Belgrade

Fortress Kalemegdan

If you coming to Belgrade by river from north you will see Kalemegdan old fortress. This is ideal spot to start your tour through Belgrade. The Belgrade Fortress stands on the hill overlooking the mouth of the river Sava and Danube. It was gradually built from the 1st to the 18th century as a fortified defense complex. Today it is a specific museum of Belgrade history. The Fortress is divided in 2 parts – Upper and Lower Town. In Lower Town you can see Charles VI gate, Nebojsa tower, Amam (Steam bath). In Upper town you can see: Stambol gate, Clock tower gate, Military museum, Gallery-museum of natural science, Art Pavilion, Roman well, Monument to despot Stefan, Despots gate, Zindan (prison) gate, Leopold's gate, Rose Church of Our Lady, St. Petka Chapel and of course Victor (Pobednik). It’s a symbol of Belgrade.

The fortress Kalemegdan has a very long history, going back at least to the castrum of Roman times; destroyed several times by successive waves of invaders, was rebuilt as a castle by the Byzantines in the 12th century. Under the Serb Despot Stefan Lazarevic, son of the king Lazar, Belgrade became the capital of the Serbian kingdom; the fortress was strengthened, and the Despot's palace was built within the old castle. A medieval town grew up within the walls of the lower fort (a model is on display on one of the upper terraces).
After the conquest of Belgrade by the Turks (1521), the fortress decayed, but was restored as a military stronghold by the Austrian during their short lived occupation (1717-1739). During the partial independence of Serbia, in the first half of the 19th century, the Kalemegdan fortress was still occupied by a Turkish garrison. In 1862, as an escalation from a fight between Turkish troops and the Serb population, the commander of the Kalemegdan ordered the bombardment of Belgrade. This produced such a backlash in the European public opinion that Serbia succeeded, with the support of the great powers, to obtain the departure of the Turkish troops from Kalemegdan and all the other fortress they still held in Serbia; this resulted in the effective achievement of full independence from the Ottoman empire.
Rather than looking for specific places and monuments, it is more rewarding just to stroll in the parks and along the%