Belgrade (Beograd) is the capital of Serbia, and has a population of 2 million . It is situated in South-Eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. It has a very long tradition, and it’s one of the oldest cities in Europe. Its history lasts for 7,000 years. The area around two great rivers, the Sava and the Danube has been inhabited far back in palaeolithic period. One of the most important settlements and cultural sites of the prehistoric period is Vinca, near Belgrad. The oldest known name of Belgrade is Singidunum which means city fortress. When Slavs crossed Danube and defeated Byzantine Empire in the 7th century, they settled here. Built of stone, the city that emerged overlooking the waters was called the White city. From the 17th to 19th century, in other languages, Belgrade was called Alba Graeca, Alba Bulgarica, Bello Grado, Nandor Alba, Griechisch Weissenburg, Castelbianc etc. It’s Serbian capital from 1403 AD. In medieval times, it was in the possession of Byzantine, Frankish, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian rulers, until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1521.
Belgrade is the largest city in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and a home to many ethnicities. Throughout the history it was an importan crossroad where East meets West, Europe meets Middle East, Christianity meets Islam...It is often said, we built a house in the middle of the road. Serbs of the Orthodox Christian religion are making the majority of population, nearly 90 %. The official language is Serbian and among foreign languages, english is very used.
There are too many exquisit monuments in this town and it would last forever to tell you about them, so I choose my two favourites. The most important monument is Kalemegdan Fortress, it stands on the hill overlooking the river Sava. It was gradually built from the 1st to the 18th century as a huge fortified defense complex. Nowadays it’s a specific museum of Belgrade history.
Second, is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world situated in Belgrade. Preparation for the construction started in 1894 and is built at the place where in 1594 Sinnan Pasha had the holy relics of Saint Sava burned.
Belgrade is also called the city of nightlife. Many clubs are open until dawn and could be found throughout the city. Most recognizable are barges (in Serbian - splavovi) spread along the banks of the Sava and Danube Rivers. Unfotunatelly, I live near them so my nights are sleepless because of a very loud music. This city hosts many annual cultural events, including FEST (Belgrade Film Festival), BITEF (Belgrade Theatre Festival), BELEF (Belgrade Summer Festival), BEMUS (Belgrade Music Festival), Belgrade Book Fair, and the Belgrade Beer Festival. In 2008, it hosted Eurovision song contest.
During the history this city rose and fell. Many times it was bombed and ruined,but his spirit never died. We all follow that spirit and it kept us all together in harsh times. I hope I made somekind of picture about this city for you, for a better understanding, and hopefully soon will write more. At the end, here are some pictures of Kalemegdan Fortress and Saint Sava church which could be found on www.belgrade-serbia.com and www.belgradeeye.com
Cheers,
Andrea
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