Eastern Europe - Belgrade. Serbia

The Danube and the observation Tower in Zemun

Email No 32. Belgrade. Serbia

Belgrade unwelcomed claim is to have been the most often destroyed and reconstructed city in Europe (over 40 times). Some 115 battles have been conducted here over the last 2300 years.

This is in part due to Belgrade’s prime location on top of a hill where the Danube and the Sava rivers meet. Capturing that hill meant gaining control of the land to the south.

The main sight is the 18th century remains, and the reconstructed part, of the Upper Citadel.

The Citadel is also the host of a Military Museum and a very large collection of war weapons representing a complete history of former Yugoslavia. Outside the museum is a large collection of guns, tanks, bombs, missiles (contributed from the air by NATO). The even have the remains of an American stealth fighter that was shot down in 1999.

But the most lively and interesting part of Belgrade is Skadarska, the bohemian hang-out of artists in the early 1900’s. Today cobbled-stoned Skadarska is lined up with restaurants, many with side-walk terraces decorated with lots of flowering plants.

An interesting museum is the Nikola Tesla Museum, a man very far ahead of his time.

He ‘invented’ alternated current and was already involved in the challenge of distributing electricity over long distances. I somehow have the feeling that we need him today to solve our energy crises.

From Belgrade I visited the nearby town of Zemun. Located some 8 km away from Belgrade, Zemun used to be the most southerly point of the Austro-Hungarian empire. They built a fortress and the Tower of Sibinjamin Janko for which they could observe the Turks who were in control of Belgrade on the other side of the Sava river.

In Zemun and had a pleasant meal in a restaurant overlooking the Danube.

Next Novi Sad.