We started our discovery tour of Belgrade with a walk to the fortress. Usually a fortress or castle stands at an elevated place and you’ll get a good view of the city. That was also the case in Belgrade. To reach it from our hotel (central, large rooms, no breakfast, cheap), we basically had to walk through the whole center until we finally arrived at the castle. Since everything is easier with coffee, we got one for to go and walked the whole length of the pedestrian zone.
coffee to go @Belgrade
At first glance there was not much left of the fortress. Just endless walls which made up the fortress. We marched around but couldn’t find anything besides a military museum, which didn’t interest us at all. So despite its prominent spot in the city, the fortress was a bit of a let down.
entrance to the fortress and a dino park for kids @Belgrade
weapons along the fortress’ wall @Belgrade
the military museum @Belgrade
The view on the Danube was pretty, but unfortunately marred by hazy light. Still it was worth going all the way up to the end of the fortress walls, to get a sense of the vastness of the area.
looking down on the Danube @Belgrade
But we should have taken a closer look at the map of the fortress complex, because of course there was more to see. Apparently the fortress is the most visited touristic spot in Belgrade, which I now understand. When you don’t see why everybody else comes here, you need to dig a little deeper and visit a second time. Maybe that happens to other people as well.
the map of the fortress @Belgrade
That evening I looked online for the fortress again and found some amazing pictures. I couldn’t believe my eyes that we hadn’t seen that while walking through the park and fortress area. So we headed back and searched for the fort again. I still cannot believe that we had missed that in the morning.
The fortress area is the oldest settlement in Belgrade since 300 BC. Already the Romans built a fort here, later the empire of Byzantine occupied the spot and rebuilt the fortress. The fortress saw many masters. From Bulgarians, to Byzantines, to Hungarians, and even Serbians themselves ruled from here. Later the Ottoman Empire came back, then the Austrians. This site has seen them all. What a historic place!
Honestly the whole area looked so much better with a little fog and illuminated in the dark.
heading back to the fortress @Belgrade
entering the fortress @Belgrade
that looked already more like a fortress @Belgrade
Really too bad that the two round towers, which gave the fortress its distinct look, were under construction.
fortress under construction @Belgrade
But right around the corner we found some stairs, which lead us to the Ruzica church. It was closed of course at this time of the day, but looked nestled against the walls.
Ruzica church @Belgrade
We finally left the fortress and made our way back to civilization. It was time for a drink. Yours, Pollybert
leaving the fortress behind @Belgrade
