Bohemian Belgrade: where artists still meet

About Bohemian Belgrade: where artists still meet

The tradition of artists, writers and musicians gathering in kafanas and cafés to talk late into the night is alive in Belgrade as nowhere else in Europe. Here is where it began, and where to find it today.

Skadarlija and the 19th-century bohemians

In the second half of the 19th century the cobbled lane of Skadarlija, just below Republic Square, became the haunt of Belgrade’s poets, painters and actors. The poet and painter Đura Jakšić lived here, and kafanas such as Tri šešira (The Three Hats), Dva jelena (The Two Stags) and Zlatni bokal became their living rooms. Skadarlija is still lined with kafanas where tamburica bands play at the tables, and on a summer evening it remains one of the most atmospheric streets in the city.

A short walk away, opposite the Cathedral, stands Belgrade’s oldest kafana, known simply by its sign: “?”, the Question Mark. For two centuries Belgraders have met in places like these to eat, drink and argue about politics, books and art, and the kafana table remains the city’s original salon.

The kafana table is Belgrade’s original salon.

Yugoslav cafés and cultural centres

In the 20th century the scene spread to the cafés around the theatres and faculties of the old town, and to cultural centres such as Dom omladine and the Student Cultural Centre, which in the 1970s were among the most open stages in socialist Europe. Marina Abramović, who grew up in Belgrade, made some of her earliest performances there.

Where the creative crowd meets today

Today you will find writers, actors and musicians in the cafés of Dorćol, around Strahinjića Bana and Cetinjska street, in the galleries and bars of Savamala by the Sava, and at the openings of the Cultural Centre of Belgrade, ULUS and the Cvijeta Zuzorić pavilion in Kalemegdan. Independent spaces such as KC Grad, KC Magacin and Dorćol Platz host exhibitions, debates and concerts, and the conversation continues long after the event ends.

Join in

Gallery openings are usually free and open to everyone, and Belgraders are famously hospitable. Strike up a conversation, or join the debate online in The Belgrade salon on our forum.

Programmes, dates and opening hours change, so please check with Bohemian Belgrade: where artists still meet before you go.