CBelgrade See Belgrade, City Guide, Belgrad, Serbia

The first market in Belgrade named St. Andrew’s market (more commonly known as the Big Market) was founded in 1824 at Students’ Square. By that time, the farmers brought their products to the City entrances for sale, but the Turkish soldiers forcibly bought their produce and then sold the products in the City at much higher prices. After the frequent complaints on the violence and bullying by the Turkish soldiers, Belgrade Vizier organized a meeting of all the renowned Turks and Serbs in Belgrade in his Quarters in order to discuss the founding of a central market place in Belgrade. Thus, in the very heart of the City’s social life, and in the vicinity of the road to Istanbul, the first market emerged.
According to the agreement between Serbs and Turks, everyone was allowed to exhibit their products at the Big Market and hence, shortly the Big Market became the main place for supplying with groceries in Belgrade. Following the departure of the Turks, Emilijan Joksimovic, architect and the professor at Belgrade Higher School recommends the relocation of the market. However, only a part of this idea had been implemented – a part of the free space around the market was transformed into a park, whereas the primitively arranged and dysfunctional Big Market kept operating until 1926.