VISIT SERBIA - CITY OF BELGRADE
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of
Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the
Sava and
Danube rivers, where the
Pannonian Plain meets the
Balkans. Its name translates to
White city. The city proper has a population of over 2 million people.
One of the most important prehistoric cultures of
Europe, the
Vinča culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the
6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region, and after 279 BC
Celts conquered the city, naming it Singidūn. It was conquered by the
Romans during the reign of
Augustus, and awarded city rights in the mid
2nd century. It was settled by the
Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the
Byzantine Empire,
Frankish Empire,
Bulgarian Empire and
Kingdom of Hungary before it became the capital of
Serbian King Stephen Dragutin (1282--1316). In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the
Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the
Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to
Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841.
Northern Belgrade remained the southernmost Habsburg post until
1918, when the city was reunited. As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed to the ground 44 times. Belgrade was the capital of
Yugoslavia (in various forms of governments) from its creation in 1918, to its final dissolution in
2006.
Belgrade has a special administrative status within Serbia and it is one of five statistical regions of Serbia. Its metropolitan territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each with its own local council. It covers 3.6% of Serbia's territory, and 22.5% of the country's population lives in the city. The city has been awarded many titles, and the nomination for
European Capital of Culture 2020.
Houseboats on
Ada Ciganlija
Extreme sports are available, such as bungee jumping, water skiing, and paintballing.
There are numerous tracks on the island, where it is possible to ride a bike, go for a walk, or go jogging. Apart from Ada, Belgrade has total of 16 islands on the rivers, many still unused. Among them, the
Great War Island at the confluence of Sava, stands out as an oasis of unshattered wildlife (especially birds). These areas, along with nearby
Small War Island, are protected by the city's government as a nature preserve.
Tourist income is annually around 800 million Euros. In
2012, Belgrade visited 976.674 registered tourists.From that number 771.299 were foreign. Also more than
100.
000 tourists arrive by 850 river cruisers.
Belgrade has a reputation for offering a vibrant nightlife; many clubs that are open until dawn can be found throughout the city. The most recognizable nightlife features of Belgrade are the barges (splav), spread along the banks of the Sava and Danube
Rivers.
Belgrade nightlife on riverclubs.
Many weekend visitors—particularly from Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Croatia and
Slovenia—prefer Belgrade nightlife to that of their own capitals, due to a perceived friendly atmosphere, great clubs and bars, cheap drinks, the lack of language difficulties, and the lack of restrictive night life regulation.
Famous alternative clubs include Akademija and the famed
KST (Klub Studenata Tehnike), located in the basement of the
University of Belgrade Faculty of Electrical Engineering. One of the most famous sites for alternative cultural happenings in the city is the
SKC (Student
Cultural Centre), located right across from Belgrade's highrise landmark, the
Beograđanka.
Concerts featuring famous local and foreign bands are often held at the center. SKC is also the site of various art exhibitions, as well as public debates and discussions.
Skadarlija, the city's old bohemian neighbourhood
A more traditional
Serbian nightlife experience, accompanied by traditional music known as Starogradska (roughly translated as
Old Town Music), typical of northern Serbia's urban environments, is most prominent in Skadarlija, the city's old bohemian neighborhood where the poets and artists of Belgrade gathered in the 19th and early
20th centuries.
Skadar Street (the centre of Skadarlija) and the surrounding neighbourhood are lined with some of Belgrade's best and oldest traditional restaurants (called kafanas in Serbian), which date back to that period. At one end of the neighbourhood stands Belgrade's oldest beer brewery, founded in the first half of the
19th century. One of the city's oldest kafanas is the
Znak pitanja.
The Times reported that Europe's best nightlife can be found in buzzing Belgrade. In the
Lonely Planet "1000
Ultimate Experiences" guide of 2012, Belgrade was placed at the 1st spot among the top 10 party cities in the world.