Historic Belgrade

Over the centuries, Belgrade had been conquered by the Romans, the Slavs, the Byzantine Empire, the Frankish Empire, the Bulgarian Empire, and often passed between the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.

Belgrade’s history has been turbulent, interesting, and stormy. And the city’s historical sites and monuments provide a great testimony and an illustration of the past times.

The best thing to do is to explore this glorious city on foot. After a morning coffee in your downtown apartment, take a short walk to the Kalemegdan Fortress, overlooking the rivers Sava and Danube. You’d be surprised to know that this used to be a Celtic citadel back in the day and the site of many battles. Imagine over 100 battles being fought in this location in the past 2,300 years, and the some part of the fortress and the outside area being razed to the ground incredible 44 times. The Fortress, in its present form, dates back to the 18th century. When entering the Fortress, you will be passing through the Stambol Gate, constructed by the Turks in 1750. The Military Museum, inside the Fortress, showcases the entire military history of the former Yugoslavia, so if you are a military buff, this will be your piece of heaven.

Once inside the fortress, you will come across a small, beautiful St. Petka Chapel. Whether religious or not, please go inside since the Chapel is definitely worth seeing. Although, the Chapel was built in 1937, it is the place where the holy remains of Saint Petka (Paraskeva) had been laid to rest until 1521. You can still see St. Petka’s hand exhibited at the Chapel. Traditionally, people who are ill wash their faces at the Chapel’s spring since the water here is thought to have healing properties. Another interesting piece of information for female visitors of the Chapel – St. Petka is considered the patron saint and protector of women.

Before you leave the Fortress, make sure that you take in the breathtaking view of Belgrade and its two rivers.

Another church that is very close to your apartment and definitely worth visiting is St. Sava Temple, the biggest Eastern Orthodox temple in the Balkans, and one of the top 10 grandest Orthodox temples in the world. In modern language, this is one of those churches with the ‘wow’ factor.  The history of this site goes back to the 16th century, since this is where the remains of the first Archbishop in Serbia and one of the most revered saints – Sava – were burned by the Ottoman Army in 1594. Although, the construction of the temple had started in 1936 (and was interrupted by the Nazi attack on Yugoslavia in 1941), it was completed only recently. The Church’s size is astounding – its base measures 91 x 81 metres, while its central dome is 70 metres high and it weighs 4,000 tons.

If you would like to round off your tour of Belgrade religious / architectural attractions, make sure that you see the Orthodox Cathedral which was built between 1837 and 1840, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. The church is in a Belgrade quarter of Stari Grad, also a short walk from your apartment, has a priceless collection of ancient icons, and is the burial site of two Serbian rulers - Miloš Obrenović and Mihailo Obrenović – who are buried in its crypt.

The oldest parts of Belgrade (Dorćol, Vračar) are the most beautiful and definitely worth exploring on foot. And, just like most of the tourist attractions, they are walking distance from your apartment.  Dorćol is a beautiful, old, leafy Belgrade quarter, which name comes from Turkish words dört (four) and yol (road), meaning “four roads” or “Intersection of four roads”. During the Ottoman occupation, this was a trading centre, with an outdoor market, as well as the centre of Jewish community. At the time of Austro-Hungarian rule in northern Serbia (1717 – 1739), Dorćol was the seat of the Prince Eugene of Savoy’s court.

Dorćol is the seat of the only mosque in Belgrade – the Bajrakli Mosque. Built from 1660 to 1688 as Çohaci mosque, it was turned into a Roman Catholic church during the Austro-Hungarian rule, and then a mosque again. It was renamed the Bajrakli Mosque (Turkish: bayrak, flag) in 18th century, and since then it has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.

From Dorćol, take a walk up to Kosaničićev Venac, all the way to the Princess Ljubica Residence, the building of the National Bank of Serbia and down to the central Belgrade Street – Knez Mihajlova, where you can lunch, have a drink and enjoy the buzz of this protected pedestrian area with the historical buildings from the late 19th century.

Once refreshed, visit The Princess Ljubica Residence, a must-see historical site. The residence was built between 1829 and 1831 by the orders of Prince Miloš Obrenović for his wife Ljubica, and their two sons – Milan and Mihajlo, the future rulers of Serbia. Today, the Residence is a part of the Belgrade Museum and it exhibits original furniture made in the Ottoman style, as well as in Classicims, Biedermeier and Neo-Baroque, also popular in that time.

 Another memorable location in Kosančićev Venac worth stopping by is the oldest tavern in Belgrade called ‘?’ (Question Mark). It was built in 1820, and you are probably wondering where did it get its name from. The tavern was originally called ‘Tavern by the Cathedral’. Since the church objected to the word ‘cathedral’ being associated with alcohol, the owner had to change its name. ‘?’ was only a temporary solution which somehow has stuck for the last 150 years.

We cannot but mention Skadarlija, a charming vintage part of Belgrade, which dates back to 1830 when the Gypsies settled in the abandoned trenches in front of the ramparts. Today, Skadarlija is known for its wonderful restaurants, Bohemian atmosphere, cobbled streets and music. You are strongly advised to stop here, relax, have a coffee or something to eat, and absorb the typical Serbian hospitality.  

If you have visited all of these sites in just one day, you are probably feeling tired and yearning to go back to your apartment. Why not set aside the next day for exploring the royal history of Serbia?

Did you know that Serbia had been a monarchy from 13th to mid-20th century? Although, the country is a parliamentary republic today, its royal family – the Karađorđević Family – has its own palace in Belgrade called ‘Beli Dvor’ (The White Court) which is open to the public. The Royal Palace is home to Crown Prince Alexander Karađorđević II and his wife Crown Princess Katherine. Belgrade Tourist Board organizes regular tours of the royal compound.

For historical artifacts and treasures, you can visit one of many museums in Belgrade. We recommend Nikola Tesla Museum dedicated to the biggest inventor of the 20th century Nikola Tesla. Unfortunately, the biggest and one of the best museums in the city – the Serbian National Museum - is unavailable to the visitors at the moment since it is closed for refurbishment.