The main beach resort of Belgrade is the Sava Lake, which is a branch of the Sava, between the island Ada Ciganlija and the east bank of the river, artificially separated from the river by two dams. The water is not stagnant, because some Sava water circulates in the lake, but only through a filtering system; as a result, the water of the lake is clear and fit for swimming. On both sides of the lake there are beaches; on the island side there are sport facilities; the island Ciganlija is almost entirely occupied by a well kept park. In the summer weekends the beaches are very crowded (up to 300,000 people); but this is the mass holiday resort of Belgrade, and a very positive example of public works which have improved the lifestyle of many.
Figure 4.2: The jet fountain in the Sava Lake, in
front of the beaches of Ada Ciganlija
Many Belgrade people often spend the summer week-ends in their floating cottages, built on platforms on top of a number of barrels; thse are floating on the Sava bank of Ada Ciganlija, and also on the smaller island of Ada Medica and elsewhere on the Sava.