belgrade
a lively city with orthodox, western christians and muslims
The white city is build around its huge castle. It it self houes a war museum and the zoo. Nothing much has happend here the last 50 years. Down to downtown you have a great pedestrian street with nice shops - and you wont imagine that there ever has been a war going on here. On the other side of th Donau river - where a lot of party boat are - we drive past the parliament building and enter a large shopping centre. Yes this is East Europe, a Europe that is reddy to surpast the west
Belgrade Fortress
Located on a hill overlooking the confluence of the Sava river into the Danube. The Romans were the first to build a fort (castrum) at this site and in the late 1st century AD, it became HQ of the IV Flavian Legion. Over the centuries of sieges, battles and conquests, the fortress was repeatedly razed to the ground, rebuilt and restructured. It took on its present shape round the end of the 18th century, but again, the wars that followed swept away nearly all the buildings.
Belgrade Fortress consists of Upper Town, Lower Town and Kalemegdan Park. Kalemegdan Park was created as late as the 19th century, on a plateau in front of the fortress, which had been cleared for centuries to allow for unobstructed view of the advancing enemy. The most of the preserved fortress ramparts and gates are located in the Upper town, as well as the symbol of Belgrade - Pobednik (The Victor). The plateau with the statue of Pobednik offers stunning views over the rivers and incredible sunsets. The Lower Town at the banks of the Danube was the main city centre in the Middle Ages. It was surrounded by walls and had a port. Only a few buildings remain today: Kula Nebojša (Daredevil Tower) from 1460, Turkish Bath from the 18th century (today housing a planetarium), Gate of Carl VI from 1736. |
Beograđanka
It's a modern high-rise building in the Belgrade downtown area. It is 101 m (331 ft) tall.
The building was designed by architect Branko Pešić, not to be confused with the former mayor of Belgrade by the same name. Construction began in 1969 and was completed five years later in 1974. The building is located in the heart of old city center, stretching from Terazije to Slavija Square, with an emphasized aspiration to dominate with its high 24-story part as the city's reference point. The top floor also features a restaurant. |
Church of Saint Sava
The church is centrally planned, having the form of a Greek Cross. It has a large central dome supported on four pendentives and buttressed on each side by a lower semi-dome over an apse. Beneath each semi-dome is a gallery supported on an arcade.
The dome is 70 m (230 ft) high, while the main gold plated cross is another 12 m (39 ft) high, which gives a total of 82 m (269 ft) to the height Cathedral of Saint Sava. The peak is 134 m (440 ft) above the sea level (64 m (210 ft) above the Sava river); therefore the church holds a dominant position in Belgrade's cityscape and is visible from all approaches to the city. The church is 91 m (299 ft) long from east to west, and 81 m (266 ft) from north to south. It is 70 m (230 ft) tall, with the main gold-plated cross extending for 12 m (39 ft) more. Its domes have 18 more gold-plated crosses of various sizes, while the bell towers have 49 bells of the Austrian Bell Foundry Grassmayr. It has a surface area of 3,500 m2 (37,674 sq ft) on the ground floor, with three galleries of 1,500 m2 (16,146 sq ft) on the first level, and a 120 m2 (1,292 sq ft) gallery on the second level. The Cathedral can receive 10,000 faithful at any one time. The choir gallery seats 800 singers. The basement contains a crypt, the treasury of Saint Sava, and the grave church of Saint Lazar the Hieromartyr, with a total surface of 1,800 m2 (19,375 sq ft) . The facade is in white marble and granite and, when finished, the inner decorations will be of mosaics. The central dome will contain a mosaic of Christ Pantocrator. To give a sense of the monumental scale, the eyes will each be about 4 meters wide. |
Glavna railway station
Belgrade–Glavna was built between 1881 and 1884 by the Oriental Railway (CO) as part of the Istanbul-Vienna railway. Before the construction of the station was complete, the CO handed ownership of the station to the newly formed Serbian Railways, but operated trains to the station via trackage rights until 1913, when the Oriental Railway ceased operations outside of the Ottoman Empire.
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House of the National Assembly of Serbia
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King Peter I took the initiative that to the area near the place where once located a large-Batal mosque, build a building that would serve the purpose as the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Serbia. The first project of the future House of Representative was made by the architect Konstantin Jovanović in 1891. His plan later was little changed for technical reasons, because of a new state constitution which requires a bicameral instead of the unicameral legislature. In the new competition in 1901, won the second architect, Jovan Ilkić, under whose plan constructed building assemblies. Architect Ilkić was not deviate from the basic version of the plan Konstantin Jovanović. The cornerstone of the House of Representative at a special ceremony was laid in 1907 by King Peter I, in the presence of other members of the royal family, senior officials and the people. The works lasted for almost 30 years, up until 1936. Construction were interrupted on several occasions - due to the two Balkan War, World War I and Great Depression from 1929. The house was completed in 1936 with the first sitting taking place on the 20th of October that year. The building is designed in the neo-baroque style. The building in that time was not been fully completed, because it still needs to work on its interior decoration, up until 1938. For this work he was engaged Russian architect Nikolai Krasnov, who is in every room of the building of 13,800 square meters done project of interior design. Krasnov was designed every detail - chandeliers, lamps, handles, windows, and furniture. His plans were not carried out as a classical technical drawing with a ruler and a pencil, than a watercolor. Lawmakers have not long to enjoyed the newly built House of Representative. After the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, the country was occupied, and during period of the Second World War in the House of Representative was located a German High Command of southeastern Europe. The parliament building was damaged during the October fifth demonstrations in 2000.
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Military Museum
It was founded by the Decree of Prince Milan Obrenović IV on August 22, 1878 on preposition of Minister of the Army, colonel Sava Grujić. The first permanent display was opened in 1904, coinciding with the 100th Anniversary of the Serbian Revolution and as a part of King Petar`s Coronation Ceremonies.
Inside the museum's main building, the exhibits are found in a single long hall progressing from ancient through medieval and then towards modern. All exhibits are labeled in the Serbian Language in both Cyrillic and Latin, as well as English. Outside the museum's main building, there are numerous tanks, howitzers, and armoured cars of many types. Some were acquired during World War II, when they were captured by the Red Army and Yugoslav Partisans from retreating Nazi and Axis forces (Belgrade Offensive). These decommissioned tanks and artillery pieces line the walls and paths leading into the Military Museum from two directions. Recent exhibits address NATO actions against Serbia in 1999, including the controversial use of cluster bombs, depleted uranium, and graphite bombs, some of which are claimed to be in violation of international law. A well-known exhibit features parts of a US F-117 stealth aircraft which was downed by a Serbian S-125 Neva/Pechora. |
National Theatre in Belgrade
In 1868, the Serbian National Theatre from Novi Sad (then the capital of Serbian culture in Austria-Hungary) performed in Belgrade (then the capital of the Principality of Serbia). Prince Michael, impressed by the performances he experienced, invited Jovan Đorđević (the founder of the Novi Sad Serbian National Theatre) to found a similar institution in Serbia. Having accepted, Jovan Đorđević came to Belgrade with half of his company of actors and founded the National Theatre in Belgrade, seven years after having founded the Novi Sad theatre.
The National Theatre Belgrade was built in 1869 according to the design of Aleksandar Bugarski, the most productive architect of Belgrade in the 19th century. The decision to construct a special building for the theatre was made by Knez Mihailo Obrenović. The building was a typical theatre building at the time and was particularly reminiscent of La Scala, Milan, with regard to its Renaissance conception and the decorative finish. Later, reconstructions completely changed the original appearance. The heavy reconstruction was made in 1986 when the theatre regained the 1922 look and an annex was built towards Braće Jugovića Street. Beside theatrical purposes, the hall has been used for charity balls and concerts during the 19th century. The Great Constitutional Assembly adopted the famous 1888 Constitution in this building. |
novi dvor
Built as a new palace for King Peter I Karađorđević, the foundation stone of Novi Dvor was laid down on 14 September 1911, on the site which formerly stood the residence of Prince Mihailo Obrenović III. The architect was Stojan Titelbah. Construction was delayed, first by the First Balkan War, then by the First World War - when the building site took direct hits from Austro-Hungarian gunfire - and the palace was not completed until 1922.
Peter I died in 1921 and it was his son, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia who was the first tenant, from 1922. Novi Dvor was the official palace of Yugoslavia until Alexander's assassination in Marseilles in 1934, after which the Royal Court was moved to Beli Dvor (White Palace) in Dedinje; Novi Dvor was converted into a museum and art gallery, and was damaged during the Second World War. Between 1948 and 1950 Novi Dvor underwent substantial reconstruction to house the Executive Council and the People's Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. From 1974 the Novi Dvor had been used as an office for the Presidency of Serbia, a collective governing body, and since 1991 it has been the official seat of the President of Serbia. |
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Palace of Serbia
The exterior 'H' shape was designed by lead architect Vladimir Potočnjak and his team: Anton Urlih, Zlatko Nojman and Dragica Perak. Construction officially began in 1947 and progressed until Potočnjak's death in 1952. The project was taken over by Mihailo Janković who designed the interior of the structure and oversaw its construction until completion in 1959.
The building was constructed in the mixed stripped down classicist (the main structure) and modernist (the glass domed great hall with front entrance) architectural styles. Common misconception about it being in socialist realism/Stalinist style is due to lack of such buildings in Belgrade in general. Due to Tito - Stalin split occurring before major new construction began in the city, the style, with the exception of Trade Unions Building, never took hold in Yugoslavia. While it is the most monumental building of the early socialist period, unfamiliar with Soviet construction of the time, yet familiar with the term used for it, come to this obviously erroneous conclusion. Its H-shaped base covers an area of approximately 65,000 m², thus making it the largest building in Serbia by area covered. It has 744 offices, about 30 m² each, 13 conference rooms, six salons, three large halls and two garages. |
Princess Ljubica's Residence
Princess Ljubica Residence is one of the most remarkable among the preserved examples of civil architecture in the first half of the 19th century Belgrade. It was built during the period from 1829 to 1830. According to plans of Prince Milos, the Residence was supposed to have a twofold purpose – to be a home for his family, Princess Ljubica and his sons Milan and Mihailo, later rulers of Serbia and at the same time a residential palace. It was built according to ideas and under supervision of Hadzi- Nikola Zivkovic, the pioneer of Serbian building and construction. Prince Milos decided to hire a constructor from Voden, Hadzi- Nikola Zivkovic, since there were none in Belgrade at that time for there were no construction activities for years. Thus Nikola Zivkovic became the first builder of renewed Serbia and he managed all Prince Milos’ buildings during his first reign. Foundation digging started in July in 1829, and the Residence was finished in late autumn in 1830. Princess Ljubica informed her husband in a letter from November 22nd in 1830 that “they have settled in the new residence”. A new Turkish bath – hammam, with one-storey wing was built later on in 1836.
Part of Patriarchate was located here from 1945-47 and the Republic Institute for Cultural Heritage Preservation since 1947. Preservation and restoration works were performed during the period from 1971 to 1979, when rehabilitation and renewal of facades and interiors were carried out. On this occasion, Princess Ljubica Residence, today an integral part of the Museum of Belgrade, was adapted for a prestigious museum exhibit. Princess Ljubica Residence has been proclaimed as 1st category cultural property in 1979. |
St. Mark's Church
Because of the rapid growth of the city and the increase in the number of residents, it became necessary by the beginning of the twentieth century to build a bigger church in the Belgrade quarter of Palilula. Frequent wars did not allow this until 1930 when a pair of Belgrade architects, the brothers Petar and Branko Krstić, both professors of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Architecture, designed the plans for the new St. Mark's Church. The present building of St. Mark's Church was built according to their drawings between 1931 and 1940. The eruption of World War II interrupted the full completion of the church. Only the construction work was finished. Divine service took place in the new church during the war and after it until November 14, 1948 in the adapted narthex of the church. On that date the church was consecrated (by Patriarch Gavrilo Dožić) and the church opened for divine service. There were plans to decorate the whole interior with frescoes. In construction style, the church is a monumental edifice built in the spirit of Serbian medieval buildings, using as a model the endowment of King Milutin, Gračanica Monastery near Priština in Kosovo.
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St. Michael's Cathedral
The cathedral was built from 1837-40 by order of Prince Miloš Obrenović, according to the design and plans of Adam Friedrich Kwerfeld, a builder from Pančevo. The church was built in the style of classicism with late baroque elements. The church is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. The interior is richly decorated. The gold-plated carved iconostasis was made by the sculptor Dimitrije Petrović, while the icons on the iconostasis, thrones, choirs and pulpits, as well as those on the walls and arches were painted by Dimitrije Avramović, one of the most distinguished Serbian painters of the 19th century.
The special value of the church is its treasury. The relics of Serbian saints emperor Uroš V and despot Stefan Štiljanović, as well as the heads of the Church and Serbian rulers of the Obrenović dynasty (Miloš, Mihailo and Milan). Today's building of the Patriarchate was built from 1934 until 1935 and designed by architect Viktor Lukomski. It is located across Saborna Crkva. The building has a square base, it is solid and has monumental forms. On the main facade, against the Cathedral Church, an impressive portico stands out, with low columns and an arched portal above which is a sculpted coat of arms of the Patriarchate of Serbia. On the top of this facade, in a niche, is a mosaic composition representing St. John the Baptist. In the east part of the building, there is a chapel dedicated to St. Simeon. It contains a carved iconostasis, the work of Ohrid masters, bearing icons painted in 1935 by Vladimir Predojević. Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia. |
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Stari dvor
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The palace was built between 1882 and 1884, according to the design of Aleksandar Bugarski, in the style of academism of the 19th century, with intention to surpass all existing residences of the Serbian rulers.
A number of important events from the time of the political power of the Obrenović dynasty are linked to the Old Palace: the Palace was built when Serbia was proclaimed a Kingdom; in that same building, King Milan abdicated in favor of his son, Aleksandar, on February 22, 1889. Between 1903 and 1914, the Old Palace was the residence of the Karadjordjević dynasty. In 1919 and 1920, meetings of the Provisional National Assembly took place there. Royal festivities and receptions of foreign guests took place there until 1941. The Palace was damaged twice: during World War I and during the bombing of Belgrade, on April 6, 1941. After World War I the Palace was repaired, while the first important restoration was done around 1930. The repair and re-arrangement of the Old Palace after World War II lasted until 1947. During that period, the architecture of the building was significantly changed. The two domes facing the garden were removed, while the facade facing the present Bulevar kralja Aleksandra was completely changed. Since that time, the building housed the Presidium of the National Assembly, then the federal government, and, since 1961, the City Assembly of Belgrade. |