Yossi Avrahami" and "Almogim Holdings", which already purchased the lot of the former US embassy in Belgrade, in the Kneza Miloša street, and was founded with the initial capital of only 100 dinars (€0.83). The constructed object can cover no more than 14,000 m² (150,000 sq ft) and half of the lot and have a maximum of 6 floors.[22]

The investor announced the beginning of the construction for 2018, but that didn't happen. In the summer of 2018 city announced a drafting of the plan for the much wider area of 1.2 ha (3.0 acres), which occupies the block between the streets of Sinđelićeva, Niška, Sredačka and Bulevar kralja Aleksandra. The first draft was announced in February 2019, allowing the construction of three more floors in Depo (8 floors plus the attic), and lifting the total number of apartments in the block from existing 175 to 400, thus elevating the number of residents from 500 to 1,100.[28] In April 2020, the "BKA Development announced they didn't "give up" on the project nor postponed it for 2021, but not disclosing when or what they plan to build.[25]