Belgrade - art, music and architecture

Belgrade, situated at the point where the Sava and Danube Rivers join, is the capital city of Serbia. It was first settled by the Celts, then later by the Romans, and has been under various rulers at various times including Byzantine, Frankish, Bulgarian, and Hungarian. Once a part of the Ottoman Empire, and then later the Habsburg Empire, Belgrade was also the capital of former Yugoslavia, before the establishment of Serbia as an independent country again in 2006.

Belgrade is still in some ways a little off the beaten track for a city break, but now is really the time to visit, before the city becomes more expensive, popular and crowded.

So what is there to see? Well, The National Museum of Serbia has plenty to take a look at with its fantastic displays of archaeology, numismatics, and its collection of art which ranges from the medieval to the modern. The art collections include French, Italian, Dutch, Flemish, Russian, Austrian, German and Japanese art as well as Serbian, and other art of the area of former Yugoslavia. The museum now has a glass dome for the roof, which allows plenty of light into the museum. Nearby you will also find The National Theatre where there are performances of drama, opera and ballet. The theatre was designed by Aleksandar Bugarski who designed a great number of Belgrade buildings in the nineteenth century.

The impressive Kalemegdan Fortress also attracts the visitors, as much for the surrounding parkland as for the fortress itself. From the fortress the view is fantastic, and you can see clearly where the Sava River flows into the Danube.

The bohemian quarter of Belgrade, Skadarlija, is really popular with tourists, artists and musicians, who like to enjoy its restaurants, art galleries, antique and souvenir shops. You’ll also find street performers here from music to people pretending to be statues.

So next time you fancy a city break to some part of Europe that you’ve not yet explored, give Belgrade some thought.


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