Tour Guide, Belgrade, Serbia
| 15 mins read
When I mention the name "Belgrade" one thing inevitably comes to my mind - home. But for most of the people who hear this name for the first time while on a European trip or a cruise it will probably be just another city they never really heard of. So - where is Belgrade, to start with? It is situated right in the centre of the Republic of Serbia, of which it servers as a capital for some time now, right at the place where the river Sava meets the great Danube. For some Serbia is a Southern European, for the others an Eastern European country. To make things easier we today say it's a Southeast European country. Back in the 20th century, most of the Westerners thought of us as just another Eastern Bloc country, while the Easterners definitely didn't see us as part of their flock, which we technically indeed weren't... we were part of the "Third World" of which Belgrade was one of the capitals - back then it was something completely different than it is today. Well, it is a bit complicated to explain. If we would look it up strictly based on GPS we'd find it somewhere around the meeting point of 20°E and 44°E, which could be said to be the cities geographic address - cold winters, mild springs and autumns, hot summers - we have it all. No seaside, or maybe even that, but we'll get back to it later on.
If you'd ask Belgraders what's the number of people living in the city the vast majority would say more than 2 million. They have been saying this since the 1990s, even though the official statistics confirm only 1,7 million. This interesting discrepancy tells us something about Belgraders - quite a competitive lot, always wanting to be on top, first among all the others around them. Saying they live in a city of 2 million is meant to tell they live in a true, proper metropolis - fewer people would simply not be good enough. And for a time now Belgrade's indeed been a leading city in the region - 3rd in The Balkans, just behind Athens and Istanbul. During the 20th century, the city had an interesting change of the states to which it will serve as capital, starting from the small Kingdom of Serbia, then after the First World War to a larger Kingdom of Yugoslavia which was transformed, after the victory in the Second World War, to even the larger Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia which ceased to exist in 1992. When Belgrade became a capital of the Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, and finally in 2006, it became what it is today, capital of the Republic of Serbia. Many Belgraders joke about this too, saying that they lived in a few different states never having to leave the houses they were born in - another perk of living here would be this symbolic travelling without actually moving.
The city is roughly divided in half by the Sava river - one part (Old Belgrade) of it sits on the hilly slopes of Šumadija, definitely being part of The Balkans, while the other part (New Belgrade) is located in the Pannonian plain, technically in Central Europe. This division is actually rather a new one, since there was just one Belgrade, the Old one, up until the 1940s. After the Second World War, the new communist government decided to build the extension across the Sava River, which will become known as New Belgrade. The cityscape today is one of the most unusual ones in the region because of this division. Belgrade before the war was a relatively small place of just round 250 thousand people and it lacked a proper urbanistic concept, with some exceptions which were planned during the course of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The presence of the Ottoman Empire in the city since 1522 up until 1868 left an enduring mark Belgrade was trying to get rid of. The years of 1920s and 30s were important for architectural development, but only in the city centre. No definite urbanistic plan or concept was developed. To cope with the influx of people from all over Yugoslavia who came to live in Belgrade and made it into a metropolis after the war, the city planners decided to create a utopian paradise based on Le Corbusier's concept of the Ville Radieuse, on the other side of the river, which may not be a real paradise today but it definitely is one of the richest municipalities in entire Serbia. Looking at it from the Old Belgrade, it really looks like an alien who's happy to be there where it is. That's why we can proudly say Belgrade is probably the worst and the best-planned city in the region - yet another "medal" for Belgraders.
It would be also good to mention that what separates us also makes us whole - the rivers, specifically the Sava, being the one most often crossed by the always rushing Belgraders. It is spanned by no less than 6 bridges (only 2 bridges cross the Danube) which are heavily used (and congested) by both cars and pedestrians every day. Traffic jams are unfortunately part of our everyday life, and that's partly because Belgrade is also the largest metropolis without a metro system in entire Europe. But, that is -as the city fathers have been saying for the last 50 years - soon going to change. Until then, we just need to wait a little bit more.
Looking at those bridges and across the river from the dominating Belgrade Fortress, especially at dusk, one can see one of the most beautiful views of the city. There is this famous spot most of the Belgraders would take you to if they wanted to show you the rivers and the confluence of Sava into Danube - the Pobednik Monument (pictured on the cover of this article). This monument today represents the most famous sculpture in the city and probably the ultimate symbol of Belgrade - sculpted in the 1920s by the famous Yugoslav artist of international renown, Ivan Meštorvić, it is an allegoric representation of a proud, combative, resilient and victorious people which finally became independent and free from many foreign invaders who controlled this area for centuries. If the Belgrade Fortress could speak it would tell you an amazing story of its own which spans the last 2200 years, while the city could talk about 4000 years more - this number of years makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas in Europe. Majority of the Belgraders couldn't tell you this info since most of them would say they are really bad at history. These 6000 years are filled with an intense history which can sometimes be overwhelming - for example - Belgrade could be nicknamed "The Phoenix of Europe" - destroyed and rebuilt 40 times during the course of time, more than any other city on the continent. Many armies and empires - most notably the Romans, Ottomans and the Austrians - were fighting for their dominance in the region, passing through and staying in the city. Even though the citizens were always the ones to suffer the most, they simply refused to leave Belgrade, stubbornly keeping it alive and kicking up until this day. There is this specific local type of spiteful sentiment we call inat - there is no adequate translation for it - most of Belgraders will tell you that's what kept us here. They are probably right on that one.
After all those turbulent centuries, and the recent, again not so happy, historic development the last 20 years have been peaceful. No more invaders, no more bombs, no more wars - sincerely, we don't need those any time soon. Or ever. Although we could say there is a new kind of invaders coming to our city - international visitors from all over the world. This "army" is happily welcomed by the people of Belgrade, who were and remain curious about the foreigners. We could say that most of Belgraders who come across foreigners and start communicating with them will present their best selves and try to make the other side feel quite welcome, even if they only ask for directions. While they are quite hospitable to the foreigners, the experience of other people form Serbia with Belgraders can be quite different. Even though Belgrade itself is a city of immigrants (from other parts of Serbia mostly), there is this specific local identity which makes it an "island" inside of Serbia, and the "islanders" can sometimes be tough. But their curiosity for the foreign is something completely different. Maybe in part that's because there haven't been too many foreigners during the long decade of turbulent and difficult 1990s and the subsequent beginning of the 21st century. Nowadays it seems like we just can't wait for the first days of the spring each year which bring many visitors from all around the globe. Walking down the central streets of Belgrade from April to October without seeing tourists is practically becoming impossible, and most of us think this is a good sign. To support this claim, it's important to say that many Belgraders are speaking at least some basic English today, enough to get them by. Younger people often speak good English, and some of them are proficient in a second foreign language. The most popular are German, Turkish, Greek and French, while Spanish has a very specific place in our collective consciousness since the Latin American telenovelas were extremely popular some 20 years ago, and from that moment up until today, more and more people are learning this language as their second foreign language. ¡Que bueno!
And if you happen to come to Belgrade and encounter one of these curious locals who speak a language or two, and if they just maybe had some time to show you around, I wonder, where would they take you? No doubt, the first thought is Kalemegdan Park, a beautiful green area just in front of the Fortress, and the Fortress itself - it is always a number 1 spot for the first time visitors, and also - the most important historic sight in town - held by many conquerors throughout the centuries, but Serbian in the end - brings out a certain sense of pride, even though the last time we fought for it was approximately 200 years ago. My favourite walk would actually be around the Fortress, by the rivers, starting a bit closer to the city centre, in an area of the Old Town known as Dorćol, which contains some of the oldest buildings in Belgrade outside of the Fortress. Even though the Old Town itself is a beautiful place with so many attractions to keep you busy just there for a few days, a nice, long walk along the river banks can take you to some less known places such as Ada Ciganlija - you can also bike your way to there, parallel to the pedestrians if you prefer so. Ada is a former island in the Sava river which artificially became a peninsula enclosing a lake which has around 7 kilometres of shore and beaches - needles to say is that this place is crowded by the locals during the summertime and we also call it The Sea of Belgrade. There you'll find quite a lot of cafes, restaurants, beach bars, sports grounds which include an eco-friendly water skiing park where traction is electrically powered. Nudists are welcome too, as are the adrenaline junkies who can find a bungee jumping platform above the lake. It is easy to spot Ada during the summer from many parts of the city since it also has an artificial geyser, clearly visible from afar. Next choice for the visitors also falls to a great building visible from the entire city - most of the Serbs claim to be devoted Orthodox Christians, and so it is no wonder we have quite a big church in the city centre. We call it the Temple of Saint Sava. Dedicated to one of the founders of our Medieval kingdom and our definite Christian saint-protector, aside of its huge and awing dimensions (3rd largest Christian Orthodox church in the World!), this church always makes me think of pizza... in the famous Pizza Bar, just behind it. The truth is - the church is still a construction site, with the finished exterior and a lot more to do in the interior. A walk around it will actually present you with the smallest, richest and one of the prettiest municipalities in Belgrade, known as Vračar. This part of the city used to be the first planned area outside the former city walls which encircled the city up until the mid-19th century, and it became quite popular among the upper-class families whose houses you still can see in many streets there. Many of those houses had beautiful gardens and backyards some of which today host restaurants, bars or cafes, where you can relax and enjoy the way Belgraders do. If we are speaking about what to eat, Serbian food is a very heavy subject - especially to the visitors who find themselves completely confused with the quantity of food served during a simple 3 course meal in Serbia. Quantity today goes together with quality in most of the places. To name some would be in order: Lorenzo & Kakalamba, Ambar, Mala Fabrika ukusa, Enso, Bistro Grad Hometown Food, Homa, Cveće Zla, Communale, So i Biber, Istok, Stara Hercegovina, Tri Šešira... this list goes on and on... during the last few years Belgrade is experiencing a rapid expansion of restaurant sector, and with this comes a great joy for all of us who enjoy a good bite. Guests are always welcome at the table in Belgrade; it is a tradition we stick to until this day, so have in mind that if invited to join for lunch, it is a joyful event for your host, and we really do enjoy sharing our food.
Food is, of course, followed by many other earthly delights in Belgrade, and there are many options to enjoy those in different bars, dessert or coffee shops. You'll probably be told that coffee is our daily routine - some would say we're addicted to it, and truth to be told we really do enjoy sipping it quite often. If a nice view or an interesting company comes included - then even better. Belgraders would definitely take you for a coffee. Or two. Or even three.
And of course, the inevitable part of any visit to Belgrade is its now-famed nightlife - the options are countless and it all depends what would be the preference - contemporary electronic music, pop, rock, funk, rap, or maybe traditional or contemporary Serbian music? During the last few years, electronic music has gained its momentum, and many world-renown artists have visited the city, which is now claiming to be one of the European capitals of the genre. Klub 2044, Drugstore, Mladost-Ludost-Radost-Gadost, Hangar, Half... are just some of the local "temples" dedicated to good electronic sound. If you end up in a more traditional crowd, in a very Serbian type of club known as "kafana" expect that you'll be dancing on the table until the dawn or later listening to the entire crowd singing and dancing to the hits of the local music, probably completely unknown to your ear. Try to catch the rhythm, and if you don't succeed maybe rakija - a very strong local brandy - could be of some help. There are many new nightlife areas, so to say, where you can find lots of different crowds every Friday and Saturday night, the most famous being Sava Mala, Cetinjska Street and of course the line of barges and boats on the Sava river we simply call - splavovi - going there during the weekend is kind of pilgrimage for every single party-goer in Belgrade.
Most of the visitors will probably not expect to find some world-class museums in Belgrade, and indeed they won't find them here. But, the city offers some interesting exhibitions which can attract attention, such as the one in Nikola Tesla Museum, dedicated to the greatest Serbian scientist and inventor, in which you can see the actual burial urn with his remains - kind of obscure but a unique exhibit. Also, our Contemporary Art Museum is one of the most ingeniously designed museums in the region, and also the one where the great and influential artist Marina Abramović held her first exhibitions in her hometown, where she also recently returned. Museum also holds a great collection of Yugoslav modern and contemporary artworks. Aside from these institutions of culture, there are dozens of new, private and independent galleries and multifunctional spaces dedicated to art - such are shared artistic studios, art shops, cultural centres... many young fashion designers and fashion photographers work in the city, and they too have their own centre of activities - Čumićevo sokače, a small commercial zone in the city centre. During the last few years, there is even a big art festival held every June on the grounds of former tilery outside of the city centre known as "Dev9t Festival" (literally "Nine Festival") which became quite an influential force in the region gathering more and more young artist every year.
There are many ways of getting to know a city - the best one is coming to it. Hopefully, you'll come to Belgrade and discover it for your own since there are no written words that could change the personal experience. Just remember - some very curious and friendly people await, always happy to see you here.