Serbia is the crossroads of Europe
During the trip to the countries of the former Yugoslavia with the tour operator Art Service visited Serbia, a country that is rarely visited by our tourists and tour operators bypass and in vain! Serbia is the crossroads of Europe between East and West, North and South. In this area there were migrations of peoples, different cultures and civilizations changed, strong states appeared and powerful kingdoms perished. The country has preserved many monuments of history and culture from ancient Rome and Byzantium, the Middle Ages (cathedrals, churches, monasteries and fortresses) to the present day. After the break-up of Yugoslavia and the war, the tourism industry in Serbia (as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia) lagged sharply behind Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia, but has recently begun to grow. We crossed the whole of Serbia from southwest to northeast from Montenegro to Hungary.
Initially, the landscape was the same as in northern Montenegro - forested mountains were particularly affected by pure spruce forests on mountain slopes along mountain river canyons and Belgrade's railway from Montenegro high in the mountains, which runs in many places along the highway. Closer to the town of Nova Varos, the mountains are lower and in some places the terrain turns into a plain. Serbian villages with Orthodox churches and mosques, traces of Turkish conquest and Islamization of the Slavic population are scattered along highways and rivers. We stop for rest and lunch on Zlatar Lake, a favorite vacation spot of residents of nearby cities, a picturesque lake with a developed infrastructure for recreation. The water in it was a special sky-blue color, but muddy, after the Adriatic did not want to swim in it. The next city on the way is Uzice.
During the socialist Yugoslavia it was called Titovo-Uzice, after the disintegration of the SFRY it was renamed. It is known that in 1941 (6 months) it was the capital of the partisan republic. Remains of the old city have been preserved. Enjoy a beautiful city on the banks of the river Jetina. The next city, Cacak, like Uzice, is one of the largest cities in Central Serbia by local standards (less than 100.000 inhabitants). Next to the city in the gorge of the river West Morava is the Trinity Monastery complex, which is also called "Serbian Athos". There are 8 monasteries and medieval churches near the town of Č ač ak. Closer to Belgrade, the area is flat and the climate is different. It was the end of July, and if it was 30-32 degrees on the Adriatic coast and 20-25 degrees in the mountains, Belgrade greeted us with 42 degrees. Arrived in Belgrade in the evening and stayed at a hotel in the city center - tired and in the evening unfamiliar Belgrade in the heat did not dare to walk.
In the morning there was a sightseeing tour of Belgrade. Belgrade is an ancient city that is over 2400 years old. Belgrade has the glory of a city rising from the ruins; in the past, the city was destroyed 38 times and rebuilt 38 times. New Belgrade has wide avenues and streets, shopping malls, administrative complexes left over from the former Yugoslavia, and many parks and boulevards. After the war of the 1990s and the NATO bombing, the city and bridges were rebuilt, but several buildings were preserved in disrepair to commemorate the events of those years, and large letters "Russia", which supported Serbia in that war, can often be seen on the walls. The heart of Belgrade is the Kalemegdan Fortress, where the buildings of the Romans, Byzantines, Turks and Austrians have been preserved.
Kalemegdan is a military museum with many unique exhibits, the walls of the fortress offer a magnificent view of New Belgrade, near the fortress the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, and around the fortress a unique park where almost all European flora grows.
From the fortress Kalemegdan begins Stari Grad, the oldest part of the city. Here are almost all museums, the most expensive restaurants and shops and the most beautiful palaces. From the fortress begins the pedestrian street of Prince Michael, which is a kind of Broadway for the people of Belgrade and ends at the Republic Square.
, On the Republic Square is the National Museum, which houses an interesting archaeological collection and collection of European paintings. In front of the National Museum is a monument to Prince Michael, who fought for Serbia's independence from the Turks.
One of Belgrade's main attractions is the Church of St. Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, which began construction in 1935, opened in 2004, and finishing work has not yet been completed.
Interesting is the building of the National Assembly, the most famous building in Belgrade since Yugoslavia.
It is worth visiting the Old Palace, one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe, the house of Prince Milos, and thus,
who older and captured the times of the USSR and socialist Yugoslavia will be interesting
to visit the House of Flowers - the mausoleum of the legendary Marshal Tito, who ruled for a long time
Yugoslavia.
By road from Belgrade to the Hungarian border of 150 kilometers, the road passes near such
major cities such as Novi Sad (famous for its churches and the Petrovaradin Fortress, built according to Voban's drawings) and Subotica (Town Hall and Palaces) are the most visited cities after Belgrade.
As it turned out, only one Ukrainian tour operator has tours to these cities - the Lviv Pyramid Tour, and I would like to visit Smederevo with a medieval fortress and Golubak. - The most beautiful places on the Danube). There is a desire to visit Serbia again after the study tour - 7 days will be enough for this.
