Senjak

About Senjak

By the ULTIMATE Belgrade Editorial Team

Senjak is a small, leafy ridge above the Sava, between the city centre and Dedinje, with some of the finest views in Belgrade.

The back story

Senjak takes its name from hay, seno in Serbian. After a series of fires in the city, Belgrade ordered that hay be stored in one place outside town, and this breezy ridge above the Sava was chosen. A tobacco factory was built here before the First World War, with a settlement of workers’ houses around it, and the first tram line in Belgrade ran from Kalemegdan out to Senjak.

The factory was destroyed in the Austro-Hungarian bombardment of 1914, and between the wars Senjak was reborn as a quarter of villas for the city’s wealthiest families. The 1923 general plan forested the hill and created Hyde Park and a green belt that runs on to Topčider, which is why Senjak is still one of the leafiest corners of the city.

Senjak takes its name from hay, seno in Serbian.

Senjak today

It is Dedinje’s quieter neighbour, a triangle of streets on a cliff-like ridge with embassies, diplomatic residences, interwar villas and views across the Sava to New Belgrade and the dome of the Belgrade Fair. The Museum of African Art, a gem founded in 1977 by a Yugoslav diplomat and his wife, is in its streets, and the new marina district of Belgrade Waterfront is taking shape just below.

Living here

Homes are interwar villas and low-rise apartments, and the city’s heritage institute has been studying the protection of the whole quarter. It suits buyers who want villa living, greenery and calm, a short drive from the centre.

Senjak at a glance

Listings, fees and opening hours change, so please contact Senjak directly before you visit.