Belgrade, the white city, is the capital of Serbia. It is situated where the rivers Save and Danube join. According to a 2002 counting, the city has 1 273 651 inhabitants and, with the suburbs, 1 576 124 inhabitants.


Belgrade, was always the most significant crossroads of communication of Balkans. The site of Belgrade has always been occupied since the Roman Empire. Its history long of more than 2000 years, made that the city was several times destroyed by wars, particularly by the Hungarians, the Ottomans, and more recently at the time of the Second world war, and the various insurrections. History repeats itself as Belgrade was strongly bombarded by NATO forces in 1999.

However, the old fortress has still many museums which make its fame. The national Museum exposes artistic and archaeological testimonys, since the first traces of human civilization, until the middle of the XXth century. The prehistoric objects are characterized by famous the small votive tank of Dupljaja, which represents a divinity trailed by ducks. Many vestiges of the Hellenic and Roman Antiquity, among which gold masks, portraits, muds out of bronze or terra cotta deserve the visit. The museum comprises various sections covering all the times going until the modern art and contemporary.

One can visit the strategic citadel of Kalemegdan, built on a rocky outcrop, with the junction of Save and the Danube, where the Celtic, Roman, Slavic, Turkish and Austrians elements mix. One should also see the palate of the Ljubica princess, an authentic palate of Balkan style, characterized by a small tower, intended to keep the house.

Belgrade in Emir Kusturica's films

Emir Kusturica is an adoptive son of Belgrade. He has installed there the offices of his production company.

It is of course in Belgrade that most of the action of Underground is held. Several city scenes were shot in Prague (for its natural decorations and its old houses), others on the spot, in Belgrade. Indeed, the Yugoslav legislation was much more permissive for the use of explosive and smoke-producing than in Prague. It was thus easier there to film the bombarded city…


en/belgrade.txt · Last modified: 2007/03/17 17:26 by matthieu1