{{Short description|Park in Belgrade, Serbia}} [[Image: Rodna kuca Vojvoda Stepe Stepanovica.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Birth house of vojvoda Stepa Stepanović in Kumodraž with Stepin Lug seen in the distance]]
'''Stepin Lug''' ({{langx|sr|Степин Луг}}) or '''Gaj''' ({{langx|sr|Гај}}) is a park-forest and, for the most part, non-residential suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipalities of Voždovac (southern part) and Zvezdara (northern part). It is part of the forest complex Stepin Lug-Baba Velka-Torlak-Jajinci, which is the largest wooden area in Belgrade.<ref name="sume">{{Citation | author = Milan Janković | title = Beogradske šume preživele i ratove | newspaper = Politika | language = sr | date = 27 April 2014 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/291240/Beogradske-sume-prezivele-i-ratove}}</ref>
== Location ==
Stepin Lug is located on the south-eastern outskirts of Belgrade, {{convert|13|km|miles|abbr=on}} from downtown.<ref name="Politika">{{Citation | author= Branka Vasiljević| title = Sadnice podmlađuju Stepin lug | newspaper = Politika | language = sr | date = 26 March 2015}}</ref> It is a large, wooded area, roughly bordered by the neighborhoods of Veliki Mokri Lug on the north, Kumodraž on the north-west, Jajinci and Selo Rakovica on the west, Beli Potok on the south and Bubanj Potok on the east. The southern border is marked by the road of ''Kružni put'' and eastern by the Belgrade-Niš highway.
== Geography ==
Stepin Lug or formerly known as Titov Gaj or just Gaj, is a memorial complex, a park-wood with an area of {{convert|8.5|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, out of which {{convert|4.78|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} has been protected and maintained.<ref name="Politika"/> Total forested area was {{convert|4.91|km2|abbr=on}} in 2010. Of that, {{convert|3.76|km2|abbr=on}} was in Voždovac, and {{convert|1.15|km2|abbr=on}} in Zvezdara.<ref>{{cite book | script-title=sr: Пројекат "Зелена регулатива Београда" - IV фаза: План генералне регулације система зелених површина Београда (концепт плана) | trans-title = Project "Green regulations of Belgrade" - IV phase: Plan of the general regulation of the green area system in Belgrade (concept of the plan) | date = 2010 | author1 = Anica Teofilović | author2 = Vesna Isajlović | author3 = Milica Grozdanić | page = 40 | publisher = Urbanistički zavod Beograda | url = http://mapa.urbel.com/publish/PGR-SZP-Bgd_za_JU/003_Dokumentacija_plana_Knjiga_3/009_koncept_plana_sa_Izvestajem_o_izvrsenoj_strucnoj_kontroli/Koncept_PGR_sistema_zel_povrsina_KORIGOVAN.pdf}}</ref>
Stepin Lug can be divided into several areas:
* Stepin Lug ("Stepa's Grove"), in the northern section of the wood. Bounded by the small stream of the ''Zavojnička reka'', it is located in the municipality of Zvezdara. It occupies the small hill of ''Stražarska kosa'' and two smaller sub-areas of ''Baba Velka'' and ''Dugo bilo''. * Gaj or formerly Titov Gaj (Tito's Grove), in the central section. It occupies the area of the hill of ''Golo brdo'', between the creeks of ''Bubanj Potok'' and ''Kamena voda''. * Lipovica (Lime tree wood), in the northern section, the least forested area of Stepin Lug, along the ''Kružni put''. It should not bee confused with the much more popular recreational area of Lipovica (Lipovička šuma) in the municipality of Barajevo.
== Plantlife ==
The area has a 13 distinct tree communities, but the number of the separate species is three times larger as many species were planted later even though they are not autochthonous, including both conifers and deciduous trees. They include:
Evergreen trees:
* Cedar (Atlas cedar, white cedar, California Incense Cedar);<ref name="sume"/><ref name="Politika"/> * Cypress (Lawson's cypress);<ref name="sume"/> * Douglas fir;<ref name="Politika"/> * Fir (white fir, Greek fir, Nordmann fir, Spanish Fir);<ref name="sume"/> * Juniper (Greek juniper);<ref name="sume"/> * Larch (European Larch); * Pine (European black pine, blue pine, Weymouth pine);<ref name="sume"/><ref name="Politika"/>
Deciduous trees:
* Ash tree (European ash)<ref name="sume"/> * Birch;<ref name="sume"/> * Black locust;<ref name="sume"/><ref name="Politika"/> * Chestnut (common horse-chestnut, sweet chestnut); * Common Hackberry; * European hornbeam;<ref name="sume"/><ref name="Politika"/> * Honey locust; * London plane; * Maple (Norway maple, Sycamore maple);<ref name="Politika"/> * Mulberry trees; * Oak trees (English oak, northern red oak, durmast oak); * Pagoda tree; * Poplar (white poplar, black poplar) * Rowan; * Silver lime;<ref name="Politika"/> * Southern catalpa; * Turkish Hazel; * Walnut (black walnut, Persian walnut); * Willow (White Willow, golden willow);
In March 2015, an area of {{convert|2|ha|acres|abbr=on}} had been reforested with the white ash and red oak, one hectare and 2,000 seedlings each.<ref name="Politika"/>
== Wildlife ==
The wildlife comprises hares, roes, pheasants. and wild hogs.<ref name="sume"/><ref name="Politika"/>
== Characteristics ==
Important historical features are the vicinity of the Torlak hill and its importance in the battles for Belgrade in the World War I and the memorial-house of vojvoda Stepa Stepanović, one of the main army-leaders of the Serbian army. On 23 May 1972 the wooded complex Torlak-Baba Velka('s forest) was declared a park under the name "Titov Gaj", celebrating Yugoslav Communist president Josip Broz Tito's 80th birthday.<ref name="Politika"/><ref name="magazin">{{Citation | author = Slavica Berić | title = Pluća Beograda na udaru betona | newspaper = Politika-Magazin, No. 792 | pages = 2–4 | language = sr | date = 2 December 2012 }}</ref>
Stepin Lug has a {{convert|5|km|miles|abbr=on}} hiking and jogging path. While it was called Titov Gaj, a mountain hut was built especially for him. He never visited the hut and it burned in the fire in the early 2010s.<ref name="Politika"/> Also in the early 2010s, Stepin Lug was mentioned as a possible location of the Belgrade Zoo, if the old one is to be moved out of the Kalemegdan,<ref name="magazin"/> though the forest was envisioned as the possible location of the relocated zoo already in 1965.<ref>{{Citation | author = Daliborka Mučibabić | title = Od vrha Sahat kule do dna Rimskog bunara | newspaper = Politika | language = Serbian | date = 13 April 2014 | url = http://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/289880/Od-vrha-Sahat-kule-do-dna-Rimskog-bunara}}</ref>
Despite the bad traffic connection with downtown, in 2020–2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, number of visitors from Belgrade grew as the city parks and green areas were closed or the access was restricted. In April 2022, the arranging of the area began with thorough cleaning. By June 2022, the construction of the sports fields and quad trail are planned.<ref>{{cite news | author = Ana Vuković | title = Konačno uređenje Stepinog luga | trans-title = Stepin Lug i finally being arranged | newspaper = Politika | page = 13 | language = sr | date = 19 April 2022 | url = https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/505288/Konacno-uredenje-Stepinog-luga}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== Sources ==
* B.Jovanović, E.Vukićević: ''Titov Gaj'', 1977;
{{Neighbourhoods of Voždovac}}
{{coord|44|44|43|N|20|32|10|E|type:forest_source:kolossus-frwiki|display=title}}
Category:Suburbs of Belgrade Category:Parks in Belgrade Category:Šumadija Category:Voždovac Category:Zvezdara