About Belgrade
The story of Belgrade
“The story of Belgrade is the chronicle of a city that, throughout the centuries, every conqueror wanted exclusively for themselves, and that is why they all first destroyed it and then rebuilt it, again from the ashes.
A fortress on the border between the European East and the Asian West, this city is also a watchtower above the waters of two great rivers, the Sava and the Danube, a viewpoint over the Pannonian plains, a gateway to the ever-threatening Balkans. It is a center of many different treasures and, as such, both challenging and attractive.
As far as we know, it has been destroyed 37 times over the last two millennia. In some of the twenty centuries, therefore, several times over.” That means, several times in one century during some of these twenty centuries.
— Svetlana Velmar-Janković, Gate of the Balkans
A crossroads older than memory
Belgrade has existed for around 2,300 years. A little downstream from it lies Vinča, an archaeological site dating back at least 5,000 years before our era — a true paradise for archaeologists and historians.
It would take too long and become tiresome to list all the people and countries that once found themselves in Belgrade, so let us put it this way: almost everyone was here at some point. They came and went, while the city remained, bidding farewell to old conquerors and welcoming new ones, along with travelers, merchants, and pilgrims at the crossroads of Europe.
Where every wall tells another story
This colorful blend of cultures can be seen in the architecture, where every building is different, each in its own style. It can also be seen in the fortress walls, where Austrian red brick is intertwined with the massive stone blocks of Hungarian, Byzantine, and Serbian Belgrade, above Turkish cobblestones, on the foundations of Roman crossroads.
Whatever a guest says, they will be right
Whatever a guest says about Belgrade, they will be right. It only depends on where their gaze happens to rest at that moment.
Beautiful? Yes.
Not beautiful? That, too.
Western? Oriental? A modern city? Eastern European? All true.
New York? Berlin? Istanbul? Thessaloniki, perhaps? All of it fits, all of it is true.
Special and unique, each in their own way
Just like the city, the people of Belgrade are special and unique. And it is precisely this charm of Belgrade and its people that captivate everyone who comes to the city.
Not only do people live on the banks of the Danube and the Sava, but seagulls live there as well.
Instead of a conclusion
Whatever a guest says about Belgrade, they will be right. It only depends on where their gaze happens to rest at that moment.
“You are a crazy bird, seagull,” says a Belgrade poet. “Instead of living on the Mediterranean, you chose Belgrade, a hill of wars — why would you need that?”
“Perhaps I am a crazy bird, but in that case, you and I have a lot in common. We chose Belgrade — the city of winds, of history, of good food, good people, and the most beautiful women.”
It seems that Belgrade cannot truly be described with words. This is a city that must be experienced. Whoever visits Belgrade will fall in love with it and will return again.
Predrag Ilić
Licensed tour guide
Belgrade, at a glance
Photography © Dušan Stojančević / creativelight.rs
