Do You Know Who Is Vuk Karadzic Stefanovic?!

Before I introduce you with this beautiful part of Belgrade city, I would be very rude to not introduce you with most important person from Serbian history, mister Vuk Stefanonvic Karadzic.

Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic was a Serbian philologist and reformer of Serbian language. Folk song collector and writer of the first dictionary of Serbian language. He was the most important figure in Serbian literature in XIX century, participating in the First Serbian Uprising as a scribe and clerk in Negotinska Krajina. After the collapse of the insurrection in 1813th year, he moved to Vienna. There he met Jernej Kopitar, Slovenian books censor whit who he start to publish the collection of Serbian folk songs, start with reform of the Cyrilic alphabet and fight for the introduction of national languages in Serbian literature. Vuk's (Wolf on English language) worked on reforms in the Serbian language, introducing people with phonetic spelling and pushing out Slavoserbian who at the time was the language of educated and rich people. So, I can for sure say that Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic^{book biography}, who was born in Trsic, in 6th November 1787 and died in Vienna, in 7th February 1864, is the father of Serbian AZBUKA.

Prompted by Kopitars advice to write a nationa language and grammar, Vuk accepted to write first work called "Pismenica Serbskoga Jezika" - Bukvar (on English language would be: "Writing of Serbian Language"), released in Vienna in 1814th. But, being awared of imperfections and incompleteness of his work, he continue to work on making better one. In 1818. he published a second expanded edition of his grammar called "Serbian Dictionary". The vocabulary was with 26.270 words that were used in the speech of the people in Serbia, Srem and Vojvodina. This second edition of the grammar, several years later was translated into German language by Jakob Grimm.

The main value of his "pismenica" ws its radical simplification of the alphabet and spelling. So Vuk applied the principle of Adelung which says "Write as you speak and read as it is written." Vuk felt that every vote should have only one letter and he was released from the former alphabet all unnecessary characters, which were written and without their votes. Old letters remain supported by the Serbian Orthodox ChurchOld, which saw in them a kidn of culture and literacy connection with religion. Vuk has created new characters by mixing some letters from Romanina manuscripts (like "Dz"), Lating (J), the old Serbian manuscripts (C) and other.

For the second edition of the "Serbian dictionary" Vuk was collecting material from the speech of the population of Montenegro, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia and Croatia. This edition was published in Vienna 1852nd It found 47.427 words. By the end of his life Vuk was working on collecting further material, but it prevented by death and he couldn't make it to prepare the third edition.

* Collecting folk customs and other works 

Specific life of the Serbian people during the reign of the Turks, isolated from the present, it made that archaic patriarchal beliefs and customs maintain for long time. Therefore, the Vuk Karadzic was committed to describe the national folklore. "Serbian Dictionary" has provided the first descriptions of the rich customs and beliefs of the people. Interpreting individual words, Vukis brought and a description.

In addition to working on the reform of the Serbian language and collection of folk literature, Vuk Karadzic deal and historical work. As a participant of the First Serbian Uprising, Vuk was prepared huge material about the events until 1814, and the rule of Prince Milos Obrenovic. In 1828th he published work, "Milos Obrenovic Knjaz Serbiji" (Milos Obrenovic Prince of Serbia). From the abundant material on the First Serbian Uprising, Vuk has issued only one part of the "Soviet Praviteljstvujušči Serbski ...", in which he described the most important battles of the First Serbian Uprising and the discord between the Serbian leaders.

The most prominent leaders of the First Serbian Uprising Vuk described in several historical monographs. There are included "Hajduk Veljko Petrovic", "Miloje Petrovic", "Milenko Stojkovic", "Petar Dobrnjac", "Haji Reuben" and others.

Finally, Vuk gave the material on the First Serbian Uprising to a famous German historian Leopold Ranke, according to which Ranke wrote his later work "Serbian Revolution" (German: Die Englische Revolution).

Vuk was big name in Serbian history, not only because of his Philological work, he was also important in nonPhilological working. He bring in Serbian lanuage big new terminology and also give explanation and interpretation of links between environment and population, and there are section on nutrition, on how housing, hygiene, diseases, as well as funeral customs. Overall, this important contribution of the Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic is not as well known or studied.

After you met our important character from the past, Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic, you can realise why we have named one of the important part of Belgrade by his name.

Monument of Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic, or short way in serbian "Vukov Spomenik" is one of 17 local communities from Zvezdara Municipal. In the end of XIX century, this part was far from the central city, behind the old cemetery Tasmaidan. In the area of today's Techican Faculties was turf, an open space for various purposes. The first dormitory was built in Serbia, near the 1928th and named after the donor, King Alexander. Monument to Vuk Karadzic was built in 1937th in honor of the 150th anniversary of his birth, and a sculptor was Djordje Jovanovic.

Intersection of Roosevelt and Boulevard is a hub of bustling traffic. Below it is the Underground Railway Station, now part of Beotrain (Beovoz) System, and now becoming a metro. Vuk's Monument is located in the park Cyril and Methodius, in which they are posted and states of this two saints. Southeast of the park is a "Student house"- College in English, called "King Alexander", and around the square are the Belgrade Business School, Municipality of Zvezdara, as well as theater and cinema. At northeaster is located Elementary School.

In these part of Belgrade you can feel soul of education and intellect. You can enjoy in some of the oldest building in serbian history and meet the speed of leaving. All the way King Alexander Boulevard are shopps and coffe shops, also you can see street sellers who constantly repeat their exceptiona products and price. And you can feel like you are in river of people. If you don't take control on yourself, the river going to take you with it. But for sure if you was already in some of the greatest cities on the world like London, Paris, Barcelona etc., for sure you can make it to deal with the speedness in Belgrade.

But there is only one difference, and its a soul you can feel from old time, from the past. Amazing how people and city keep that with and in themselves. Certainly the most beautiful part is the park that surrounds the monument. I remember that when in hurry pass near it, I close my eyes just for a moment how I could feel little better sould and sound of the park. I want to met people from the park just hearing their breath. I open eyes and start to recognize from where sounds comes.. I see grandparents walking their little grandauther, girls who running, a guy who walks and plays whit his dog... On a bench nearby were two students, fully concetrated on their work and on the other is couple in love with a huge smile, enjoyin in company of each other. Even if they are all surrounded with problems and have their own concerns, they exude a peace and happiness. They beam with freedom and pleasure.

If you ever had an opportunity to be in Belgrade, do not skip this park and this part of town. And now I know that I repeat that from the text in the text, but its the truth. Each district has a story that explains a magic which Belgrade kept deeply rooted in yourself, escaping from the influence of the West.

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