When you’re traveling to famous cities like London, Rome, Vienna, or Paris you probably know something about their history. You already have some places and monuments you’d like to visit. Belgrade, on the other hand, is a smaller city from a lesser known country. However, it has an incredible history and a lot for Serbians to be proud of.
Get yourself a coffee, take a seat in your favourite chair, and prepare to journey through Belgrade’s history!
How Belgrade Came to Be
Traces of ancient cultures in Belgrade reach as far back as 6500 BC. Those times are also known as being part of the Starčevo culture (in the pre-Neolithic period) which affected the future development of the entire South European region.
One millennium later, the dominant Neolithic culture called Vinča left its mark in the Balkans. This is also called the “First Golden Age of Belgrade” and it established itself on the Danube and Sava river banks.
The first mention of Belgrade — under the name of Singidun — happened when years later the Celtic tribe of Scordisci invaded the region between Sava, Drava, and the Danube. They settled here from the beginning of the 3rd century BC until the turn of the Common Era.
Belgrade was at the same time blessed and cursed with its position. It was a settlement on the beautiful river banks, with fertile soil. For conquerors, it had a strategic importance as a border between the Austro Hungarian and Ottoman empires.
Until the 5th century, Belgrade was under the Roman Empire and was under constant threat by the Huns, Sarmatians, Ostrogoths, Gepids and the Goth peoples.
From Past to Modern Belgrade
The city remained under constant attack, with more than one hundred battles, from the 6th to the 20th century, during which it was destroyed and rebuilt over twenty times. Belgrade was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, The Avars, Slavs, Hungarians, Bulgarians, the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarians, and Germans. Having Belgrade under control meant having the Danube transportation route under control as well.
Belgrade also faced problems and challenges in the 20th century. During the First World War and the Second World War, the city was destroyed twice by bombing — the first time by the Axis powers in 1941 and the second at the end of the Second World War by the Allies during liberation.
After the Second World War Belgrade became the capital of Yugoslavia. It went on to become the capital of Serbia and Montenegro until 2006, when the two separated to independent countries. Today, Belgrade is the capital of the Republic of Serbia and is home to more than one million and eight hundred thousand people.
Sava and Danube River Banks Take You to the Past
These days, the best place for time traveling in Belgrade is the Kalemegdan fortress. The Kalemegdan fortress was witness to Belgrade’s history guarding the Sava and Danube confluence. It will take you on a journey through millennia where you will find pieces of a fortress built over a period of 2000 years.
One of the oldest preserved towers within the fortress is Despot Stefan’s Tower which was built in 525AD and is now an observatory.
The Military Museum has both open air and closed exhibitions where you can see the Serbian army equipment and weapons through ages. The open-air exhibition is free to visit and the ticket for the closed one costs less than 2 Euros.
You can also visit the Roman Well, one of the deepest wells in Belgrade, which was used to supply the fortress with fresh water even during a siege.
There are two important monuments in the fortresses’ park — the Monument of Gratitude to France for their help in First World War and the statue of Victor. Victor was raised to commemorate the Serbian victory over Austro Hungarian and Ottoman Empires, as well as the victories in the Balkan War and First World War.
The entire fortress is free to visit without an entrance fee except for the specific parts like the Belgrade Zoo. The ticket price of 4.5 Euros for adults and 2 Euros for kids, Roman well is 1 Euro, Stefan Tower, and Tower Clock is 0.6 Euros.
This is just a teaser to wake up your imagination. 🙂 When you get to Belgrade, you’ll find many exciting places where you can explore the past. If you are the more modern type you will also find a busy nightlife. If you are a foodie, Serbian food will reward your senses with delicious salty and sweet treats. If you are into sports, Ada Ciganlija is offering a 14km long track around the lake for running, roller skating, or riding a bike. You can even try climbing, bungee jumping, play golf, tennis, basketball or soccer.
Belgrade is a city for everyone and it will accept you as you are not by changing you, but changing itself to please you.
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