'Belgrade' ( ) is the
capital and largest city of
Serbia. In 4800
BC, the prehistoric
Starčevo culture emerged in the Belgrade area, later succeeded by the
Vinča culture. The site of the city was settled in the third century BC by the
Celts, before becoming the
Roman settlement of
Singidunum.
[2][3] The
Slavic name ''Beligrad'' (a form of ''Beograd'', meaning ''White City'') was first recorded in 878
AD. From the 9th to 16th centuries, it shifted between
Byzantine,
Frankish,
Bulgarian,
Hungarian and
Serbian rulership, until it was conquered by the
Ottomans in 1521 and became the seat of the
Pashaluk of Belgrade. Thrice occupied by the
Habsburg Empire between 17th-18th centuries, in 1841 (after its
liberation from the Ottomans), Belgrade became the capital of the
Principality of Serbia, which was renamed the
Kingdom of Serbia in 1882. Belgrade was also the capital of several incarnations of
Yugoslavia from 1918 until 2006.
[4]
The city lies at the confluence of the
Sava and
Danube Rivers in north central Serbia, where the
Pannonian Plain meets the
Balkan Peninsula. With a population of 1,576,124 (2002),
[ Belgrade is the largest city on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and the fourth largest in Southeastern Europe, behind Istanbul, Athens and Bucharest.]
Belgrade has the status of a separate territorial unit in Serbia, with its own autonomous city government.[5] Its territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each having its own local council.[6] It covers 3.6% of the territory of Serbia, and 21% of the Serbian population (excluding that of the Kosovo province) lives in the city.[7] Belgrade is the central economic hub of Serbia, and the capital of Serbian culture, education and science.
Geography
Satellite view of Belgrade
Belgrade lies above sea level and is located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, at coordinates 44°49'14" North, 20°27'44" East. The historical core of Belgrade (today's Kalemegdan) is on the right bank of the rivers. From the 19th century, the city has been expanding to the south and east, and after World War II, New Belgrade was built on the Sava's left bank, merging Belgrade with Zemun. Smaller, chiefly residential communities across the Danube, like Krnjača and Ovča, also merged with the city. The city has an urban area of , while together with its metropolitan area it covers . Throughout history, Belgrade has been a major crossroad between the West and the Orient.[1]
On the right bank of the Sava, central Belgrade has hilly terrain, while the highest point of Belgrade proper is Torlak hill at . The mountains of Avala () and Kosmaj () lie south of the city.[9] Across the Sava and Danube, the land is mostly flat, consisting of alluvial plains and loessial plateaus.
Climate
Belgrade has a moderate continental climate. The year-round average temperature is , while the hottest month is July, with an average temperature of . There are, on average, 31 days a year when the temperature is above 30 °C, and 95 days when the temperature is above 25 °C. Belgrade receives about 700 millimetres (27.56 in) of precipitation a year. The average annual number of sunny hours is 2,096. The sunniest months are July and August, with an average of about 10 sunny hours a day, while December and January are the gloomiest, with an average of 2–2.3 sunny hours a day.[10] The highest ever recorded temperature in Belgrade was +43,1°C [11], while on the other end, the lowest temperature was -21 °C [12].
History
The Neolithic Starčevo and Vinča cultures existed in or near Belgrade and dominated the Balkans (as well as parts of Central Europe and Asia Minor) about 7,000 years ago. [13][14] Settled in the third century BC by a Celtic tribe, the Scordisci, the city's first recorded name was Singidūn, before becoming the Roman settlement of Singidunum in the first century AD. Four hundred years later in 395 AD, the site passed to the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire.[15]
Middle Ages
Singidunum was occupied and often ravaged by successive invasions of Huns, Sarmatians, Ostrogoths and Avars before the arrival of the Slavs around 630 AD. The first record of the Slavic name ''Beograd'' dates to 878, during the rule of the First Bulgarian Empire. For about four centuries, the city remained a battleground between the Byzantine Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary and the First Bulgarian Empire.[16] It passed to Serbian rule in 1284, as part of the Kingdom of Syrmia. The first Serbian king to rule over Belgrade was Dragutin (1276–1282), the ruler of the Kingdom of Syrmia, who received it as a gift from his father-in-law, the Hungarian king Ladislav IV.[17]
Following the Battle of Maritsa in 1371, and the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, the Serbian Empire began to crumble as the Ottoman Empire conquered its southern territory.[18][19] The north, however, resisted through the Serbian Despotate, which had Belgrade as its capital. The city flourished under Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of the famous Serbian ruler Lazar Hrebeljanović. Lazarević built a castle with a citadel and towers, of which only the Despot's tower and the west wall remain. He also refortified the city's ancient walls, allowing the Despotate to resist the Ottomans for almost 70 years. During this time, Belgrade was a haven for the many Balkan peoples fleeing from Ottoman rule, and is thought to have had a population of some 40–50,000.
In 1427, Stefan's successor Đurađ Branković had to return Belgrade to the Hungarians, and the capital was moved to Smederevo. During his reign, the Ottomans captured most of the Serbian Despotate, reaching Belgrade in 1456.[20] As it presented an obstacle to their further advance into Central Europe, they attacked, starting the famous Siege of Belgrade, where the Christian army under John Hunyadi successfully defended the city from the Ottomans.[21]
Turkish conquest
Belgrade in the 16th century
On 28 August 1521, the fort was captured by Suleyman the Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, who subsequently raized most of the city to the ground. Belgrade was made the seat of the district (Sanjak), attracting new inhabitants—Turks, Armenians, Greeks, Ragusan traders, and others, and there was peace for the next 150 years. The city's population is believed to have reached 100,000 in the 17th century. Turkish rule also introduced Ottoman architecture to Belgrade and many mosques were built, increasing the city's Oriental influences.[22] In 1594, a major Serb rebellion was crushed by the Turks, who burned churches and the relics of Saint Sava on the Vračar plateau; more recently, the Temple of Saint Sava was built to commemorate this event.[23]
Occupied by Austria three times (1688–1690, 1717–1739, 1789–1791), Belgrade was quickly recaptured and substantially raized each time by the Ottomans.
During the First Serbian Uprising, the Serbian rebels held the city from 8 January 1806 until 1813, when it was retaken by the Ottomans.[25] After the Second Serbian Uprising in 1817, Serbia reached a degree of autonomy, and was fully recognized by the Porte in 1830.[26] In 1841, Prince Mihailo Obrenović moved the capital from Kragujevac to Belgrade.[27]
After independence
With the Principality's full independence in 1878, and its transformation into the Kingdom of Serbia in 1882, Belgrade once again became a key city in the Balkans, and developed rapidly.[28][29] Nevertheless, conditions in Serbia as a whole remained those of an overwhelmingly agrarian country, even with the opening of a railway to Niš, Serbia's second city, and in 1900 the capital had only 69,100 inhabitants.[30] Yet by 1905 the population had grown to more than 80,000, and by the outbreak of World War I in 1914, it had surpassed the 100,000 mark, not counting Zemun which then belonged to Austria-Hungary.[31][32]
Knez Mihailova street at the beginning of the 20th century
The first-ever projection of motion pictures in the Balkans and Central Europe was held in Belgrade in June 1896 by Andre Carr, a representative of the Lumière brothers. He shot the first motion pictures of Belgrade in the next year; however, they have not been preserved.[33]
World War I
Gavrilo Princip's assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 triggered World War I. Most of the subsequent Balkan offensives occurred near Belgrade. Austro-Hungarian monitors shelled Belgrade on 29 July 1914, and it was taken by the Austro-Hungarian Army under General Oskar Potiorek on 30 November. On 15 December, it was re-taken by Serbian troops under Marshal Radomir Putnik. After a prolonged battle which destroyed much of the city, between 6 October and 9 October 1915, Belgrade fell to German and Austro-Hungarian troops commanded by Field Marshal August von Mackensen on 9 October 1915. The city was liberated by Serbian and French troops on 5 November 1918, under the command of Marshal Louis Franchet d'Espérey of France and Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia.
After the war, Belgrade became the capital of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. The Kingdom was split into banovinas, and Belgrade, together with Zemun and Pančevo, formed a separate administrative unit.[34]
During this period, the city experienced faster growth and significant modernisation. Belgrade's population grew to 239,000 by 1931 (incorporating the suburb of Zemun, formerly in Austria-Hungary), and 320,000 by 1940. The population growth rate between 1921 and 1948 averaged 4.08% a year.
World War II
On 25 March 1941, the government of regent Crown Prince Paul signed the Tripartite Pact, joining the Axis powers in an effort to stay out of the Second World War. This was immediately followed by mass protests in Belgrade and a military coup d'état led by Air Force commander General Dušan Simović, who proclaimed King Peter II to be of age to rule the realm. Consequently, the city was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe on 6 April 1941, and at least 2,500 people were killed.[36] Yugoslavia was then invaded by German, Italian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian forces, and suburbs as far east as Zemun, in the Belgrade metropolitan area, were incorporated into a Nazi puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia. Belgrade became the seat of another puppet government, headed by General Milan Nedić.
During the summer and fall of 1941, in reprisal for guerrilla attacks, Germans carried out several massacres of Belgrade citizens; in particular, members of the Jewish community were subject to mass shootings at the order of General Franz Böhme, the German Military Governor of Serbia. Böhme rigorously enforced the rule that for every German killed, 100 Serbs or Jews would be shot.[37]
Belgrade was bombed by the Allies on 16 April 1944, killing about 1,600 people. Both this and the earlier Luftwaffe bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter. Most of the city remained under German occupation until 20 October 1944, when it was liberated by Communist Yugoslav Partisans and the Red Army. On 29 November 1945, Marshal Josip Broz Tito proclaimed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Belgrade.
During the post-war period, Belgrade grew rapidly as the capital of the renewed Yugoslavia, developing as a major industrial centre.
Post-communist history
Pobednik (''The Victor''), a symbol of Belgrade
On 9 March 1991, massive demonstrations led by Vuk Drašković were held in the city against Slobodan Milošević.[39] According to various media outlets, there were between 100,000 and 150,000 people on the streets.[40] Two people were killed, 203 injured and 108 arrested during the protests, and later that day tanks were deployed onto the streets to restore order.[41] Further protests were held in Belgrade from November 1996 to February 1997 against the same government after alleged electoral fraud at local elections.[42] These protests brought Zoran Đinđić to power, the first mayor of Belgrade since World War II who did not belong to the League of Communists of Yugoslavia or its later offshoot, the Socialist Party of Serbia.[43]
The NATO bombing during the Kosovo War in 1999 caused substantial damage to the city. Among the sites bombed were the buildings of several ministries, the RTS building, which killed 16 technicians, several hospitals, the Jugoslavija Hotel, the Central Committee building, the Avala TV Tower, and the Chinese embassy.[44]
After the elections in 2000, Belgrade was the site of more major demonstrations, with over half a million people on the streets (800,000 by police estimates, over 1,000,000 according to Misha Glenny). These demonstrations resulted in the ousting of president Milošević.[45][46]
Names through history
| Name | Notes |
|---|
| Singidūn(on) | Named by the Celtic tribe of the Scordisci; ''dūn(on)'' means 'lodgment, enclosure, fort'; 279 BC[47] |
| Singidūnum | Romans conquered the city and Romanised the Celtic name |
| Beograd, Београд | Slavic name first mentioned in 878 as ''Beligrad'' in the letter of Pope John VIII to Boris of Bulgaria which means "White city / white fortress".[ History (Byzantine Empire) ] |
| Alba Graeca, "Alba" may be derived from the Latin word for "white" | Latin |
| Alba Bulgarica | Latin name during the period of Bulgarian rule over the city |
| Fehérvár | Hungarian translation |
| Weißenburg and Griechisch Weißenburg | German translation. Modern German is Belgrad. |
| Castelbianco | Italian translation |
| Nandoralba | In medieval Hungary up to the 14th century |
| Nándorfehérvár, Landorfehérvár | In medieval Hungary. Modern Hungarian is Belgrád. |
| Veligrad(i)on or Velegrada/Βελέγραδα | Byzantine name. Modern Greek is Veligradi (Βελιγράδι). |
| Darülcihad | Ottoman name, meaning ''House of the Holy War''.[48] Modern Turkish is Belgrat. |
Government and politics
Belgrade is a separate territorial unit in Serbia, with its own autonomous city government.
The Civic Assembly of Belgrade has 90 councilors who are elected for four-year terms. The current majority parties are the same as in the Parliament of Serbia (Democratic Party, Democratic Party of Serbia and G17 Plus), and in similar proportions, with the Serbian Radical Party, the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Serbian Strength Movement in opposition.[49]
Municipalities
Map of the municipalities of Belgrade
The city is divided into 17 municipalities, ten with "urban" status, and seven with "suburban" status. While each has its own local council, the suburban municipalities have slightly expanded municipal powers, mainly with regard to construction, town planning and public utility provision.
Most of the municipalities are situated on the southern side of the Danube and Sava rivers, in the Šumadija region. Three municipalities (Zemun, Novi Beograd, and Surčin) are on the northern bank of the Sava, in the Syrmia region, and the municipality of Palilula, spanning the Danube, is in both the Šumadija and Banat regions.
| Name | Area (km²) | Population (1991) | Population (2002) | Urban/Suburban |
|---|
| Barajevo | 213 | 20,846 | 24,641 | Suburban |
| Čukarica | 156 | 150,257 | 168,508 | Urban |
| Grocka | 289 | 65,735 | 75,466 | Suburban |
| Lazarevac | 384 | 57,848 | 58,511 | Suburban |
| Mladenovac | 339 | 54,517 | 52,490 | Suburban |
| Novi Beograd | 41 | 218,633 | 217,773 | Urban |
| Obrenovac | 411 | 67,654 | 70,975 | Suburban |
| Palilula | 451 | 150,208 | 155,902 | Urban |
| Rakovica | 31 | 96,300 | 99,000 | Urban |
| Savski Venac | 14 | 45,961 | 42,505 | Urban |
| Sopot | 271 | 19,977 | 20,390 | Suburban |
| Stari Grad | 5 | 68,552 | 55,543 | Urban |
| Surčin | 285 | Part of Zemun
municipality until 2004. | 55,000 (est.) | Suburban |
| Voždovac | 148 | 156,373 | 151,768 | Urban |
| Vračar | 3 | 67,438 | 58,386 | Urban |
| Zemun | 154 | 176,158 | 136,645 | Urban |
| Zvezdara | 32 | 135,694 | 132,621 | Urban |
| TOTAL | 3227 | 1,552,151 | 1,576,124 | |
Source: Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia |
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Belgrade
Belgrade has a population of 1,576,124 as recorded in the 2002 Serbian census. The main ethnic groups were Serbs (1,417,187), Yugoslavs (22,161), Montenegrins (21,190), Roma (19,191), Croats (10,381), Macedonians (8,372), and Muslims by nationality (4,617).[50]
Belgrade is home to many ethnicities from all over the former Yugoslavia, largely because it was the capital.[ Many people came seeking a better life, or fled as refugees from war and ethnic cleansing.[51] Several thousand Chinese are estimated to live in Belgrade; they began immigrating in the mid-1990s. Blok 70 in New Belgrade is known locally as the Chinese quarter.[52][53] Many Middle Easterners, mainly from Syria, Iran, Jordan and Iraq, arrived in order to pursue their studies during the 1970s and 1980s, and have remained and started families in the city.[54][55]]
Although there are several historic religious communities in Belgrade, the religious makeup of the city is relatively homogenous. The Serbian Orthodox community is by far the largest, with 1,429,170 adherents. There are also 20,366 Muslims, 16,305 Roman Catholics, and 3,796 Protestants. There used to be a significant Jewish community, but following the Nazi occupation, and many Jews' subsequent emigration to Israel, their numbers have fallen to a mere 415.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Belgrade
Belgrade is the most economically developed part of Serbia, and is home to the country's National Bank. Many notable companies are based in Belgrade, including Jat Airways, Telekom Srbija, Telenor Serbia, Delta Holding, Société Générale, and Japan Tobacco.[56][57]
During the 1990s, Belgrade, like the rest of Serbia, was severely affected by an internationally imposed trade embargo. The hyperinflation of the Yugoslav dinar, the highest inflation ever recorded in the world,[ The Worst Episode of Hyperinflation in History: Yugoslavia 1993-94 ][ Countries that Suffered the Greatest Inflation in the Twentieth century ] decimated the city's economy. It has been growing strongly since 2000, however, and now over 30% of Serbia's GDP is generated by the city, which also has over 30% of Serbia's employed population.[58]
As of July 2007, the average net monthly salary in Belgrade amounted to 34 719 Serbian dinars (about € 435 or US$ 590), which is the highest average net salary of any district in Serbia.[59]
In terms of Purchasing power parity, Belgrade again holds the highest per capita income in Serbia, with $15 785.
The Belgrade city budget for 2007 is approximately 64.4 billion dinars (over US$1 billion).[60]
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Belgrade
Belgrade hosts many annual cultural events, including FEST (Belgrade Film Festival), BITEF (Belgrade Theatre Festival), BELEF (Belgrade Summer Festival), BEMUS (Belgrade Music Festival), Belgrade Book Fair, and the Belgrade Beer Festival.[61] The Nobel prize winning author Ivo Andrić wrote his most famous work, The Bridge on the Drina, in Belgrade.[62] Other prominent Belgrade authors include Branislav Nušić, Miloš Crnjanski, Borislav Pekić, Milorad Pavić and Meša Selimović.[63][64][65] Most of Serbia's film industry is based in Belgrade; the 1995 Palme d'Or winning ''Underground'', directed by Emir Kusturica, was produced in the city.
The city was one of the main centres of the Yugoslav New Wave in the 1980s: VIS Idoli, Ekatarina Velika and Šarlo Akrobata were all from Belgrade. Other notable Belgrade rock acts include Riblja Čorba, Bajaga i Instruktori and others.[66] The city was the main centre former Yugoslavia of a musical style known as turbofolk, one of whose most famous stars is Ceca Ražnatović. Today, it is the centre of the Serbian hip hop scene, with acts such as Beogradski Sindikat, Škabo, Marčelo, and most of the Bassivity Music stable hailing from or living in the city.[67][68] There are numerous theatres, the most prominent of which are National Theatre, Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Zvezdara Theatre, and Atelier 212. The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is also based in Belgrade, as well as the National Library of Serbia.
There are many foreign cultural institutions in Belgrade, including Instituto Cervantes, Goethe-Institut and the Centre Culturel Français, which are all located on Prince Michael Street. Other cultural centres in Belgrade are American Corner, the Austrian Cultural Forum (''Österreichischen Kulturforums''), the British Council, and Russian Center for Science and Culture (Российский центр науки и культуры), the Confucius Institute, the Canadian Cultural Center, the Italian Cultural Institute (''Istituto Italiano di Cultura''), and the Culture Center of Islamic Republic of Iran.
Following the victory of Serbia's representative Marija Šerifović at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, Belgrade will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.[69]
Museums
The most prominent museum in Belgrade is the National Museum, founded in 1844; it houses a collection of more than 400,000 exhibits, including many foreign masterpieces and the famous Miroslavljevo Jevanđelje (Miroslav's Gospel).[70] The Military Museum houses a wide range of more than 25,000 military exhibits dating as far back as to the Roman period, as well as parts of a F-117 stealth aircraft shot down by Yugoslav forces.[71][72] The Museum of Aviation in Belgrade has more than 200 aircraft, of which about 50 are on display, and a few of which are the only surviving examples of their type, such as the Fiat G.50. This museum also displays parts of shot down US and NATO aircraft.[73] The Ethnographic Museum, established in 1901, contains more than 150,000 items showcasing the rural and urban culture of the Balkans, particularly the countries of the former Yugoslavia.[74] The Museum of Contemporary Art has a collection of around 8,540 works of art produced in Yugoslavia since 1900.[75] The Nikola Tesla Museum, founded in 1952, preserves the personal items of Nikola Tesla, the inventor after whom the Tesla unit was named. It holds around 160,000 original documents and around 5,700 other items.[76] The last of the major Belgrade museums is the Museum of Vuk and Dositej, which showcases the lives, work and legacy of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić and Dositej Obradović, the 19th century reformer of the Serbian literary language and the first Serbian Minister of Education, respectively.[77] One of the more unusual museums in Belgrade is the Museum of African Art, founded in the days of socialist solidarity with the undeveloped nations of the Third World.[78]
With around 95,000 copies of national and international films, the Yugoslav Film Archive is the largest in the region and amongst the 10 largest archives in the world.[79] The institution also operates the Museum of Yugoslav Film Archive, with movie theatre and exhibition hall. The archive's long-standing storage problems were finally solved in 2007, when a new modern depository was opened.[80]
Architecture
Belgrade has wildly varying architecture, from the centre of Zemun, typical of a Central European town,[81] to the more modern architecture and spacious layout of New Belgrade. In Belgrade proper, the oldest buildings date only from 19th century, due to its geographic position and frequent wars and destructions.[ Architecture and Building Zoran Manević ] The oldest public structure in Belgrade is a nondescript Turkish turbe, while the oldest house is a modest clay house on Dorćol, from late 18th century.[82] Western influence began in the 19th century, when the city completely transformed from an oriental town to the contemporary architecture of the time, with influences from neoclassicism, romanticism and academic art. Serbian architects took over the development from the foreign builders in the late 19th century, producing the National Theatre, Old Palace, Cathedral Church and later, in the early 20th century, the National Assembly and National Museum, influenced by art nouveau.[ Elements of Neo-Byzantine architecture are present in buildings such as Vuk's Foundation, old Post Office in Kosovska street, and sacral architecture, such as St. Mark's Church (based on the Gračanica monastery), and the Temple of Saint Sava.]
During the period of Communist rule, much housing was built quickly and cheaply to house the huge influx of people from the countryside following World War II, sometimes resulting in the brutalist architecture of the blokovi (blocks) of New Belgrade; a socrealism trend briefly ruled, resulting in buildings like the Trade Union Hall.[ However, in the mid-1950s, the modernist trends took over, and still dominate the Belgrade architecture.]
Tourism
The historic areas and buildings of Belgrade are among the city's premier attractions. They include Skadarlija, the National Museum and adjacent National Theatre, Zemun, Nikola Pašić Square, Terazije, Students' Square, the Kalemegdan Fortress, Prince Michael Street, the Parliament, the Temple of Saint Sava, and the Old Palace. On top of this, there are many parks, monuments, museums, cafés, restaurants and shops on both sides of the river. The hilltop Avala Monument offers views over the city. Josip Broz Tito's mausoleum, called Kuća Cveća (''The House of Flowers''), and the nearby Topčider and Košutnjak parks are also popular, especially among visitors from the former Yugoslavia.
Ada and Sava lake in summertime
Ada Ciganlija is a former island on the Sava river, and Belgrade's biggest sports and recreational complex. Today it is connected with the shore, creating an artificial lake on the river. It is the most popular destination for Belgraders during the city's hot summers. There are 7 kilometres of long beaches and sports facilities for various sports including golf, football, basketball, volleyball, rugby union, baseball, and tennis.[83] Extreme sports are available, like bungee jumping, water skiing and paintballing.[84] There are numerous tracks on the island, where it is possible to ride a bike, go for a walk or go jogging.[85][86] Apart from Ada, Belgrade has total of 16 islands[26] on the rivers, many still unused; among them, the Great War Island on the very confluence of Sava stands out as an oasis of unshattered wildlife (especially birds).[88] Its parts, along with nearby Small War Island, are protected by the city's government as a nature preserve.[89]
Nightlife
Belgrade has a reputation for offering a vibrant nightlife, and many clubs that are open until dawn can be found throughout the city. The most recognizable nightlife features of Belgrade are the barges (''splavovi'') spread along the banks of the Sava and Danube Rivers.[90][91][92]
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.[93][94]
Famous alternative clubs include Akademija and the famed KST (''Klub studenata tehnike'') located in the basement of the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Electrical Engineering.[95][96][97] 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 centre. SKC is also the site of various art exhibitions, as well as public debates and discussions.[98]
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 neighbourhood where the poets and artists of Belgrade gathered in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. 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.[99] At one end of the neighborhood stands Belgrade's oldest beer brewery, founded in the first half of the nineteenth century.[100] One of the city's oldest kafanas is the Znak pitanja.[101]
Belgrade also has a small gay scene. The city has only one permanent gay club, as well as a few gay and gay-friendly cafés, in the centre of the city.[102] Intolerance towards sexual minorities is still common in Belgrade and Serbia as a whole.[103]
Sport
There are around a thousand sports facilities in Belgrade, many of which are capable of serving all levels of sporting events.[ Sport and Recreation ] Belgrade has hosted several relatively major sporting events recently, including Eurobasket 2005, the 2005 European Volleyball Championship, and the 2006 European Waterpolo Championship. Belgrade will be the host city of the European Youth Olympic Festival 2007 and 2009 Summer Universiade, chosen over the cities of Monterrey and Poznań.[104]
The city launched two unsuccessful candidate bids to organize the Summer Olympic Games: for the 1992 Summer Olympics Belgrade was eliminated in the third round of International Olympic Committee voting, with the games going to Barcelona. The 1996 Summer Olympics ultimately went to Atlanta.[105][106]
The city is home to Serbia's two biggest and most successful football clubs, Red Star Belgrade and FK Partizan, as well as a few other first league clubs. The two major stadiums in Belgrade are the ''Marakana'' (Red Star Stadium) and the Partizan Stadium.[107] Belgrade Arena is used for basketball matches, along with Pionir Hall.[108][109] while the Tašmajdan Sports Centre is used for water polo matches.
Media
Belgrade is the most important media hub in Serbia. The city is home to the main headquarters of the national broadcaster Radio Television Serbia - RTS, which is currently in the process of being transformed into a public service broadcaster.[110] The RTS record label, PGP RTS, is also based in Belgrade.[111] The most popular commercial broadcaster is RTV Pink, a Serbian media multinational, known for its popular entertainment programs, which are considered by many to be sensationalist and of low quality. The most popular mainstream "alternative" broadcaster is B92, another media company, which has its own TV station, radio station, and music and book publishing arms, as well as the most popular website on the Serbian internet.[112][113] Other TV stations broadcasting from Belgrade include Košava, Avala, and others which only cover the greater Belgrade municipal area, such as Studio B and TV Politika. Numerous specialised channels are also available: SOS channel (sport), Metropolis (music), Art TV (art), Cinemania (film), and Happy TV (children's programs).
High-circulation daily newspapers published in Belgrade include ''Politika'', ''Večernje novosti'', ''Blic'', ''Glas javnosti'', and ''Sportski žurnal''. Other dailies published in the city are ''Press'', ''Danas'', and ''Kurir''. A new free distribution daily, ''24 sata'', was founded in the autumn of 2006.
Education
Belgrade has two state universities and several private institutions for higher education. The "Great School", founded in Belgrade in 1808, was the earliest location of higher education in Serbia.[114] The Lyceum followed in 1841, when it was moved from Kragujevac to Belgrade. By 1905, it had evolved into the University of Belgrade,[115] one of the oldest educational institutions in the country (the oldest higher education facility, the Teacher's College in Subotica, dates from 1689). More than 70,000 students study at the University.[116]
There are also 195 primary (elementary) schools and 85 secondary schools. Of the primary schools, there are 162 regular, 14 special, 15 art and 4 adult schools. The secondary school system has 51 vocational schools, 21 gymnasiums, 8 art schools and 5 special schools. The 230,000 pupils are managed by 22,000 employees in over 500 buildings, covering around 1,100,000 m².[117]
Transportation
Main articles: Transport in Belgrade
Belgrade has an extensive public transport system based on buses (118 urban lines and more than 300 suburban lines), trams (12 lines), and trolleybuses (8 lines).[118] It is run by GSP Beograd and SP Lasta, in cooperation with private companies on various bus routes. Belgrade also has a commuter rail network, Beovoz, run by Serbian Railways.[119]
The main railway station connects Belgrade with other European capitals and many towns in Serbia. Travel by coach is also popular, and the capital is well-served with daily connections to every town in the country. The motorway system provides for easy access to Novi Sad and Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in the north; Niš to the south; and Slavonski Brod, to the west. Situated at the confluence of two major rivers, the Danube and the Sava, Belgrade has many bridges—the two main ones are Branko's bridge and Gazela, both of which connect the core of the city to New Belgrade. The Port of Belgrade is on the Danube, and allows the city to receive goods by river.[120] The city is also served by Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (IATA: 'BEG'), 12 kilometres west of the city centre, near Surčin. At its peak in 1986, almost 3 million passengers travelled through the airport, though that number dwindled to a trickle in the 1990s.[121] Following renewed growth in 2000, the number of passengers reached approximately 2 million in 2004 and 2005.[122] In 2006, 2 million passengers passed through the airport by mid-November.[123]
With the city's expansion and a substantial increase in the number of vehicles, congestion has become a major problem; this will hopefully be alleviated by the construction of a bypass connecting the E70 and E75 highways.[124] Further, an "inner magistral semi-ring" is planned, including a new bridge across the Sava river, which should ease commuting within the city and unload the Gazela and Branko's bridge.[125]
International cooperation and honours
Belgrade is twinned with the following cities:[126]
Other similar forms of cooperation and city friendship:
★ 'Athens', Greece ''(Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation, November 1966)''
★ 'Banja Luka', Bosnia and Herzegovina ''(Agreement on Cooperation, 2005)''
★ 'Beijing', China ''(Agreement on Cooperation, October 1980)''
★ 'Berlin', Germany ''( Agreement on Cooperation and Friendship, November 1978)''
★ 'Düsseldorf', Germany ''(Agreement on Cooperation, February 2004)''
★ 'Kyiv', Ukraine ''(Agreement on Cooperation, May 2002)''
★ 'Madrid ' (Agreement on Cooperation, May 2001)
★ 'Milan', Italy ''(Memorandum of Agreement, City to City Programme, November 2000)''
★ 'Moscow', Russia ''(Programme of Cooperation 2003/2004, December 2002)''
★ 'Rome', Italy ''(Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation, October 1971)'' |
Letters of Intent signed with capital cities of former Yugoslavia:
The City of Belgrade has received various domestic and international honours, including the French Légion d'honneur in 1920 (only four cities were awarded with this order), the Czechoslovak War Cross, the Serbian Karađorđe's Star with Swords and the former Yugoslavian Order of the National Hero (proclaimed on October 20 1974, the anniversary of the overthrow of Nazi German occupation during World War II).[129] In 2006, ''Financial Times' magazine ''Foreign Direct Investment'' awarded Belgrade the title of ''City of the Future of Southern Europe''.[130][131]
See also
★ List of notable Belgraders
References
1. Geographical Position
2. Vinča: Centre of the Neolithic culture of the Danubian region, Nikola Tasić, , , , 1990,
3. History (Ancient Period)
4. History (Important Years Through City History)
5. Assembly of the City of Belgrade
6. Urban Municipalities
7. 2005 Municipal indicators of Republic of Serbia
8. Geographical Position
9. Natural Features
10. Climate
11. Record-breaking heat measured in Belgrade m&c News
12. Temperaturni režim u Srbiji RHMZ
13. http://www.rastko.org.yu/arheologija/vinca/vinca_eng.html
14. source
15. source
16. City of Belgrade - History (Byzantine Empire)
17. History (Medieval Serbian Belgrade)
18. Battle of Maritsa
19. Battle of Kosovo
20. Istorija srpskog naroda, , Vladimir, Ćorović, Project Rastko, 1997,
21. Ottoman-Hungarian Wars: Siege of Belgrade in 1456 Tom R. Kovach
22. History (Turkish and Austrian Rule)
23. Duhovni smisao hrama Svetog Save na Vračaru (Online book reprint) Amfilohije Radović
24. Oči u oči, , Dejan, Medaković, BIGZ (online reprint by Serbian Unity Congress library), 1990,
25. History (Liberation of Belgrade)
26.
27. History of Kragujevac
28. src
29. History (The Capital of Serbia and Yugoslavia)
30. The Yugoslav Federation: Historical demographical data of the urban centers Jan Lahmeyer
31. Belgrade and Smederevo
32. Industrija i urbani razvoj Beograda, , Dragan, Petrović, Industrija, 2001
33. The history of Serbian Culture, , Dejan, Kosanovic, Porthill Publishers, ,
34. ISBN 86-17-09287-4: Kosta Nikolić, Nikola Žutić, Momčilo Pavlović, Zorica Špadijer: Историја за трећи разред гимназије, Belgrade, 2002, pg. 144
35. Twentieth Century - Innovations in Belgrade
36. Jutro koje Beograd neće zaboraviti - 6. april 1941.
37. Approaches to Auschwitz: The Holocaust and Its Legacy, , Richard L, Rubenstein, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003,
38. Bioterrorism: Civil Liberties Under Quarantine
39. Prvi udarac Miloševićevom režimu
40. Yugoslavia: Mass bedlam in Belgrade James L. Graff
41. Srbija na mitinzima (1990–1999)
42. History (Disintegration Years 1988–2000)
43. New Mayor of Belgrade: A Serbian Chameleon Jane Perlez
44. NATO bombing
45. "Србија после Милошевића" Антонић, Слободан
46. Can Serbia's new leaders overcome the legacy of Slobodan Milosevic? Glenny, Misha
47. The Power of Women in Celtic Society: Female Druids: Onomaris Margaret R. Minor
48. Belgrade Fortress – History
49. Councilors of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade
50. Facts (Population)
51. Refugee Serbs Assail Belgrade Government: ''The Washington Post'', Tuesday, June 22 1999.
52. Kinezi Marko, Miloš i Ana
53. Kineska četvrt u bloku 70 Biljana Vasić
54. A unique friendship club in Belgrade Vesna Peric Zimonjic
55. Government, public diverge in assessment of Kosovo crisis Francesca Ciriaci
56. JTI u Srbiju ulaže oko 0 mil.
57. Beograd - Bankarski razvojni centar
58. Privreda Beograda
59. Salaries per employee, July 2007
60. Усвојен буџет Града Београда за 2007. годину
61. Culture and Art (Cultural Events)
62. The biography of Ivo Andrić
63. Borislav Pekić - Biografija
64. Miloš Crnjanski and his descendents Joseph Tabbi
65. Meša Selimović - Biografija
66. Riblja Čorba
67. Beogradski Sindikat: ''Svi Zajedno'' Aleksandar Pavlić
68. Liričar među reperima S. S. Todorović
69. Serbian ballad wins Eurovision Song Contest - Belgrade hosts in 2008
70. From the history of the National Museum in Belgrade Tatjana Cvjetićanin
71. Museums
72. World Guide:Belgrade
73. Lična karta Muzeja ratnog vazduhoplovstva
74. Museums 3
75. Museums 2
76. About the museum
77. City of Belgrade - Museums 1
78. Cultural institutions:Museum of African Art
79. Action programme 2006 for Serbia: Support to the Yugoslav Film Archive
80. New Depository for the Yugoslav Film Archive’s treasure
81. Zemun: The Town Within the City Nicholas Comrie, Lucy Moore
82. Seventh Belgrade triennial of world architecture Prof. Dr. Mihajlo Mitrović
83. Sportski tereni
84. Ada Ciganlija
85. O Adi
86. Kupalište
87.
88. Zbogom, oazo!
89. Prirodno dobro "Veliko ratno ostrvo” stavljeno pod zaštitu Skupštine grada Beoinfo
90. "Why I love battered Belgrade" Eve-Ann Prentice
91. Belgrade Rocks Seth Sherwood
92. Belgrade's Nightlife Floats on the Danube Barbara Gruber
93. Slovenci dolaze u jeftin provod
94. U Beograd na vikend-zabavu
95. The Culture of Power in Serbia: Nationalism and the Destruction of Alternatives, , Eric D., Gordy, Penn State Press, 1999,
96. Intro
97. Klub Studenata Tehnike - O nama
98. Student cultural center
99. Skadarlija
100. History
101. Znamenite građevine 3
102. Gay Scene
103. Discrimination against lesbians and gays in Serbia in 2006 Dragana Vučković
104. Universiade 2009 (Belgrade)
105. History of the Olympic Committee of Serbia
106. Atlanta 1996
107. Sport and Recreation (Stadiums)
108. Sport and Recreation (Sport Centers and Halls)
109. Venues
110. Samo RTS može da bude javni servis
111. ПГП - РТС (Прича о нама)
112. The Paradox of Pink Jared Manasek
113. B92 na 8.598. mestu na svetu
114. The University of Belgrade – The Seedbed of University Education
115. History of The University
116. Универзитет у Београду - Број Студената
117. Education and Science
118. Statistics
119. Beovoz Network Map
120. History of the Port of Belgrade
121. Aerodromi i letelišta
122. Regionalni centar putničkog i kargo saobraćaja
123. "Nikola Tesla" Airport received its two millionth passenger
124. Belgrade Bypass, Serbia
125. 1. faza prve deonice Unutrašnjeg magistralnog poluprstena
126. International Cooperation
127. Council okays peace committees: Lahore and Chicago to be declared twin cities.
128. Beograd: Međunarodni odnosi .
129. Received Decorations
130. European Cities of the Future 2006/07
131. Belgrade - City of the Future in Southern Europe Aleksandar Miloradović
Further reading
★ A Short History of Belgrade, , Milorad, Pavić, Dereta, ,
★ The Diary of a Political Idiot: Normal Life in Belgrade, , Jasmina, Tešanović, Cleis Press, ,
★ Belgrade : among the Serbs, , Florence Hamlish, Levinsohn, Ivan R. Dee, ,
★ Servia, Youngest Member of the European Family: or, A Residence in Belgrade, and Travels in the Highlands and Woodlands of the Interior, during the years 1843 and 1844., , Andrew Archibald, Paton, Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, ,
External links
★ City of Belgrade Official Website
★ Tourist Organization of Belgrade
★ Old photos of Belgrade
★ Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities
★ City of Belgrade Secretariat for Environmental Protection
★ Architecture of Belgrade
★ BeoBuild (Construction projects)
★ Medieval Belgrade - belgradexv.com
★ Environmental Atlas of Belgrade, Institute of Public Health of Belgrade
★ Belgrade Travel Guide
★
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
