Studentski Trg (Students Square), Belgrade

Students Square (Studentski Trg) is a central town square and urban neighborhood situated in Old Town (Stari Grad), one of Belgrade's oldest municipalities. This historically significant area has been a focal point of the city since Classical Antiquity, serving as the heart of Singidunum, the Roman precursor to modern Belgrade.

Historically, the site of Students Square hosted a vibrant open green marketplace for over a century, beginning in the early 19th century. Farmers initially sold their goods at the city’s entrances, but due to frequent exploitation by Turkish soldiers who resold the goods at higher prices, the market moved to the square, which also occupied parts of a former Turkish graveyard. This marketplace eventually evolved into a bustling urban center.

Originally named Great Square, the square was renamed King's Square following the 1882 ceremony that proclaimed Serbia a kingdom. Significant landmarks around the square include Captain Miša's Mansion, built in 1863, which became home to the Great School. Municipal administration buildings and the fire brigade were also situated here. The fire brigade notably used the lookout on top of Captain Miša's Mansion to monitor the city for fires, with guards able to spot and report specific houses where fires broke out using a trumpet.

Students Square was initially designed to be the first in a sequence of central squares along Belgrade's main route, stretching from Kalemegdan to Slavija. This series included Students Square, Republic Square, Terazije, Flower Square, and Slavija. Over time, however, both Students Square and Terazije lost their traditional square functions and transformed into busy streets. Flower Square (Cvetni Trg), having undergone significant changes in the early 2000s, no longer functions as a traffic hub.

Today, Students Square remains a vital part of Belgrade's urban landscape, rich in historical significance and central to the city’s cultural and administrative activities.