Belgrade – History at its Rawest
I will be the first to admit that Belgrade is not your typical travel destination. It’s not that the city is ugly, quite the opposite, but it is run down. This ancient city, strategically built at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, has been spit on by the conquerors of history but the city, as well as the Serbian people, will offer adventurous travellers more than they bargained for.
Table of Contents
Journey to Belgrade
Sofia to Belgrade (don’t take the train):
I would not recommend the experience of taking the train from Serbia to Belgrade unless you enjoy torturing yourself. Please, for your own sake, take the bus… I had entered Bulgaria with the promise of sunshine and left it for Serbia with heavy precipitations.
Getting up the morning of my departure I walked to the depot located 2km north of the city center. I had intended to take the bus but when I arrived at the station I learned that the online itinerary I had consulted just the night before was outdated and the bus had already passed, the next was not till 4pm. Luckily for me the train station was across the street from the bus depot. I resolved for the train not thinking much of it, my mistake. It was only 8am so I figured there must be a train.
The Sofia train station was a disaster, there was no English attendant and unlike other places I had visited nobody tried to understand my poor Bulgarian. After purchasing a ticket for 9:40am I wandered through the station, the layout was maze and I could not identify my platform. Since I still had a few Lev (Bulgarian currency) I got a snack and a vagrant offered to show me to my platforms, I must have clearly looked lost for him to do so. While walking there I could see him eyeing my bag so I kept it close, there was nobody on the platform and I was ready to bolt if he tried anything. Before stepping on the train, I realized that I should just give him my remaining Lev. I figured he was expecting some sort of payment and it was only fair since he helped find my train. Of course as I’m looking for some money he puts out his hands to ask for change, exasperated I pull out my remaining Lev. It was not a large amount but it was by no means insignificant. Obviously he took me for a much wealthier foreigner than I was, his demeanour changes instantly he frowns in an unfriendly manner and curses me. I stepped into the train and closed the door, from the window I watched him walk away visibly angry, still cursing out loud. The carriage is old and uncomfortable, to my surprise I am the only one sitting in it, I would soon learn why.
While on the train I ran into a second problem, I checked my phone and an email informed me that the hostel I had wanted to book was full. It was marathon weekend in Belgrade and I was having difficulty finding accommodation in the city center. Since all the hostels were booked, I had resigned myself to figuring it out when I got there, but as a shot in the dark I used my data to reach out to my Spanish friend I had met in Sofia during my first night in the city. I had remembered that she had left for Belgrade to meet up with a friend who was there for a few days. I asked her if she knew of any place with rooms in town, not expecting much. To my surprise I was in luck, someone had cancelled their room at her hostel. She asked the owner to hold the room for me and he gladly obliged.
The train journey was a long one. Instead of the five hours it would take a bus, the train took eleven hours, at which rate I would have been better off taking a later bus. As we pulled out of Sofia it started to snow in a part of the year where it had no business snowing! It was pretty but the carriage was cold as ice and I was shivering, so much for being Canadian. At the border it stopped snowing and the train was stopped at customs. This took two hours and the severe border guards took their time looking me up and down in my empty carriage. Shortly after passing the border we had to transfer to a new train. I had no clue what platform to stand on but a friendly fellow passenger helped me out. We couldn’t communicate with words but as any good traveller knows most communication can be done non-verbally in a pinch, they helped me as best they could before exiting the station.
After we started up again I noticed an uptick in passengers. It was no longer snowing and the sun had revealed itself. The area near the border is quite poor and the people have darker, almost olive toned skin. This was also the site of my first encounter with a Serb in a full Adidas tracksuit, a very exiting development, as the full Adidas track suit was an indication that I truly had entered Serbia, the land of Adidas tracksuits! I would see many more of this popular Serbian “Formal Wear” before my train ride was over. There was a second transfer in the southern Serbian city of Niš. While the train was stopped, I walked around outside the station to stretch my legs. The area around the station was very run down, but the people seemed very friendly. It seems odd to me that a section of track that once hosted the fabled Belgrade to Istanbul portion of the Orient Express is in such bad shape the train glides along slowly at 15km/h – 25kn/h on average with only the occasional 100km/h+ section. In this leg of the trip my phone almost ran out of battery, I turned it off and focused on the world outside as well as my neglected travel diary.
Arrival in Belgrade:
By the time we reached the city it was pitch black outside and the cold rain was coming down heavily. Belgrade’s new underground train station has been moved far from the city center where the old one was located. There are no cabs there to pick us up, the streets around the station are empty and there is no transit connecting it to the center. Annoyed, I started walking towards downtown quickly becoming soaking and wet. Eventually, I hit a residential neighbourhood where I found a main street and after a few failed attempts I managed flag down a cab. The driver, who although speaks little English, is amused by my predicament. With the little Serbian I can command, I give him the street name. I asked him if I can pay in US dollars, he indicates that I could not take that currency, but he drops me off at a store so that I can convert my US dollars to the Serbian Dinar. I would have tried an ATM but I had my wallet stolen in Saranda, Albania but that’s a story for another post. I pay him and he wishes me luck. My phone is just about out of battery and in the darkness, it is hard to find the hostel. I’m on the right street but I can’t find the entrance to the place. By force of willpower and with a few passes around the block I found the door. I walk into a residential apartment block and after climbing up several flights of stairs i found a door with a ringer on it corresponding to the hostel
I walked in, exhausted, hungry and shivering from my cold wet clothing. My friend sees me, introduces me to her friend in Belgrade, a well humored Brit, as well as the host. After I brief everyone on my train ride from hell, I quickly go up and take a warm shower. I come down in my PJ’s and we all have a laugh at my expense. While I was up they made me a sandwich which I promptly devoured, I had not eaten much since Nis and I was starving. We crack open some Serbian red wine and stay up to play cards. It may surprise you to know that Serbia is one of the bigger wine exporters in Europe and that their product is quite good. The host, Voikan, a grinning man with dark hair, big ears and a smile that can light up a room, quickly made me feel welcome. The typical Serb, he was wearing an Adidas tracksuit and is a football (soccer) fanatic! He is quick witted and banters well with his guests, we quickly bond over our love of history and he gave me his humorous take on the history of his country. What a riot, he is a national treasure of Serbia. I would strongly recommend staying at City Break Hostel during your stay. The location is a comfortable walk from most attractions, the host is fantastic and the hostel spotless. Furthermore The Nicholas Tesla museum is around the corner from the hostel, a must visit in Belgrade!
A Brief History of Belgrade:
Known as Beograd in Serbian, Belgrade is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe. A large prehistoric settlement was founded here in prehistoric times by the Vinča people. It is believed that the site of this settlement was referenced in the epic Jason and the Argonauts. In 34BC the Romans made their presence known by building a fort on the ledge overlooking the rivers. They name the settlement Singidunum. During the following centuries the fort grew to a municipality. Belgrade is the city of birth of Emperor Jovian, a forgettable man, who only lasted 8 months on the throne after his predecessor Julian’s death (A favorite of mine, he is referred to as “The Apostate”).
This settlement was sacked in 442AD by both the Hun’s and later taken by the Ostrogoth’s in 471AD, during the fall of Rome. It was retaken by the Byzantines in 539AD, but would fall again to the Avars shortly after. It is during this time that a large Slavic population moved into the area. One group, the White Serbs asks for permanent residency in the region from the Byzantines. During the next few hundred years the region becomes a battleground between the Bulgarians, Byzantines and Hungarians. In this time of chaos the distinctive name of “White Fortress” appears in reference to the city due to the use of a glimmering white limestone in the fortress walls. The People’s Crusade passed through Belgrade in 1096 and engendered a negative reaction between the Byzantine administrators and the Crusaders, who proceeded to raid the countryside.
In 1284 the city would be ruled by a Serb King (Stefan Dragutin) for the first time, albeit as a vassal of Hungary. During this time Belgrade becomes the capital of Serbia and faces off against an expansionist Ottoman Empire. After the Battle of Kosovo field in 1389, this kingdom would evolve as the independent Serbian Despotate, led by Stefan Lazarević son of Lazar Hrebeljanović hero king of 1389. Belgrade grows quickly absorbing christian refugees from all over the Balkans. It resisted several Ottoman sieges before falling in 1521 by the hand of Suleiman the Magnificent, the legendary Ottoman Emperor. The city is razed, the orthodox subjects are deported to Constantinople and the city is rebuilt in oriental style, becoming the largest city in the Balkans after the Ottoman capital of Constantinople. After a major rebellion by the Serbs the relics of St. Sava are burned. This momentous event would trigger much of the anti-Turk sentiment in the oncoming centuries.
During the subsequent years the Austrian Habsburgs and the Turks would battle over the city causing a great deal of destruction. In 1688, fresh off his victory at Petrovardin (Novi Sad), Austrian general Eugene of Savoy suffered a crushing knee wound during the successful siege of Belgrade that would setback his military career. The Serbs would rebel against their Ottoman rulers multiple times and in 1815 they became an independent principality within the Ottoman empire. By 1876 Serbia was a fully independent Kingdom. Belgrade will benefit greatly from independence, quickly industrializing and borrowing architectural styles from Europe. The St Michael’s Cathedral dates from this era.
The First World War was declared in 1914 when Serbia was assaulted by the Central Powers for the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Due to its position just tens of kilometers from the Austrian border, Belgrade was on the front line. This was a difficult time for the city, it was devastated by German and Austrian offensives and would only be liberated by the Allies in 1918. At this time, it was joined together with other Slavic regions of the Austrian empire to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later renamed Yugoslavia. Belgrade was the capital of this kingdom, a thriving metropolis, even hosting a Grand Prix in 1939. Once may even venture to say a leading city of Europe.
During the Second World War the Serbian government joined the Axis in a bid to save itself from German ambition but the people of Belgrade protested and overthrew the government putting King Peter II on the throne. Germany intervened and bombed Belgrade into the ground. For its futile and fatalistic resistance Yugoslavia would be severely punished by Hitler, specifically the stubborn Serbs. In Belgrade Jewish residents were rounded up and shot. Furthermore a “work camp” called Sajmište was put up nearby for the Jews and political dissidents. Some describe the conditions to be as bad as Jasenovac, still the Serbs resisted under the leadership of their mayor Žarko Todorović. In 1944 the city was liberated by the Red Army and the Communist Partisans under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito.
In the postwar period, the communist government had the task of rebuilding a city leveled by bombs. In 1948, New Belgrade, a modernist neighborhood across the Sava river began construction. The conference of Non-Aligned Countries was held here in 1961. Tito would pass away in 1980 ushering a new era in Serbian politics.
The 90’s were a difficult decade for the city. Protests were commonplace against the government of Slobodan Milošević and international sanctions devastated the economy. In 1999 the Kosovo War brought forth a NATO bombing campaign that damaged several prominent structures.
Today the city is once again rising from the ashes of its past. Finally getting its hands on much needed capital the city center is currently under constant construction. Former industrial lands are being cleaned up, the Sava river is lined with bike paths as well as parks and the party scene is vibrant. Chinese money has started pouring in and redevelopment has brought forward new issues concerning democracy, development and corruption. The development of Savamala, home to the old train infrastructure of the city is the hot topic in Belgrade drawing a long list of supporters and detractors.
What to do in Belgrade?
Tito and Tesla (The two T’s of Belgrade):
I started my day with a 3km walk to the Yugoslav Museum and the house of Flowers. These attractions, staples of cold war Belgrade, are located south of the E74 Motorway, Belgrade’s main artery. I recognized it instantly, this is where I had been stranded in the pitch black after getting off the train the evening before. Just after the motorway we came upon the entrance to the complex though Hajd (Hyde) Park. The leafy retreat from the sun is host to all sorts of odd statues and art that can only be found in socialist states. One piece was quite interesting and featured tortured faces grimacing from their molds. The rest was uninteresting concrete blocks plopped along the path, sometimes in odd shapes and sometimes with steel artwork mounted on it.
The Yugoslav Museum actually has an alternative name, the Museum of the 25th May. This is a fitting name as the museum has a large part dedicated to the “Marshal” himself. The 25th of May is Tito’s birthday and for his birthday he would host an Olympic styled games in his honor. All six Yugoslav republics would partake in a relay that would end at this very building on the day of Tito’s birthday. This day was a national holiday and called the Relay of Youth. It’s good to be the king!
The museum was quite odd and contained hundreds of items gifted to Tito, some which probably should not have been, but if a kooky monarch wants to give you some priceless bauble from their country I guess you take it. There were also some displays about his life and the socialist Yugoslav republic during his time. As for the House of Flowers it is a misleading name, this is actually the location of Tito’s tomb, left as it was back in the 80’s. This place is enough to give you the chills. More items from his life are on display to help truly grasp how big his cult of personality was.
After Tito’s death in 1980 the complex was eventually abandoned. The last games took place here in 1988 and after military protection was taken away, the site fell into disrepair. It is now a museum complex and as such can be informative to those new to Tito. It is important to note that Tito’s legacy is complex and that there are those of the older generation in Serbia and throughout the old republics that still consider themselves Yugoslavs and remember him fondly. Please have some respect when visiting the premises. The man was clearly a dictator with a cult of personality that could rival Joseph Stalin, Enver Hoxha or even Mao. Yet under his guidance the republics did not know war, playing NATO against Russia, they became one of the leading nations in Europe, with a powerful army and a large industrial base.
Other attractions nearby include most of residential Dedinje, the wealthy neighborhood includes the former royal palace called the White Palace, home to the former royal family of Yugoslavia. Technically speaking the house of flowers is also part of this neighborhood.
Exploring north of the highway we came across visible signs of trauma from Belgrade’s recent past. Much like Sarajevo, this city went through the traumas of war, albeit on a lesser scale. In 1999, as a response to the political situation in Kosovo, then part of Serbia, NATO unleashed an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbian capital. Many of the buildings in this quarter were damaged or destroyed. Nearly 20 years after this conflict many buildings still stand, albeit with some significant scarring and are no longer occupied. Most are cordoned off but some can be explored if you can sneak though. We tried to get close to one building in particular to take some pictures of the damage but were shooed off the premises.
While in the south end do not forget to visit the Saint Sava cathedral, the largest orthodox shrine in the world. It is built on the location where the occupying Ottomans burned the remains of Saint Sava, the Enlightened, after an ill fated Serbian Rebellion (one of many).
Walking back to the hostel for lunch I stopped at the nearby Nikola Tesla Museum. This old villa has no relation to the man but was established as a museum to him after his nephew pressured for the estate to be transferred to Belgrade from New York in 1952. For those who don’t know Tesla, he is one of the most brilliant scientific minds of all time. Today he is mostly known for his battle with Edison on the subject of Alternative vs Direct Current (Tesla was right about direct current) but he is responsible for much more. I would recommend some additional reading on his life. Although a Serb, Tesla was born in Croatia during the Austro-Hungarian period, he studied in Austria before moving to Paris and then New York. He only visited Belgrade once in 1892 for a total of 31 hours, a proud Serb he addressed a crowd of students with this patriotic quote:
“I have as you may see and hear remained a Serb even overseas where I am engaged in testing. That is what you also should be and to raise the glory of Serbs in the world with your knowledge and work.”
Today his name can be found everywhere in Serbia, including on the 100 Dinar banknote, the Belgrade Airport, a university, streets and much more. The museum, albeit small, contains two portions: one with technical exhibitions and a memorial containing a sphere with Tesla’s ashes (the sphere was his favorite shape). The second contains interactive displays with some of his experiments; this includes a giant electrical coil and other experiments explaining the nature of electrical current. If you can take the tour you won’t regret it, they run in both Serb and English. This is one of my favorite museums I have ever had the honor of visiting and gives a good insight into the man that is now the pride of Serbs worldwide.
As a side note, I walked everywhere while in the city with the exception of the far flung suburb of Zemun, where I took the bus instead. The reason is twofold: Firstly, Belgrade is the largest city in Europe without a metro and the second is that the streetcars are older, unreliable and usually won’t get you where you want to go (As a side note a metro expansion is planned for 2020). This is not really a problem, Belgrade is not your not your typical pretty old town, with no traffic snarls and serene surroundings. Belgrade is a noisy chaotic capital city, the real powerhouse of the Balkans. The streets are vibrant and filled with people shuffling by. Don’t be intimidated by the locals, although they have morose faces, the Serbs here are extremely friendly people.
The White Fortress and the Old Town:
Due to its strategic position on the Danube river Belgrade was fought over in 115 wars and during these wars it was razed 44 times. To protect the city a fortress was established here as early as 279BC. The Stari Grad (or old town) encompassing the oldest sections of the city have been built around it. Today the fortress is a giant urban park, its trenches filled with tennis courts, its bastions tree covered and grassy spaces taking over the courtyards. Monuments line the prominent lookouts and couples enjoy a lovely stroll on a sunny day. A thousand years ago this impressive structure would have been seen much differently by an invading army. Sitting on a high outcropping overlooking the Danube the fort must have looked impregnable to foreign armies. The Romans used it to control their frontier lands and after several sacks by barbarian chiefs it was abandoned. It is rumored that Attila the Hun’s grave lies buried under the fortress.
The fortress was rebuilt by Justinian and the Byzantines in 535. Due to the frequent change in occupants and continued military use, the fortress has several structural and architectural elements dating from different historic periods. When on the grounds of the fortress, you can visit the WW1 memorial for an outstanding view of the Sava/Danube confluence below. Be sure to visit the military museum, explore the fortifications, visit the adorable little Orthodox church built into the walls and look at the sculptures. There is even a zoo, if you are inclined! I could go into detail with what to see but a proper walk of the area will yield the same results with a better visual. This is the must visit section of the city!
Just south of the fortress is the oldest urban part of the city. Originally the city was confined to the fortifications but as it grew, it spilled into this area. Closest to the fortress is St. Michael’s Cathedral, the most important place of worship in Belgrade. Its prominent white spire, a symbol of the city, is the most prominent part of the old city skyline, when viewed from across the Sava river in New Belgrade. This church can be found in most travel related pictures of the city. The church is central to the fight for Serbian independence, built in defiance to Turkish authority the shrine was built on the site of an older church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The old church was burned down by the Ottomans and ordered not to be rebuilt by the Austrian authorities. The completion of the church symbolized the completion of a long held Serb dream, to have their own place of worship in the city after a long period of occupation.
Leading to the fortress’s main gates is the most important street in all of Serbia, Knez Mihailova. Named after the greatest of Serbian rulers Prince Mihailo Obrenović, who convinced the Ottomans to leave the city. This lively pedestrian street contains the most prominent landmarks in the city as well as the best restaurants and the shopping that Belgrade has to offer.
On the southern end of the street is Republic Square containing the National Museum, the National Theater and a statue of Prince Michael. While walking around the old town I came across an Ontario license plate, I have no idea how a Canadian car ended up all the way in Serbia and I wish I could have figured it out. The western edge of the square contains the Ruski Car Tavern (Russian Tsar Tavern), built in 1926 it once hosted the best restaurant in the city and was the place to be seen out.
Another major landmark is located just south of Republic Square, Hotel Moskva. Completed in 1903, with the help of Russian investment, this was the premier four-star hotel in Belgrade and one of the oldest hotel of this caliber in all of Serbia. This building has roomed many of the nations most important figures, the cafe also serving as a hangout spot for the Serbian and expat Montenegrin intelligentsia. This was the last building in Belgrade to surrender to the red army and retreating Nazi’s looted the beautiful paintings that adorned its insides.
For those who would like to see more pictures of the White Fortress please click though the gallery below. The site is extensive and as there is much to see.
The Belgrade Marathon, New Beograd And Zemun
It was marathon morning and the streets were filled with people. I did a quick stop at the Serbian parliament. Weaving through the crowd of marathon runners I managed to find my way to the bus so I could leave for a day trip to Novi Sad. At the station, I took down note of when the bus passed for Zemun so I could go the next day. An unfortunate aspect of the bus station is that near it’s grounds was a large refugee camp. Serbia is not a rich country and with its meager resources stretched thin it does not have the resources to help improve the conditions in the camp.
The next day I took the bus though New Belgrade towards Zemun. From the bus window I looked in disbelief at the endless rows of concrete high-rises. In this neighborhood a concentration camp can be visited, although it doesn’t much look like it anymore. Like much of Serbia’s long tortured history it has been swept under the rug and forgotten by western Europeans.
Zemun has a typical Central European look to it, with its splashes of Baroque architecture and peaked roof lines. Separate from Belgrade until 1934, it feels much different than the chaotic city I had just left just a half hour before. Just 13km’s away from the center, it stayed in Austrian hands until the end of WW1 when it was finally captured by Serbia and incorporated into the kingdom of Yugoslavia. The city has been an important river port and was enriched by cross border trade between Austria and its southern neighbor. On the site of its ruined fortress a memorial tower called the Gardoš Tower was built.
This tower is a popular attraction. It gives a commanding view of the city. When done visiting the tower we walked around the town soaking in its small churches and quaint architecture before catching a bus back to the city center.
Nightlife and Skadarlija:
Belgrade is famous for its wild nightlife and boy does the city earn its reputation. My nights always started with a plastic 2L bottle of Jelen, a popular domestic beer, along with a few games of cards with Voikan at the hostel. Since it was spring the Splavs or floating river clubs were not open yet. These legendary party boats bring the Sava river alive in the summer. Luckily there is always Skadarlija, the bohemian district of Belgrade. This neighborhood will satisfy all your nightlife needs whether it be fine dining, live music or pulsing clubs.
My last night in Belgrade I took it easy, dining in Skadarlija before going to bed. Before I did so I walked by a replica of the Sebilj fountain found in Sarajevo and an omen inviting me to my next destination.
Conclusion:
After a wild decade in the 90’s when the city was besieged with political instability, NATO bombings and recession, the city had to adjust it self to the reality of a post Yugoslav word. In this era Belgrade was no longer the capital of the Balkans losing its luster to the new found republics, fading into a slow ruin and a creeping decay. It is this rag tag charm that makes the city unique. Today the city is quickly modernizing due to an influx of Chinese money, and rightly so, it deserves it, but in a world where every city is filled with bland office towers, Belgrade’s decaying city center is refreshing. I hope it can keep its charm as the city changes and hopefully improves for its impoverished citizens. I say in with the old, out with the new!
The best part of Belgrade is getting to know the Serbs, a resilient, brave and stubborn people with a cynical sense of humour. Their fatalism and cynicism is only second to the Greeks but I find it endearing. I plan to return here one day, hopefully in the summer when the Splavs are out on the water and the sun shines brightly. I love you Belgrade.
