The area of Cvetni trg was one of the Vračar areas covered in vast forests of
oak and
ash trees. The forest was cut down a long time ago to make place for an urban development (small open greenmarket and future supermarket) with only one tree surviving today. A tall
pedunculate oak (Serbian:
hrast lužnjak) with a
crown diameter of , it is one of the three oldest trees on the territory of Belgrade, after two oaks in the village of
Šiljakovac. In 2013 it was estimated to be 200 years old. In November 2013 the tree's roots were protected with the concrete casing an it has been concluded that it is healthy and in the good shape. Dried branches are regularly removed and the cuts are covered with the protective coatings. To keep them safe, the largest branches are supported by the metallic cables. Estimates in the early 2020s placed the planting of the tree between 1804 and 1811. Since 2001 it has been
protected by the state as the
natural monument. Apart from the cables, placed in 2006, during the 2015 reconstruction of the square, the metal poles were placed around it, which hold the square construction in the lower crown. Also, the concrete casing around the root was removed, and the grass was planted around the tree. Greenmarket was opened in 1884, and by the end of the century streets around it got sidewalks and
avenues. Cvetni trg was named after the many flower shops located there, which lasted until the early 2000s (decade) when most of them were closed. The dominant feature of the neighborhood since 28 April 1958 has been the first and, at that time, largest modern
supermarket in the
Balkans, the first one with shelves and baskets (even before
Vienna). Used to the small stores, in the beginning the customers couldn't manage themselves in the supermarket so the helpers were employed to give the baskets to the customers, help them move around and explain that they can't take baskets home with them. Novelties included packed meat, coffee in bags and free paper bags for the groceries. The cashiers were paid by the company to visit hairdressers every week. As a curiosity, it was the first store to sell
Coca-Cola cans in this part of the world. Since 1960 it has become part of Serbia's largest store chain,
Centroprom, and for decades remained Belgrade's supermarket with the highest revenues. It was renovated in 1990, and given a modern, marble appearance. However, as C-market (the successor of Centroprom) was bought by the
Delta Holding system, the supermarket was closed on 1 November 2006 and the thorough reconstruction began to change its purpose from a grocery market to the
BMW car salon which was to be opened on 7 February 2007. Car salon was closed and the supermarket returned on 7 May 2009 (branded
Maxi Exclusive). Since the early 1900s there were ideas of erecting a monument to Petar II Petrović Njegoš. During the Interbellum several boards for erection of the monument were formed, which included some of the culture's most prominent people like
Branislav Nušić or
Ivo Andrić, and the Royal
Karađorđević dynasty even donated money, but due to the disagreements of the convenient location, the monument wasn't built. After World War II, the task of carving the monument was given to
Sreten Stojanović who finished it in 1952 and garnered numerous praises. Serbian government decided to place it on Cvetni Trg, but the city government, supported by the public stalled the process as on this location, the monument to such an important person would be placed next to the public toilet. During this delay, Montenegrin government reacted and placed the monument in
Titograd. On 22 June 1989 city assembly decided to place the replica of Stojanović's work in Belgrade, but on another location, on the
Faculty of Philosophy Plateau, where the monument was dedicated on 29 June 1994. According to the city's general urban plan (GUP) in the 1960s, Cvetni Trg was envisioned as the location of the future central underground
subway station of Belgrade, which would also replace the
Belgrade Main railway station. The tunnels would conduct the traffic in the north to south direction. The railroad authorities opposed the project, so the plans were abandoned. In the early 2000s (decade), the section of
Njegoševa street north of Cvetni trg was closed for traffic, paved with stone and turned into a series of small stair-like plateaus, used as
patios for local coffee shops, thus enlarging the area of the square. == 2015 reconstruction ==