About Belgrade

WELCOME TO BELGRADE THE CAPITAL OF SERBIA

City of many nations, BELGRADE is a city with a tumultuous, but also frequently tragic past, primarily due to its unique position at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, on the border between the East and the West. Due to its position it was rightfully named “Gates of the Balkans” and the “Doors of Middle Europe”. Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe with a 7000-year history. The space around the large rivers of the Sava and Danube was already populated in the Stone Age. The Celts named the populated fortress SINGIDUNUM, where the first part of the word „Singi“ means round, and „dunum“ fortification or town. In the Byzantine Age, Singidunum became an important city of the vast empire. The Slavic name BEOGRAD (Beli grad – White City – probably because its ramparts were made of white limestone) may first be found in records from the 9th century. Belgrade flourished in 19th and 20th centuries during the reign of the Obrenovic dynasty and Karadjodjevic dynasty. It was then and it still is an important strategic point, the crossroads from the East to the West and one of the most significant cities in the Balkans.

Visitors who come to Belgrade for the first time, never leave indifferent, and always come back to it with joy.

More importantly, Belgraders like everyone, so get to know Belgrade by getting to know Belgraders!

TEMPLE OF SAINT SAVA

Temple of Saint Sava is the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans. It is located in the eastern part of the square of Saint Sava, in the municipality of Vracar. It was built on the site which is thought to be the place where Sinan Pasha in 1595 burned the remains of Saint Sava, founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Construction of the church was financed by voluntary contributions, and paying charity stamps. This monumental temple represents an organic part of modern vivid image of Belgrade, being one of its main features

KALEMEGDAN

Kalemegdan is the most beautiful and biggest park in Belgrade. At the same time it is the most important historical complex, in which the Belgrade Fortress is overlooking the confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube. Kalemegdan name refers to the wide plateau surrounding the Fortress, which has been in 19th century turned into a park. The planned development of Kalemegdan began 1890 when the military handed the park over to the Belgrade municipality. There are many monuments in the park, dedicated to the famous cultural and public workers. There is also the Kalemegdan Military Museum, Art Pavilion "Cvjeta Zuzoric," The Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments, Zoo, children's amusement park, a large number of sports fields, restaurants and the Museum of Natural History.

Belgrade hosts many annual international cultural events, including the Film Festival, Theatre Festival, Summer Festival, Music Festival, Book Fair, and the Beer Fest.The Nobel Prize winning author Ivo Andrić wrote his most famous work, The Bridge on the Drina, in Belgrade.Other prominent Belgrade authors include Branislav Nušić, Miloš Crnjanski, Borislav Pekić, Milorad Pavić and Meša Selimović.

Internationally Belgrade prominent artist: Marina Abramović and Milovan Destil Marković.

Most of Serbia's film industry is based in Belgrade. FEST is an annual film festival that held since 1971, and, through 2013, had been attended by four million people and had presented almost 4,000 films. The festival is usually held in February. During its early years, it was the only film festival in socialist countries that attracted big Hollywood stars such as Jack Nicholson, Kirk Douglas, Robert De Niro and directors like Miloš Forman, Francis Ford Coppola, Gina Lollobrigida etc

THE OLD ROYAL PALACE OF THE SERBIAN OBRENOVIC DYNASTY

The Old Royal Palace is a representative building in Belgrade, at the corner of Kralja Milana and Dragoslava Jovanovica street, the main entrance is looking at Nikola Pasic Square. Palace, which was built by King Milan in the period 1881-1884, was the residence of King Petar I Karadjordjevic (period 1903-1921) and King Alexander I (1921-1922), and today it is the seat of the Belgrade City Assembly. In the spirit of academic and Renaissance decoration it was designed by Alexander Bulgarian. It's a very representative building, which originally embellished with two domes with golden crowns on top. However, since the Palace was badly damaged in World War II, today's appearance of the Palace is somewhat changed.

RESIDENCE OF PRINCESS LJUBICA OBRENOVIC

Residence of Princess Ljubica Konak Knjeginje Ljubice was built by order of Prince Milos Obrenovic in 1831st year, as the private residence of his wife Princess Ljubica.Located in the heart of Belgrade, in Kosancicev venac, its architecture and layout belongs to the Balkan style with some Western Baroque elements. The permanent exhibition'' Interiors of Belgrade town houses of the 19th Century'' is set there. You can see it all, from oriental (Turkish), to medium impact (Biedermeier) and Western Europe (neo-baroque, neorokoko, Napoleon III).

THE PALACIES OF THE SERBIAN KARADJORDJEVIC DYNASTY – DEDINJE ROYAL COMPOUND – BELGRADE

THE ROYAL PALACE in Dedinje was built between 1924 and 1929, on orders by King Alexander I, as the official royal residence. It was designed by the architect Živojin Nikolić and the academician Nikolaj Krasnov from the Royal Academy. Today it is the home of the heir to the throne, Aleksandar II and his family. It is a large impressive villa of white stone in the Serbian-Byzantine style. The Palace is surrounded by pergolas, terraced gardens, fishponds, a pavilion and a bandstand. The stone-paved Ceremonial Hall is decorated with copies of frescoes from the monasteries of Dečani and Sopoćani. The Blue Drawing Room is decorated in the Baroque style, while the Golden Drawing Room is in the Renaissance style, as is the Large Dining Room. The marble columns in these rooms bear a luxuriously coffered wooden ceiling with bronze chandeliers. These rooms are decorated in the Renaissance style, with valuable paintings, wooden chests and articles from the royal collection.

THE PALACIES OF THE SERBIAN KARADJORDJEVIC DYNASTY – DEDINJE ROYAL COMPOUND – BELGRADE

The building of the WHITE PALACE, which is part of the Royal Palace complex, was built to the wishes of King Aleksandar I as a residence for his sons. It was built from 1934 to 1937 to a design by the architect Aleksandar Đorđević. The ground floor of this Classical building contains a Ceremonial Hall and a suite of Drawing rooms decorated in Louis XV and XVI style with Venetian chandeliers. It also contains the Palace Library, which used to contain 35,000 books, and the Ceremonial Dining Room furnished in Chippendale style. Within the Palace complex on the south side is the Palace Family Chapel which is linked to the main building by a columned portico. The Chapel is dedicated to St. Andrej First-called (Sveti Andrej Prvozvani) (the patron Saint of the Karađorđević family). The chapel is modeled on one in the Monastery of St. Andrija at Treska in Macedonia, which was built by Andrija, son of King Vukašin in 1389. The Chapel was designed and built at the same time as the main building.

SKADARLIJA - THE OLD, BOHEMIAN QUARTER OF BELGRADE

The old, bohemian quarter of Belgrade, Skadarlija, arose during the late 19th and early 20th century when its inns were the gathering place of the best known names in Belgrade. It is frequently compared to the Montmartre of Paris, both in appearance as well as the exuberant and dynamic artistic atmosphere.Skadarska street is located in the very center of Belgrade. It is close to the National Theatre, where at the end of the 19th and early 20 century many actors, artists, poets, writers and painters lived. Skadarlija is famous for its restaurants with delicious national dishes, good music and tamburitza orchestra.

CLUBBING

Nightlife, fun, laughs and good music, 24/7. In recent years, Belgrade's nightlife is often spoken off in the European clubbing circles. Fun with no time limitation, the ability to be picky and look for a place that meets the specific taste, a good after-party and party during weekdays, these are the reasons why Belgrade is one of the capitals of clubbing. Every evening you can choose a different style of entertainment, whether it is gypsy music, folk, rock, jazz, heavy metal, reggae or the best DJ sets. Interested in the vibrant, bustling town on the major rivers banks, a growing number of musicians and DJs place Belgrade on their tour list. Boats and rafts on Sava and Danube quay are open throughout the year, the Belgrade lake Ada Ciganlija offers numerous cafes and the street Strahinjica Bana is mapped as an area in which you will surely find a place for himself. Its known for its impressive large variety of cafes, pubs and clubs who compete in exclusivity, splendor and modernity.