Figure 2.1: Kneza Mihaila is a busy pedestrian area, full
of shops and galleries
The commercial and cultural center of the city is along Kneza Mihaila , the pedestrian street dedicated to Prince Michael, the first ruler of a fully independent Serbia. Beginning from Terazije , you find the Belgrade Cultural Center; nearby, in an underground passage, the Touristic Information Center , which is not very informed. Then the road widens to a square, called locally a terrace, of the Ruski Car (Russian Emperor), full of open air cafes. Turning on the right, you can get to Trg Republike , the Republic Square , with the Narodni muzej and the Narodno pozoriste (National Theater).
The Kneza Mihaila proceeds with porches, many shops, some monuments in the middle, and in the summer evenings there are always singers and artists performing on the street. Then you can find the French Cultural Center , and also the American one (which at the moment appears to be closed).
On the right there is the faculty of Philosophy and you can go down a few steps, passing among the used book stalls, to Akademski Trg where there is the Plato cafe, book shop and jazz club. From there, you can proceed to the Studentski Trg , the Square of the Students, with the Kolarac Cultural Center, the Studentski Park and the Faculty of Sciences. This is one of the centers of the students' life, although many more faculties and the University Library are along Boulevar revolucije . The students spend their nights in some of the pubs, cafes and clubs (the difference in terminology is subtle).
Going back to Kneza Mihaila, you find on the left the SANU building of the Serbian Academy of Science and Art, with book shops and galleries; many more private galleries, with exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, are nearby. Then on the left the British Council , and on the right the German Cultural Center . The last portion of Kneza Mihaila has cafes and restaurants spread on the street, the Faculty of Painting and the City Library, and ends across the street from the entrance of the Kalemegdan park.