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Amazing Serbia: Belgrade

18:51:00



I have one confession to make. Before going to Serbia I had quite contradictory feelings about this country and I didn’t expect that Serbia would amaze me so much. Please, don’t sentence me to death. I am still young and foolish. I will try to convince you that now I have changed my opinion. I will start my story from the very beginning, from the day when I arrived at the city which has arisen from its ashes 38 times - Belgrade.



Belgrade is a city of contrasts. On the streets you can see a lot of wonderful buildings in European style. It looks like they were built with a great love and scrupulosity: fretwork, balconies, columns, balustrades… At the same time most of them are not in the perfect state as the paint has crumbled or cracked, but it doesn’t make it any worse. On the contrary, adds some charm to the city. Sometimes modern life makes itself felt as the city has a lot of graffiti paintings. From my point of view, they look really great, and seems like those old experienced buildings are not against of this personal intervention. Old Belgrade looks to be in a harmony with those innovations. Perhaps, it doesn’t want to be completely restored and doesn’t mind this shade of modern life.



After a long walk through the streets I reached the quay. Belgrade is located on the banks of two rivers: Sava and Danube. On the bank of Sava are key attractions of Belgrade. Here you can also see a lot of restaurants and cafes on the water. It is a great pleasure to hide there from a crazy summer heat.

Didn’t I prove my feelings to this city? No? Okay, then let me tell you more about the main attractions. What about Knez Mihailova Street? Or Prince Michael Street. It’s a picturesque street in the center of the city. The street was named in honor of Mihailo Obrenović III and was built in 1870s. It’s said that here used to be a center of a Roman city called Singidunum. Moreover, during Ottoman times this area was built up by private houses, gardens, fountains and mosques. Nowadays it’s the main pedestrian and shopping zones of the city.

The Serbs belong to the Orthodox Church, so that’s why there are so many Orthodox churches and more than 10 monasteries. Church of Saint Sava is one of the largest Orthodox temples in the world. It is the biggest church in the Balkans and the second Orthodox Cathedral in the world after the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Church of Saint Sava is the place where according to the chronicles, the Turks burned the Holy relics of St. Sava – the first Archbishop of Serbia and patron of the country. The Cathedral was built in the Byzantine style in 1894-1986.

If you still have any doubts about my love to Belgrade, right now I will dispel all of them. Serbia has the only hotel in the world (outside the former Soviet Union) which is called “Moscow”. Please, read all this paragraph with a strong Russian accent, as this fact really warms my cold Russian soul. By the way, “Moscow” is one of the oldest and prestigious hotels in Belgrade.

Belgrade has not only a piece of Russia, but also a piece of France. Skadarlija, a vintage street in the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad (Old town), is considered to be the main bohemian quarter of Belgrade, similar to Paris’ Montmartre. Here you can find a lot of shops, cafes, clubs and so on.


Botanical garden “Jevremovac” is a garden of biological faculty of University of Belgrade. There are more than 250 different plants and greenhouse with tropical and subtropical plants will soon turn 120 years. Once it was one of the biggest and luxurious greenhouses in the central Europe.

To be honest, I have another one confession to make: the garden isn’t that wonderful and needs some care. So if you don’t have much time in Belgrade, you can easily skip this landmark and visit something else.

For example, visit St. Mark’s Church and the park nearby. Don’t forget to visit small Russian Orthodox church next to it. Here was reinterred an officer in the Imperial Russian Army and later commanding general of the anti-Bolshevik White Army Pyotr Wrangel.

Belgrade still has its wounds which haven’t healed up yet. The dilapidated building of the former Ministry of defence is a bright example. Right now there is no final decision about these buildings, so this is a remnant of the recent war.

Let’s go deeper into the history of Belgrade and move back to year 535 when was built Belgrade Fortress. For many centuries the entire population of Belgrade lived inside the walls. In its 2300-year history, the fortress was the place of battles 115 times, and has suffered damages of various degrees 44 times. It’s the place where the rivers Sava and Danube confluence. History, ancient ruins, stunning views- it has everything that any tourist dreams about.

Here, in Kalemegdan Park, I finish my Belgrade story. I hope now you like this wonderful city as much as I do. However, I hope to see you next time, out of Belgrade. I will tell you about a lovely Serbian town and a mineral spa resort called Vrnjačka Bajia. And now I will leave you to enjoy this beautiful sunset.


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2 коммент.

  1. I was in Serbia too! But I saw the city in another option of view, I was shown the city by my friend. PS. Amazing photos
    http://write-to-kate.blogspot.ru

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much! It would be interesting to know what you think about the city :)

      Delete

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