Prince of Serbia Miloš Obrenović specifically chose this location. After Serbia gained autonomy, the Ottomans withdrew to the walled cities. As the range of the cannons from the Belgrade Fortress couldn't reach across the Topčiderska reka, the prince selected this area for his future royal compound. The history of the park itself begins in 1830 when Prince Miloš started building his personal quarters in the swampy terrain of the Topčider, today one of the major attractions in Belgrade, the famous Milošev konak. A stone Topčider church, dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, church inn and military complex were also constructed in the 1832–1834 period, so as the various barracks, magazines, ice rooms, meyhane and a guard tower on top of the Topčidersko Brdo. There was a wooden pavilion, which served as part of the Russian military hospital during the 1876 Serbian-Ottoman War. Hundreds of workers were employed. At one point, 144 "tajfe", or bands of construction workers, were employed. Prince Miloš paid them heftily, gave them certain privileges, but they had no working hours, and had to work until the job is done.