Atractions in Belgrade

Belgrade fortress (Kalemegdan) the symbol of Belgrade

Belgrade Fortress (Beogradska tvrđava) represents an old citadel, which consists of the Upper and the Lower Town and “Kalemegdan” park (large and little “Kalemegdan”). Belgrade fortress is located on the confluence of the two rivers Sava and Danube.

Belgrade fortress stands on the top of 125.5 meters high ending ridge of  “Šumadija” geological bar. The cliff-like ridge overlooks the Great War Island (Veliko ratno ostrvo) and the confluence, and makes one of the most beautiful natural sights in Belgrade. It borders the neighborhoods of the “Dorćol” (north and north-east), “Stari grad” (east) and “Kosančićev venac” and “Savamala” on the south.

The present name of the “Kalemegdan” derives from two Turkish words: kale (fortress) and meydan (battlefield), which literary means “Battlefield fortress”.

The most visited tourist attraction of the Belgrade fortress in the statue of the “Victor” (“Pobednik”). It was erected in 1928 to commemorate the Kingdom of Serbia’s war victories over the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War, and Austria-Hungary empire in the World War I. It is one of the most famous works of the well-known Yugoslav sculptor Ivan Meštrović.

 Short history of the Belgrade fortress

Belgrade Fortress is the core and the oldest section of the urban area of Belgrade and for centuries the city population was concentrated only within the walls of the fortress. First mention of the city is when it was founded in the 3rd century BC as “Singidunum” by the Celtic tribe of Scordisci who had defeated Thracian and Dacian tribes, that previously lived at the fort and around. The city-fortress was later conquered by the Romans, became known as “Singidunum” and became a part of “the military frontier”, where the Roman Empire bordered “barbaric Central Europe”. Singidunum was defended by the Roman legion “IV Flaviae” which built a fortified camp on a hill at the confluence of the rivers. In the period between  378 and 441 AD the Roman camp was being repeatedly destroyed in the invasions by the Goths and the Huns. The legend says that Attila’s grave lies on the confluence of the Sava and the Danube (under the Fortress). In 476 Belgrade again became the borderline between the empires: Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire), and the Slav-Avar State in the North.

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I rebuilt the Fortress around 535 AD. In the following centuries a fortress suffered continuous destruction under the Avar sieges. The Slavs and Avars had their “state union” north of Belgrade with the Serbs and other Slavic tribes finally settling in the region of Belgrade as well as the regions west and south of Belgrade in the beginning of the 7th century. The name Belgrade (Beograd), which means a “white town” or a “white fortress”, was first mentioned in 878 AD by Bulgarians. The Fortress kept changing its masters: Bulgaria during three centuries, and then again the Byzantines and again Bulgarians. The fortress remained a Byzantine stronghold until the 12th century when it fell in the hands of a newly emerging Serbian state. It became a border city of the Serbian Kingdom with Hungary. The Hungarian king Béla I gave the fortress to Serbia in 11th century as a wedding gift (his son married Serbian princess Jelena), but it remained effectively part of Hungary, except for the period 1282-1319. After the Serbian state collapsed after the Battle of Kosovo, Belgrade was chosen in 1404 as the capital of the principality of Despot Stefan Lazarević. Major work was done to the ramparts which were encircling a big thriving town. The lower town at the banks of the Danube was the main urban center with a new build Orthodox cathedral. The upper town with its castle was defending the city from inland. Belgrade remained in Serbian hands for almost a century. After the Despot’s death in 1427 it had to be returned to Hungary. An attempt of Sultan Mehmed II to conquer the fortress was prevented by Janos Hunyadi in 1456.

In 1521 (132 years after the Battle of Kosovo) the fortress, like most parts of the Serbian state, was conquered by the Turks and remained (with short periods of the Austrian and Serbian occupation), under the rule of the Ottoman Empire until the year 1867 when the Turks withdrew from Belgrade and Serbia. During the period of short Austrian rule (1718–1738) the fortress was largely rebuilt and modernized. It witnessed the two Serbian Uprisings. The fortress suffered further damages during the First and the Second World Wars.

Knez Mihailova Street

Knez MIhailova Street is the favorite district of most of the locals lying in between Terazije Square and the Kalemegdan Fortress. It is the main meeting point within easy reach from almost every part of the city. As the culture, architecture and history club, Knez Mihailova has won the title of one of the most beautiful pedestrian streets in Eastern Europe. This the main zone is under state protection as one of the oldest and the most valuable architectural monuments containing a series od representative buildings and private houses built in the late 1980's.

Skadarlija - The old bohemian quarter of Belgrade

The old bohemian quarter of Belgrade dates back to late 19th and early 20th. It was back then when kafane (taverns and restaurants) were a meeting place for many of the greatest figures of the cultural scene of the period. It is often compared with the Montmartre in Paris, both of its appeaance and the cheerful, vigorous artists' atmosphere.

The neighbourhood was made popular and atractive because it was in the immediate vicinity of the National Theatre and former operetta, as well as musical halls housed in today's Balkan Cinema. By tearing down the cafe Dardaneli in 1901, which was on the site of today's National Museum, artists, writers, poets and ordinary visitors moved to the small cafe-restaurants of Skadarlija, bringing along the bohemian lifestyle and spirit.

Skadarlija and the surrounding streets were home to 14 cafe-restaurants at the end of 19th century, a fact advertised in the Guide through Belgrade in 1909, when the population of the Serbian capital was just 90,000. Because of evening entertainment, loud music and occasional fights, the residents of the surrounding streets often criticised it to the police.

Skadarlija recently offered its hospitality to world famous people who enjoyed the summer scent of the linden tree in bloom, freshly watered cobblestones, selected dishes of Serbian cusine and the greatest speciality of Serbia: the atmosphere/ The significant cafe-restaurants of modern Skadarlija, such as Tri sesira, Dva jelena, Dva bela goluba. Velika Skadarlija, Zlatni bokal, Ima dana, and Sesir moj, are worthly successors of the former Skadarlija.

Republic square

If your Belgradae friends ask you to meet them in the city centre, more precisely at "the Horse" , then they mean by that is just that - look for the Horse. But there is a surprise for you there, because there is no stable for stall in the city centre whatsoever. It's just the conspicious statue of Prince Mihailo riding on horseback. This square is officially called Republic Square and it represents the very heart of the city and also a historical spot where for example many protests and riots have happend among other things.

Michael's Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of the Holy Archangel Michael (Saborna crkva) was built between 1837 and 1840 on the site of an older church from 1728 according to the plans of architect A.F. Kverfeld. In architectural terms it was built in the classical style with elements od the Baroque, as a single-nave structure with a tall steeple to the west . It is the most prominent church in Belgrade where Serbian 'enlighteners' (French Siecle De Lumieres German-Aufklarung) Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic and Dositej Obradovic were buried in the yard lot.

 

The Cathedral of Saint Sava

St. Sava church is the largest Serbian Orthodox church and the largest Orthodox place of worship in the Balkans. It was built in the very place where Sinan-Pasha is thought to have burned the remains of Rastko Nemanjic. Saint Sava 1595, founder of the Serbian Orthodox church and the youngest son of teh Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja, a founder of Nemanjic dynasty. Even today, the interior of the St. Sava church has remained incomplete.

The Millenary Monument in Zemun - Gardos

The Millenary Monument was erected in 1896 to mark the 100th anniversary (896-1896) of the founding of the Hungarian state. As the southem-most town within Hungary's empire, Zemun was chosen as the site for the Millenary Tower, built on the site of its medieval fortress.

The Millenary Monument was constructed of stone and brick as a viewing tower on the summit of Gardos Hill in Zemun. Its architecture shows different styles, with romantic elements predominating.

Its position at the top of Gardos hill also provides visitors with a beutiful view back over the town center. From Gardos one also has the broadest panorama of Zemun, and the view of the old city centre nearly has a therapeutic serenity of soul. Today the tower is the place of various cultural activities.

The National Assembly of Serbia 

The National Assembly of Serbia is located in the city center of Belgrade, in front of Pioneer's PArk, on the Nikola Pasic Square. It was built in the Classical style with Renaissance elements, with rich interior (architectural and artistic) decoration, made by, at the time, most famous artists and craftsmen. This impressive building is one of the most important achievements of recent Serbian architecture.