Big Staircase in Kalemegdan Park, Belgrade

The Big Staircase, located in Kalemegdan Park, stands as the most prominent feature within the park grounds. Positioned at the southwestern edge of the fortress, it occupies the site where the old rampart and a concealed road once stood.

This staircase came into being during a significant overhaul and enhancement of Kalemegdan Park. The initial design concept was crafted by Aleksandar Krstić, while the detailed planning and execution were overseen by Đorđe Kovaljevski. Construction reached completion in 1928. However, the staircase suffered damage during the German bombing of Belgrade in April 1941 and endured further destruction throughout the war.

Simultaneously, as the staircase neared completion, the city administration grappled with the relocation of the Old Cemetery from Tašmajdan. Faced with a surplus of tombstones, authorities opted to repurpose them for various construction projects across the city, including the pathways connecting the staircase to other parts of the fortress. One such path, linking the fortress to the Lower Town below, was entirely paved with tombstones, their inscriptions facing downwards.

Dubbed by Belgrade chronicler Zoran Nikolić as the Path of the "Former" Deceased, this unconventional use of tombstones drew public outcry, despite its historical precedence in the Balkans, where reused materials are known as Spolia, a practice observed in the remnants of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine civilizations. Notably, a tombstone was incorporated into the pedestal of the nearby Pobednik monument.

One of the stone benches along the promenade extending from the staircase bore the clear inscription of the deceased's name, Aksentije Jovanović, alongside a carved cross and skull and crossbones motif. Originally conceived as a three-part structure with two semi-circular resting areas, the staircase embodies Romanticist design principles with influences from the Serbo-Byzantine Revival movement. Noteworthy adornments include a sculpture of a reclining lion by Sreten Stojanović and a sandstone railing, although the decorative balustrade fell victim to the ravages of World War II.