Belgrade Fortress: Serbia's Sentinel of History

If you want to learn more about Serbia’s history, I highly recommend visiting the Belgrade Fortress.

This imposing monument rises above the Serbian capital as a symbol of its history that dates back over 2,000 years, and serves as a silent witness to the rise and fall of empires and armies.

The Belgrade Fortress consists of the Old Citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers, and is easily accessible by simply walking to the end of Old Town Belgrade’s elegant pedestrian main artery,

We first stopped at Kalemegdan Park, Belgrade’s main public park, located on a hill overlooking the two rivers. It used to be the ancient Roman city of Singidunum, a strategic outpost guarding the northern frontier of their empire. The park encircles the fortress.

The name “Kalemegdan” is derived from two Turkish words:  kale, which means “fortress,” and megdan, which means “battlefield.” These pretty much sum up what happened here. In peaceful times, this site also served as a town field and a military parade ground.

The large park is divided into two sections: the Great Park and the Little Park, and features geometrical promenades, pedestrian walkways, dramatic staircases, a pavilion, an amusement park, and even a gondola lift. It is home to several galleries and museums, restaurants, sports and courts, and the Belgrade Zoo. It is where various sport, cultural, and art events in the city take place. On weekends, it is a favourite hangout for families.

Our Tour Director made a special note of the “Monument of Gratitude to France,” found at the end of the main park. It is a sculpture of an allegorical female figure that represents France rushing to Serbia’s aid during and after the First World War and providing military and educational aid. It is a monument commemorating their support.

However, in 1999, things turned sour when France joined the NATO attack on Serbia. A group of young citizens covered this monument in black cloth with writing that said, “May there be eternal glory to the France that doesn’t exist anymore.” 

Then in 2018, during the World War I centenary celebration in Paris, the Serbian President was given a seat so far away from the central seats, in favour of the representatives of states that were on the opposing side of the war. Serbia took this as an insult. The following day, the statue was vandalized with black X marks and graffiti was sprayed all over the monument. The French ambassador later apologized on TV.

Our Tour Director said that in a nutshell, Serbia has suffered much in many wars and has acted in defence of its freedom and rights, yet it is still widely misunderstood and sometimes taken for granted.

And to learn more about the wars that took place here, we proceeded to the fortress.

The Belgrade Fortress and The Citadel was declared a “Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance” in 1979 and protected by the Republic of Serbia, since the history of the fortress reflects the history of Belgrade itself.

For sixteen centuries, it had been destroyed and rebuilt over and over, from the primitive fortifications built by the Celts, to the earthen bulwark and wooden palisade Roman camp that served as the border between the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire, to the white limestone structure that gave Belgrade its name (beograde means “white stone”), to its current form after a series of rebuilding by the Byzantines, the Turks, the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians, and the modern armies of Yugoslavia and present-day Serbia. Each group had left its mark, and the historical layers are there, lying one beneath the other to tell their own story.

Today, the huge complex comprises of the Upper and Lower Towns and the vast field that has become the park.

The most preserved fortress ramparts and gates are located in the Upper Town, which is the heart of the fortress. It can be accessed through the main entrance within the second city wall called Inner Istambol Gate, built around 1750, and named after Istanbul.

It is built on the southeastern side of the fortress and connected by bridge to the Clock Wall that holds the Clock Tower and by another bridge to the outer ravelin.

Our Tour Director told us that the many gates of the fortress are connected to each other but are not exactly aligned in order to prevent the use of siege engines on the inner gate, if the outer gate would be breached. What a brilliant strategy!

As we crossed the bridge, a couple of lads dressed as soldiers and waving a Serbian flag welcomed us. One was dressed in a Communist uniform, and the other, the present-day military uniform. One of my tourmates wanted a picture, so she posed in-between the soldiers. The “Communist soldier” even lent her his hat and handed her the flag to hold. It was a good shot. I was getting ready to pose with them when one “modern soldier” asked for money. I realized this was a tourist trap, so I just snapped a photo of them waving at me without posing with them.

On both sides of the bridge before we went through the Clock Tower, also known as the Sahat Tower, were displays of tanks and artillery, part of the Belgrade Military Museum’s outer exhibition. The museum itself is located inside the fortress and features exhibits on ancient, medieval, and modern weapons, soldiers’ uniforms, dioramas, and plaques, and other war-related displays. The 18th-century Clock Tower right ahead has narrow stairs where one can climb up to check the inner workings of the clock, or to just snap some panoramic shots.

Within the Upper Town are several historic attractions that we saw and explored:

• Damat Ali Pasha’s Turbeh – one of the rare, preserved monuments of Islamic architecture within the park; named after the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire; his tomb and those of his two commanders lie there

• Fountain of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha – dedicated to a Grand Vizier of Serbian origin who had served under three Ottoman sultans

• Roman Well – called a well, but was actually a 60 metre-deep dungeon with a double spiral staircase, and is connected to many grisly legends, from murder and torture of prisoners and military mistresses, to trapped soldiers who lost their minds and killed each other, and missing divers; legend says it even contains some hidden gold; it said to be Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite spot in Belgrade

• Military Bunker – built during the Cold War and was recently opened to the public; dark and cold; contains items, equipment, and secrets from the Communist period of Yugoslavia

• The Victor – the famous bronze statue of a naked man holding a sword in his right hand and a falcon in his left hand, signifying war and peace, that has become the symbol of Belgrade; built on a Doric pedestal and standing 14-meters high

Trivia:

This statue was built to commemorate Serbia’s victory over the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian Empires. It was originally planned to be displayed in Terazije Square, but was moved to its present location due to a public outcry on moral grounds. Apparently, a realistic sculpture of a nude man in the centre of the square could be quite scandalous to the chaste Belgrade ladies.

The new placement, however, is said to be more strategic because with the statue’s crotch facing Austria and its behind facing Turkey, it was a silent “in-your-face” and “up-your-*%#” post-war message to these two countries. (And our Tour Director joked that the message intended for Austria is probably not such a strong one because the statue’s you-know-what was not carved to an appropriate size. I took the time to go down a flight of steps to check the statue’s front view because of this, and proved that he was right!)

• King’s Gate - one of several remaining original gates that led into the fortress

• Defterdar Gate – a 17th-century gate that leads to the Lower Town

• Zindan Gate – built in the middle of the 15th century between two imposing round towers with vaults that served as dungeons; in fact, zindan is the Turkish word for “dungeon”

• Despot’s Gate/Tower – the best-preserved part of this medieval castle built in the first half of the 15th century; used to be the main gate and has a beautiful drawbridge; the tower now houses the Astronomical Observatory and has huge telescopes that are sometimes made available to the public

• Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Belgrade – a mansion built in the 19th-century Balkan-style and was reconstructed after the war; now houses this institution

• North Ramparts – the favourite place of locals to hangout and bask in the sun while enjoying the view of the rivers and the fields below; also a popular romantic spot for couples declaring their love for each other against the backdrop of the sunset; it’s not surprising to witness marriage proposals on one of its benches

Our group stayed there for a bit to enjoy the view and the breeze. While taking pictures, our Tour Director pointed at the exact spot of the confluence of the two rivers – the Sava flowing from the left, and the Danube, running north to south from our vantage point. He also pointed to the direction of Hungary to our left and Romania to our right.

The view and the ambience reminded me of two walled cities – Intramuros, the ancient walled city in Spanish-occupied Manila surrounded by Fort Santiago, and the Walled City of Quebec overlooking the Plains of Abraham. This one in Belgrade gave me the same type of vibe.

Directly in front of us is the Great War Island and across the Sava River is Zemun. Great War Island is actually a tiny island right on the river confluence and is part of Zemun. It was once a strategic defence point in various battles but is now left to run wild. It is uninhabited, thus offering a haven to almost 200 bird species. It also has a beach on the northern tip, which is a popular swimming spot for locals.

Zemun is a municipality of the city of Belgrade, but very distinct. Most of the fiercely independent locals still believe that they are still an entirely separate town from Belgrade, just like before the war, and its rich history dates back even before the Roman times when it was then known as Taurunum.

Once upon a time, Zemun was a town on the Austrian border and because it was on the other side of the river, its fortress looked upon the Belgrade fortress with caution even while their people traded. It was the last frontier of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and thus still retains its old town feel and its Austrian influence.

After the Second World War, New Belgrade was built between the Old Town of Zemun and the Old Town of Belgrade to connect them. At present, they comprise Greater Belgrade, but still, Zemun has its own identity and personality. It is too bad we did not have the time to go there. It is worth at least half a day trip.

We did not venture down the Lower Town either, which occupies the slope towards the riversides of the Sava and the Danube. During the reign of Despot Stefan Lazareic, this section served as both a fortification and an urban area that was the economic, cultural, and spiritual centre of the Serbian despotate. It used to be the site of a settlement with houses, churches, and markets and surrounded by thick walls. There was also a harbour for merchant vessels and war ships. Today, it is a large lawn full of ruins, and one can explore attractions such as the:

• Military Museum - features exhibits on ancient, medieval, and modern weapons, soldiers’ uniforms, dioramas, and plaques, and other war-related displays

• Gunpowder Magazine - set-up by the Austrians in 1718 to hide artillery, but is now used to store a collection of artifacts from the Roman period discovered in and around the fortress such as, tombstone monument, altars, and a sarcophagus, believed to be of the Biblical prophet Jonah

• Charles VI Gate - built in honour of the Hapsburg Emperor and characterized by its Baroque style and triumphant arch

• Nebojsa Tower - built as a cannon tower but used as a dungeon

• Ruzica Church - an Orthodox church that was a former Austrian gun depot that was destroyed during the war and rebuilt; present decoration features spent shells and bullet casings used to cast brass chandeliers, as well as swords and bayonet; outside, the building is covered in ivy and guarded by sculptures of two Serbian warriors

• Chapel of St. Petka - built upon an ancient cave church with a miraculous spring and houses the relic of the saint

• the remains of the See of the Metropolitan Bishop of Belgrade - Bishop’s court in earlier times

• Belgrade Planetarium housed in a former 18th-century Turkish hammam (bath house)

  
  

I understood why this tour does not encourage a party of seniors. All the walking and climbing we did was equivalent to a week’s worth of workout, at least for me. And to think we did not even navigate the slopes to the Lower Town (which I would have done as I thought it was as interesting as the Upper Town).

I was hot, exhausted, and super thirsty as I dragged myself along the pedestrian walkway that cuts through the park.

Our Tour Director finally led us out of the Kalemegdan Park to go back to Knez Mihailov, the main avenue, but this time, we took a different route because he wanted to show us a few more places.

It was certainly a very educational tour. I felt like a school kid going on a field trip. In a few hours, I was able to absorb the pieces of history that made Serbia what it is today – more than a hundred battles fought, 40 episodes of destruction, years of reconstruction over and over for 16 centuries…that was a lot to take in!

Much of what stands today is the product of 18th-century Austro-Hungarian and Turkish reconstructions. And behind the seemingly convivial atmosphere of the modern world, animated by locals and tourists strolling its ramparts and walkways, or sipping coffee at a sidewalk café, or gathering around artists painting their masterpieces and street musicians providing entertainment, is a truly remarkable story of this land and its people.