Belgrade

Belgradeis thecapitalandlargest cityofSerbia.It is located at the confluence of theSavaandDanuberivers, where thePannonian Plainmeets theBalkans.Its name translates toWhite city.The city has a population of 1.23 million, while over 1.65 million people live in its metro area (which encompassadministrative limitsof City of Belgrade). Belgrade was the capital ofYugoslavia(in various forms of governments) from its creation in 1918, toits final dissolution in 2006.

Sava riverin Belgrade, view fromKalemegdan fortress.

Cathedral of Saint Savaand theNational Library of Serbia.

Quotes

• FromStettinin theBaltictoTriestein theAdriatic,aniron curtainhas descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states ofCentral and Eastern Europe.Warsaw,Berlin,Prague,Vienna,Budapest,Belgrade,BucharestandSofia,all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call theSovietsphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control fromMoscow.
  • Winston Churchill,speaking in 1946 at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, United States
  • Sinews of Peace.(2009, July 29). In Wikisource, The Free Library.

• I amBosnianby nationality... [T]he fact that my mother gave birth to me at a hospital inBelgradedoes not mean anything.
  • Jovan Divjak,as quoted in"JOVAN DIVJAK: JA SAM BOSANAC"(11 September 2007),Sense Tribunal,Sense Agency

• Serbia is the ideal destination for anyone looking for an adventurous holiday, without any long-haul flights, and a love of meeting the locals. You get a real feeling of being in an exotic location, where the tectonic plates ofIslam,Orthodox ChristianityandRoman Catholicism,alongsidesocialismandcapitalism,have all collided in the past.
  • Guardian: The Observer Travel

• Night falls in the capital of the formerYugoslavia,andmusicfills the air. Everywhere.
  • New York Times^{[citation needed]}

• This slightly disheveled air, combined with the city's vibrancy, fine restaurants, street cafes andnorthern Europeanatmosphere, would make it an ideal place to spend a few days...
  • Lonely Planet^{[citation needed]}

• So there is no singleEuropeanpeople. There is no single all-embracing community of culture and tradition among, say,Warsaw,Amsterdam,Berlinand Belgrade. In fact, there are at least four communities: the NorthernProtestant,theLatinCatholic,theGreekOrthodox,and theMuslimOttoman.There is no single language - there are more than twenty. (...) There are no real Europeanpolitical parties(...). And most significantly of all: unlike theUnited States,Europe still does not have a common story.
  • Geert Mak,Europe as a cultural project,2005

• Rememberthe developments in Yugoslavia.Before thatYeltsinwas lavished with praise, as soon as the developments inYugoslaviastarted, he raised his voice in support ofSerbs,and we couldn't but raise our voices for Serbs in their defense. I understand that there were complex processes underway there, I do. But Russia could not help raising its voice in support of Serbs, because Serbs are also a special and close to us nation, withOrthodoxculture and so on. It's a nation that has suffered so much for generations. Well, regardless, what is important is that Yeltsin expressed his support. What did theUnited Statesdo? In violation ofinternational lawand theUN Charterit started bombing Belgrade. It was the United States that let the genie out of the bottle. Moreover, whenRussiaprotested and expressed its resentment, what was said? The UN Charter and international law have become obsolete. Now everyone invokes international law, but at that time they started saying that everything is outdated, everything has to be changed.
  • Vladimir Putin,Interview with Tucker Carlson,9 February 2024

• Because theRussians,thanks to the second world war, have quite simply annexed the three Baltic States, taken a piece ofFinland,a piece ofRumania,a piece ofPoland,a piece ofGermanyand, thanks to a well thought-out policy composed of internal subversion and external pressure, have established Governments justifiably styled as Satellites, inWarsaw,Prague,Budapest,Sofia,Bucharest,TiranaandEast Berlin- I except Belgrade where the regime is unique thanks to the energy and courage ofMarshal Tito.
  • Paul-Henri Spaak,"The Atlantic Alliance and its Future,"14 September 1957

• Once located at the border between theTurkishandAustro-Hungarian empires,it combines Central European with more Oriental influences, and adds a style and spirit of its own. I can only put it one way: Belgrade is cool.
  • Bootsnall:Serbia Travel Guide

• Mist, not smoke, rose from the water at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers. This is the point where the biggest city in theBalkansbegan. Belgrade's origins lie in a Celtic settlement on a bluff with superb views across the plains. Today, the horizon is scarred with chimneys and tower blocks, but the drama of the location remains. Beneath the ridge, skeletal trees accompany the Sava to the point where it merges into, and amplifies, the artery ofeastern Europe.As theDanubecontinues its stately progress towards theBlack Sea,you can understand why theRomans,Slavs,TurksandAustrianstook turns to command these heights. Nowadays, the gently decaying stratum of history known as Belgrade fortress, draped upon the high ground, is the preserve of tourists.
  • Independent.co.uk: "Back to the Balkans"

• City break- Belgrade: If you've seenBudapestandKraków,consider heading somewhere new inEastern Europe.Belgrade is a fast-paced modern European capital, successfully banishing the shadows of war. The city's history has deprived it of the richness of historical buildings of other capitals, but it still boasts plenty of impressive leftovers from the Austro-Hungarian empire and a fascinating citadel with architectural influences from its manyoccupiers.A visit here is all about enjoying the modernarchitecture,dynamic atmosphere and excellent nightlife. Belgrade is best seen from the water - the city has a beautiful setting at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. If that's not enough to tempt you, thetouristoffice literature explains that Belgrade is a city of about two million people. More than half of them arewomen,renowned for their beauty, cleverness and unpredictability.
  • "The 2004 hot spots",Guardian Unlimited/The Observer

External links

• Encyclopedic article onBelgradeon Wikipedia