Grčka Kraljica
Grčka Kraljica or Greek Queen (Serbian: Грчка краљица) is a former kafana in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
[4] Hajim Davičo, a personal supplier to the ruling prince Miloš Obrenović, opened one of the first, and the most popular, bureau de change on this location.
The author of the project is not known and the venue became a kafana (meyhane) immediately, named Despotov Han ("Despots khan") after its owner and didn't change its purpose in the next 172 years, until it was closed.
At that time, the Turks still administered the Belgrade Fortress, just west of the khan, as Serbia still wasn't de jure independent.
Under the terms of the truce, the Pasha in charge of the fortress agreed to remove his police from the town and the Serbian prime minister, Ilija Garašanin, in turn, guaranteed their safety during the move.
Serbian Prince Mihajlo Obrenović utilized the incident and in April 1867, the Turks completely withdrew from Serbia.
[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] During the fighting in June 1862, Serbs formed their stand behind the still unfinished Captain Miša's Mansion, and in front of "Despot's khan".
It was the beginning of the period when the kafanas in Belgrade, from Oriental-style inns, transformed into the European-type restaurants, in appearance, service and menus.
[1] After the Communist government took over, the name was changed to Plavi Jadran ("Blue Adriatic") in the 1950s and the disco was later opened in the cellar.
The ground floor and the cellar were renovated and expanded in 1990, and the restaurant was ceremonially opened by mayor of Belgrade, Aleksandar Bakočević, under the old name, "Grčka Kraljica".
It was described as a "beautiful and beloved restaurant of older Belgraders" and a place visited for a drink or a lunch after a walk in Kalemegdan Park.
The State construction inspection in 2008 concluded that "Tri grozda" doesn't have all the necessary permits because the building, though not protected by the law itself, is part of the Knez Mihailova Spatial Cultural-Historical Unit of Exceptional Importance.
"Stari Grad" didn't send invoices to the leaseholder for the first 2 years as, per agreement, "Reina Amalia" was to renovated the building with its own funds instead.
[16] At the end of 1981, the Akademija club, which would become one of the most famous in Belgrade, was opened in the basement of the Gallery of the Painting Academy at 53 Knez Mihailova Street, right across the Grčka Kraljica.
[20] In the basement of the Grčka Kraljica, which was accessed from the side entrance, a rivaling disco club Zvezda was opened in 1983.
To obtain a membership card for Zvezda, people needed political and other connections, but modern and attractive look, which included imported perfumes and wardrobe, was the best pass.
[22] They are described as meeting point of two Belgrades - one, which smelled on beer, tobacco and marijuana, and the other one with fragrances of the Western perfumes and Italian leather shoes.
As it is also wider than the building in which the restaurant is located, there was a large section of façade, without windows, facing the venue and the Knez Mihailova.
[24] In 1982, the center for the planning of the urban development of Belgrade, at the "Communications" conference, considered the idea of fixing the façades by painting murals.
It was part of academy's initiative of "artistic intervention", instigated by the students solutions for the walls and buildings which have no architectural merits for preservation, but which still can change the panoramic view of the city, and to fill the "urban emptiness".
Vasić even spent one night in police detention, until the CEO of "Beobanka" wasn't assured by the city that the painting of the mural was legally approved.
