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56-466: The lake is located in the northern section of Krnjača, 10 km (6.2 mi) north of downtown Belgrade. It is positioned at the tripoint of the neighborhoods of Borča , Ovča and Krnjača. Veliko Blato is situated in the southern part of the Pančevački Rit marshland. The lake is generally heart-shaped and covers an area of 1.8 km (0.69 sq mi) or 2 km (0.77 sq mi) with

112-473: A large meander, creating the Veliki Budžak locality. The Vizelj continues to meander in the east-west direction, marking, for the most part, west and southwest border of the urbanized area of Borča , more specifically its neighborhoods of Mali Zbeg , Nova Borča (Centar 3) and Stara Borča . Irgot, section of Stara Borča, is fully situated in the joint meander of Vizelj and Mokri Sebeš , which flows from

168-552: A local attraction. However, the area was plagued by the avian influenza in January 2017, which killed almost 40 swans. Further deaths of dozens of swans from avian influenza were recorded in 2021, 2022, and 2023. As in 2023 the isolated strains included those which are almost 100% fatal for poultry, and can be transferred to mammals and humans, the contagion zone was declared around the stream in October 2023, 10 km (6.2 mi) from

224-551: A new stadium of the FK BSK Borča , built in the vicinity of the river in 2009, is named Vizelj Park . Initial works on the river were done in the second half of the 18th century, during the reign of the empress Maria Theresa , as the area was ruled by Austria at the time. In the mid-20th century, the Vizelj was navigable for smaller vessels. The navigable waterway was starting at Vrbovski , and continued until Reva , where it reached

280-460: Is 500 m (1,600 ft) away from the urbanized area of Padinska Skela. It is used as the shooting range by the airsoft teams, while the bones are collected for the filming of musical and video clips, etc. Since none of the institutions accepted the responsibility for the problem, city administration in the end organized the removal of the waste which began in July 2019. It is being transported to

336-451: Is not suitable for swimming and bathing due to the large quantities of silt in it. Veliko Blato is a high valuable biotope, especially given its vicinity to the big city. It is part of an ecological area "Sava's mouth into the Danube" and due to its importance for the nesting, migration and wintering of the birds, it has been declared an Important Bird Area . It has been officially protected by

392-706: Is suitable for newts , frogs , lizards , grass snakes and dice snakes . Veliko Blato is inhabited by 120 species of birds. There is a mixed colony of heron species which consists of little egrets , squacco herons , grey herons , night herons and purple herons . The colony was discovered only in June 2013 and is the only nesting heron colony on the urban territory of Belgrade, with several dozens of nesting couples. Other birds include Eurasian coot , great cormorant , pygmy cormorant , Caspian gull , black-headed gull , diving duck , common pochard , mallard , tufted duck . Largest European eagle, white-tailed eagle , nests in

448-730: The Austria-Hungary in 1867 and abolition of the Military Frontier on 27 June 1873 Borča became part of the Hungarian half of the monarchy, as part of the Pančevo district within Torontál comitatus , seated in modern Zrenjanin . In 1910, ethnic Serbs were in an absolute majority in Borča. Other ethnic groups in the settlement included Germans , Hungarians and Romanians . Borča was shortly taken by

504-765: The Bronze and Iron Age , but the medallions, figurines and coins from the 3rd and 4th century BC are also found. Because of the marshy area, not much is preserved, but the remains which confirm presence of the Sarmatians (including Iazyges ) and Romans were found. Borča was mentioned for the first time in 1375 under name Barcsa (or Bercse ). Settlement was under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary , although its name imply possible Slavic root (Name Barcsa possibly derived from Slavic word "bara" meaning "swamp" in English, indicating

560-467: The Serbian army during World War I (6 September - 14 October 1914). As Pančevački Rit is a floodplain, during extremely high levels of the Danube (especially in 1826, 1888 and 1924), entire area and settlements in it were completely flooded turning the marsh into a large lake. It was recorded that during the floods of 1924, rescue ships had to maneuver between the telephone poles and that dead were buried from

616-565: The Treaty of Karlowitz but was still conquered by the Habsburgs in 1717 and by the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718 was formally handed over to the Habsburg Monarchy. After the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739 Habsburg Monarchy obliged to tear down the fortifications, but due to the outbreak of the plague in 1743 the entire village of Borča was burned to the ground. The new settlement emerged around

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672-589: The Zrenjanin Road , between the localities of Nove Livade, on the east, and Galina Greda and Zlobatska Bara, on the west. It enters Padinska Skela at the Institute for Agriculture and Forestry, and flows between Skela's neighborhoods of Novo Naselje (on the right), and Tovilište and aviation complex Lisičji Jarak (on the left). Upon exiting Padinska Skela, at the PKB Corporation industrial complex, it receives

728-458: The city zoo from the Belgrade Fortress in downtown, Veliko Blato was one of the locations on the outskirts of the city envisioned as the possible new location of the zoo by the city general plan. Ultimately, the zoo wasn't relocated. In the early 2010s, an illegal dumping created a landfill south of the lake, which hastened the procedure of placing the lake under protection. Veliko Blato

784-522: The 2002 and 2011 censuses: 9,327 in 1991, 8,087 in 2002 and 18,600 in 2011. There are only few parks in Borča, and they are small. One, called Mali park (Small Park, formerly Park Sonje Marinković), is located in Borča I. Another, called Park Centar 3 (formerly Park JNA) is located along the curve of the Ratnih vojnih invalida Street, at the Borča 3 roundabout of the bus lines 85, 95, 96 and 105L. It covers an area of 3,354 m (36,100 sq ft) and

840-519: The Danube. In the early 1960s, with the digging of the Jojkićev Dunavac, the stream was cut short and got its present form. As the area became rapidly urbanized after the World War II , which was not followed by the adequate communal infrastructure, the Vizelj got more and more polluted. It was partially cleaned in 2009. In 2012, sisters Nikolina Moldovan and Olivera Moldovan , who practiced on

896-467: The Jojkićev Dunavac, the ending section of the Vizelj stream, but was partially filled in the early 2010s. The clog was a deliberate action by the state forestry company "Srbijašume", so that they can collect old trunks, but the earthen clog remained. Weekend houses were subsequently built on the location. This prevented the flow of fresh water into the fishponds during the dryer seasons. The "Srbijašume" began

952-501: The Knez Petrol industrial complex. In turn, the Sebeš, which encircles the lake and the fishponds on the north, polluted the fishpond waters. It was the largest fish kill, though smaller ones were reported earlier: the industrial complex is used by numerous chemical and oil facilities, and the wastewaters are regularly being poured into the Sebeš. The Bajbok channel used to drain Sebeš' flow into

1008-519: The Vizelj makes an administrative border between the towns of Borča and Belgrade, or Belgrade's neighborhood of Krnjača. It also forms the eastern border of the ada Kožara , which is planned, with the surrounding area, as the future, much larger, artificial Čaplja island. This final section is also known as the Borčanski Dunavac, or, more commonly Jojkićev Dunavac, after Đurica Jojkić , former mayor of Belgrade . During his tenure, this section

1064-429: The Vizelj, petitioned to the mayor Dragan Đilas to do something about the worsening conditions of the river as it is important for the national sport. The city decided to financially support the cleaning, though that is not administratively under the city's jurisdiction. In August–September 2012, the stream was dredged, cleaned and the vegetation was cut. Yearly kayaking regattas have been organized since then. In 2014,

1120-418: The access infrastructure to the future construction site was announced. The park will cover 483.5 ha (1,195 acres), divided in three sections - commercial center, industrial park and high-tech park. The entire complex will be patterned after Xuzhou , near Shanghai . Estimated length of the construction is 19 years. In December 2021, city announced restoration of the riverine public transportation, which

1176-495: The adjoining fish ponds. It is the largest body of water in the Pančevački Rit, though it is shallow, as the maximum depth is only 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in). The area of the entire protected zone which surrounds the lake, and includes four fish ponds to the north, is 3 km (1.2 sq mi). The lake is embedded in the depression between the reed covered wet floodplains. The lake has no inflows or outflows, though

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1232-468: The bad conditions in the company, workers began to strike in 2005 and the processing of the waste completely stopped. In 2012, the government donated money to the company so that it could process the enlarging amount of the waste, but the strike was only radicalized in 2012 and 2013. The Gluten went bankrupt and was officially closed. During the inspections of the gradually ruining complex in February 2019 by

1288-505: The boats. In 1929-1933 an 89 kilometer-long embankment was built which protected Borča from further floodings. At the same time, road and railway connecting Borča to Belgrade were also built. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Borča became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (future Yugoslavia ), being taken by the Serbian army on 9 November 1918. From 1918 to 1922, it

1344-522: The canal was conducted after the floods in 2019. In 2022, construction of the promenade along the Vizelj in Padinska Skela was announced. In April 2014, during the repair of the waste water collector, toxic substances were poured into the river which caused a massive fish kill . In August 2014, the PKB Corporation apparently discharged large amounts of ammonia into the Vizelj which nearly killed

1400-485: The channel was cleaned again but by May 2015 it was again covered in vegetation and turned into the morass. The river was cleaned during the summer of 2015. Since then, locals and members of the kayaк clubs organized and regularly clean the stream, including the cleaning of the banks in April 2017. In March 2019, the environmentalists described the Vizelj as "less of a watercourse, more of a sewage watershed". Some cleaning of

1456-459: The city government in May 2017, in the status of the "protected habitat". 44°51′46″N 20°29′41″E  /  44.862759°N 20.494819°E  / 44.862759; 20.494819 Bor%C4%8Da Borča ( Serbian Cyrillic : Борча , pronounced [bɔ̂ːrt͡ʃa] ) is an urban settlement of the municipality of Palilula , Belgrade , Serbia . It is located in the left-bank part of

1512-481: The east-central corner of Borča. Unlike Stara Borča and Borča Greda, it comprises only one sub-neighborhood, Centar III. It had a population of 9,640 in 1991, 14,875 in 2002 and 7,298 in 2011. Local community of Borča Greda occupies the entire northern section of the settlement, extending on both sides of Zrenjaninski put . The fastest growing sections of Borča, like Pretok or Mali Zbeg, are located in this local community, so it more than doubled its population between

1568-414: The ecologists and reporters, over 300 tons of fossilized animal carcasses and bare bones were found. Additionally, mazut , the tanning fluids and various other unidentified chemicals are spilled over within the complex. There is also numerous hardened and crystalized waste, all left to the elements in the open. The ground was soaked by the large amount of toxic waste, while the animal remains are scattered by

1624-466: The ecologists include the incineration of the waste in the furnaces of the cement factory in Beočin . Problem is deepened by the fact that the owner of the lot on which the waste is located is unclear, even in the official cadastre books. Also, all government ministries and agencies claim that the problem is not under their jurisdiction. The complex covers an area of 330 a (360,000 sq ft) and

1680-422: The entire fish population. Despite the pollution, the river is popular among the fishermen, but the recreational fishing is occasionally forbidden on the parts of the course, as it was in 2016 for 600 m (2,000 ft), between river's 3rd and 4th kilometer. In the autumn of 2010 a flock of 30 swans landed on the Vizelj and have been coming every years since then, and the number of swans doubled. They became

1736-477: The entire northern part is encircled by the Sebeš canal and another canal closely engulfs the entire lake. Water is replenished from the Danube and through the underground springs. The name of the lake means "great mudflat " in Serbian. In and around the lake there are 191 plant species, out of which 14 are protected. Since 1865, when Josif Pančić found the first specimen, 30 species of orchids have been registered on

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1792-455: The entire southern section of the settlement. It extends on both sides of Zrenjaninski put and comprises most diverse neighborhoods of Borča: the original, oldest section in the south-west, those closest to Belgrade, easternmost sections which extends to Ovča and the south-western extension in the direction of the Danube. It had a population of 7,928 in 1991, 13,624 in 2002 and 20,188 in 2011. Local community of Nova Borča (New Borča) occupies

1848-412: The fish pond. The lake is used for the sports fishing and all the fish that has been caught, must be released back into the lake. Every year, after the fishing season is over, the smaller basins are being emptied. Some 250 to 300 tons of carp is being produced for the market yearly. Massive fish kill was reported in May 2022. It was the result of the fecal wastewater being poured in the Sebeš stream at

1904-563: The largest suburbs of Belgrade and a large settlement in its own right, Borča developed several sub-neighborhoods of its own. Officially, after the 1981 census, Borča is divided into three "local communities" ( mesna zajednica ), sub-municipal administrative units: Stara Borča (formerly Borča I, 1991-2002), Borča Greda (formerly Borča II) and Nova Borča (formerly Borča III). Most of Borča is grouped into centers (Centar I to V), which are sometimes referred to as Borča I to V (Centar I = Borča I, etc.). Local community of Stara Borča (Old Borča) occupies

1960-520: The last census in Austria-Hungary in had a population of 1,535. Since the 1960s Borča began a massive development with rapid population growth having a population of 46,086 by the official census in 2011. Following the official data, Borča is the largest single suburb of Belgrade. However, unofficial estimates put Kaluđerica in first place. Borča is statistically classified as an urban settlement. Ethnic structure of Borča ( census 2002): As one of

2016-491: The left. The Vizelj continues to the south, where it receives the Veliki (Great) canal from the right. Borča expands in this section, and the area is being urbanized in the direction of Crvenka , outer and isolated neighborhood of Borča on the Danube's bank. The canal then crosses the embankment which protects the Pančevački Rit's inland from the Danube and turns to the southeast, parallel to the embankment. In this, final section,

2072-626: The municipality, separated by the Danube from the rest of the city. As of 2011 , it has a population of 46,086 inhabitants. Borča is located just 8 km (5.0 mi) north of the downtown Belgrade, in the Banat section of the municipality of Palilula, at an altitude of 78 m (256 ft). It stretches between the Zrenjaninski put road (which connects Belgrade to the town of Zrenjanin in Vojvodina ) and

2128-407: The other parts of Belgrade (Great War Island, Ada Huja ), but feeds in the area. The lake is an internationally important area for the bird protection. "Mika Alas", carp-breeding fish pond was established in 1961, when the lake was populated with many fish species. Veliko Blato is used as a feedlot for the larger fish. Four basins (including two fry ponds), north of the lake, are built as a part of

2184-476: The outbreak point, and 3 km (1.9 mi) wide. By 2020, the communal services which cut the poplars in the surrounding fields, left the cut trees and debris which clogged the final section, cutting it off from the Danube, and turning Jojkićev Dunavac into the bog. As a result, the water turned black and dying of fish, swans and ducks continued. In 2021, the river was dredged and cleaned from reeds in its upped course, through Padinska Skela. As in this section

2240-577: The process of restoring the Bajbok around 2020, but quit at some point. The poaching also became a big problem by the 2020s. As many fishponds in Vojvodina , to the north, were closed, the poachers turned to Belgrade area. Operating in the fishponds of Veliko Blato, they are described as the Bond-like villains, with wetsuits , night vision goggles , ready vehicles, and are capable of stealing tons of fish. When city administration in 1965 considered relocation of

2296-486: The river is still not polluted, and majority of settlement has a proper sewage system in this area, this was enough for wildlife, including ducks and swans, to return. Glutin industrial complex is located in the Padinska Skela Industrial Zone, along the promenade on the Vizelj's bank. The state-owned factory was processing dead animals and animal waste, tanning leather and producing animal glue . Due to

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2352-587: The sentry post of Stara Borča (Alt Borcsa) in 1794 which became center of a municipality as part of the Banat Krajina , a section of the Habsburg Military Frontier . In 1848-1849, Borča belonged to the Serbian Vojvodina , a Serb autonomous region within Habsburg Monarchy, but in 1849 it was again placed under administration of the Military Frontier. After transformation of Habsburg Monarchy into

2408-667: The settlement's position in the swampy area of Pančevački Rit ). In 1537 it was captured by the Ottomans , included into the Sanjak of Smederevo and granted the waqf status. Already in 1567 Borča was predominantly settled by the Serbs when famous Jazak Gospel was written in it. During the Habsburg -Ottoman wars, Borča became center of the Ottoman border zone and was heavily fortified ( Porača fort ) after

2464-432: The slow streams of Pretok, Sebeš and Vizelj , which flows through the middle of the marshy area of Pančevački Rit , the northern part of the municipality of Palilula. As Borča developed, it stretched along the Zrenjaninski put to the south ( Krnjača 's neighborhood of Dunavski Venac ) and to the north (suburban settlement of Padinska Skela ). Earliest remains in the vicinity of modern settlement of Borča are from

2520-779: The southwestern corner of the Banat region. It forms at the Livade locality, and first flows to the west, where in the Puškara region receives the Sefkerin canal from the right. At the Carske Šume locality, also from the right, it receives the Buk canal. The Buk connects Vizelj to Besni Fok , and the Kišvara canal in the west. From there, the Vizelj generally flows in the north-to-south direction, creating numerous curves and meanders. In this, upper course, it mostly follows

2576-486: The stray dogs, jackals and foxes. The area is full of fumes and "unbearable stench". The central collector pool for the waste waters from the PKB company is still operational within the complex. PKB's tank trucks poor the waste into the collector, from were it goes directly, unfiltered, into the Vizelj. The Glutin has been described as an ecological bomb and the " Sword of Damocles of the Pančevački Rit". The proposed solutions by

2632-455: The stream is 50 m (160 ft) and is 1.5 to 2 m (4 ft 11 in to 6 ft 7 in) deep. Jojkićev Dunavac, which makes the final section of the stream, is actually a 6 km (3.7 mi) long canal, cut in the 1950s to drain the soil. In Borča, there is a pumping station which transfers the water from this stream into the Mokri Sebeš. When dug in the 1950s, the canal

2688-639: The stream of Lisičji Potok from the left. From this point it meanders to the west, splitting from the road. It flows through Kovilovo , where it receives the Rasova canal from the right, and continues to the south through the Zbeg region. In this section, it is crossed by the Outer Northern Tangent  [ sr ] , which is in wider sense a northern section of the Belgrade bypass . Before reaching Borča , it forms

2744-514: The territory of the City of Belgrade. Two of them can be found only in Veliko Blato. One is marsh helleborine (Epipactis palustris (L.) Cr.), with some 200 individual plants. It grows only up to 20 m (66 ft) from the canal which encircles the lake. It was discovered near the lake in 2012. The other, with only some 50 specimens, is Orchis palustris Jacq. It grows between the turfs of grass where

2800-667: The water has dug minute canals. It was spotted for the first time in Belgrade in 1896 on the Great War Island , but was never seen again there. It has been re-discovered in the Makiš area in 1955, but by 2001 it disappeared, too. One species of fish, European weatherfish , is protected. Other of the 15 species of fish include carp , northern pike , wels catfish , zander and silver carp , though they are introduced later. There are also 9 species of amphibians and 4 species of reptiles. The lake

2856-421: Was 70 metres (230 ft) wide. In time, due to the mud and silt deposits, in some sections it is narrowed to only 7 metres (23 ft). During the normal and high water levels, smaller vessels can enter the channel, but during the low waters it is inaccessible. However, it is used for kayaking since 1972, when the first kayak club in Borča was founded. Vizelj is name of the PKB Corporation's pig farm. Also,

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2912-591: Was annexed to the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula in 1965. When construction of the Pupin Bridge was coming to an end in 2014, building of a massive industrial park by the Chinese investors at the Borča side of the bridge was announced. This was confirmed by the government in 2020 and 2021, when the project was called Mihajlo Pupin Industrial Park, and was labeled "European Shenzhen ". In March 2023 construction of

2968-426: Was channeled and widened in an effort to quicken the drainage of the Pančevački Rit. It empties into the Danube at its 1,168.5 km (726.1 mi). Weekend settlement Mika Alas is located at the confluence. The length of the Vizelj, due to the channeling and artificial connections with the surrounding channels, has been reported as either 27 km (17 mi) or 31 km (19 mi). The average width of

3024-447: Was discontinued decades ago. One of the first two proposed lines should be Borča-Ada Huja. In the same month, construction of the pier at Ada Huja began. New mayor Aleksandar Šapić , however, stated in July 2022 that the project will not be pursued further, calling it too expensive and "pointless". In 1727, 39 households were recorded in the settlement. In 1843 it had 675 inhabitants while in 1859 there were 124 households. In 1910, by

3080-735: Was part of the Banat county, from 1922 to 1929 part of the Belgrade oblast, and from 1929 to 1941 part of the Belgrade City Administration (the District of Pančevo ). Between 1941 and 1944 it was occupied by German troops and included into German-ruled autonomous region of Banat , which was a part of Serbia . In 1949 the municipality was disbanded and the entire area of Pančevački Rit became IX Raion of Belgrade. Borča got its own municipality again on 30 May 1952 but in 1955 with municipalities of Ovča , Krnjača and Padinska Skela merged into one named Krnjača. In turn, this municipality

3136-462: Was renovated in November 2017. Vizelj The Vizelj ( Serbian : Визељ ) is a short channeled river in north-central Serbia , the left tributary to the Danube . During its entire flow it runs through the suburban section of Belgrade , on the territory of municipality of Palilula . Vizelj originates north of Padinska Skela , in the central part of the Pančevački Rit , a former marshland in

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