Serbian history tour: Viminacium, Ram, Golubac, Smederevo Fortress

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• published: 01 Aug 2012
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Viminacium (VIMINACIVM) was a major city (provincial capital) and military camp of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia), and the capital of Moesia Superior. The site is located 12 km from the modern town of Kostolac in Eastern Serbia. The city dates back to the 1st century AD, and at its peak it is believed to have 40.000 habitants, and was one of the biggest cities of that time. It lies on the Roman road Via Militaris. Viminacium was devastated by Huns in the 5th century, but rebuilt by Justinian. It was completely destroyed with the arrival of Slavs in the 6th century. The archeological site occupies a total of 450 hectares, and contains remains of temples, streets, squares, amphitheatres, palaces, hippodromes and Roman baths. The Ram Fortress is situated on a steep slope on the right bank of the River Danube, in the municipality of Veliko Gradište, Serbia. The place first finds its reference in Trajanic times as a settlement where the cavalry units were stationed. In the year 1128 CE, it is mentioned as being in the area where the Byzantines defeated the Hungarians. Sultan Bayazid II (1480--1512) built the present fortifications of Ram Fortress, in the form of a regular pentagon designed to withstand cannon warfare. The side towards the land has a low wall with a wide moat in front of it. Apart from the place, where the fortress is entered, there are four corner towers. Masonry fireplace -- rare in the medieval buildings of this region -- are preserved in them. The interior of the fortress was demolished during the Koca rebellion in 1788, and a caravanserai, which is built in the same way as the fortress, is found in its vicinity. Golubac Fortress (Serbian: Голубачки град or Golubački grad, Romanian: Cetatea Golubăț, Hungarian: Galambóc vára) was a medieval fortified town on the right side of the Danube River, 4 kilometers downstream from the modern-day town of Golubac, Serbia. The fortress, which was most likely built during the 14th century, is split into three compounds which were built in stages. It has ten towers, most of which started square, and several of which received many-sided reinforcements with the advent of firearms. Golubac Fortress has had a tumultuous history. Prior to its construction it was the site of a Roman settlement. During the Middle Ages, it became the object of many battles, especially between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. It changed hands repeatedly, passing between Turks, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbs, and Austrians, until 1867, when it was turned over to the Serbian Knez, Mihailo Obrenović III. Now, it is a popular tourist attraction in the region and a sightseeing point on Danube boat tours. Smederevo Fortress (Serbian: Cмeдepeвcκa твpђaвa, Smederevska tvrđava), in Smederevo, Serbia, was a medieval fortified city and temporary capital of Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was built between 1427 and 1430, on the order of Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate. It was further fortified by the Ottoman Empire, that had taken the city, in the end of the century. Smederevo is the largest medieval lowland type of fortresses in Europe. The fortress withstood several sieges between the Ottomans and Serbs, which it survived relatively unscathed. It was not until World War II that it was heavily damaged, by explosions and bombing. As of 2009 it is in the midst of extensive restoration and conservation work, despite which the fortress remains "one of the rare preserved courts of medieval Serbian rulers." Smederevo Fortress was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and is protected by the Republic of Serbia. In 2010, the fortress was placed on the Tentative List for possible nomination as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).