Belgrade, Serbia - Day 11

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Belgrade's name translates to "white city" because of the white limestone that has been used for centuries for construction. We saw it first hand today with both old and new buildings.

First we went to the Church of St. Sava. He was the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an important figure in medieval history. Actually, there are two churches. One is small and was built in 1895. It is lovely but obviously holds few people. 

Then in 1935, construction started on a much (much) larger church beside it. Unfortunately, work stopped in 1941 and did not continue again until 1985. (No churches were built during that time period.)  

As of today, work is complete on the exterior, but much remains on the inside. When it is finished, it will be the fifth largest church in the world and will hold 12,000 people standing (people don't sit for services). We did view the crypt on the lower level and it was beautiful. 

Near the church is the city library with a statue of Nikola Tesla, the famous Serbian American who made many discoveries in electricity.

Then we went to Tito's Museum and Mausoleum. I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was. I had forgotten what an important figure he was in the 20th century. He rose to power in Yugoslavia after World War II, having been part of the resistance to drive out the Germans. He was the perfect person to lead the country because his father was Croatian, his mother was Slovenian and his wife was Serbian. He was a very charismatic man and was not only respected but friends with many world leaders. When he died in 1980, he had the biggest funeral of a world leader in the 20th century. All but about 12 countries sent a delegation. Although not formally educated, he spoke 4 languages and was an accomplished pianist and photographer.  Yugoslavia was more socialism than communism and citizens were free to travel abroad and tourists were welcomed there. Still, as one of our speakers put it, "soft communism is still communism." Religion was not banned but you couldn't be a member of the Communist Party if you belonged to a church, and being a member of the party was the only way to get ahead.

The museum was a typical "presidential library" with personal artifacts and gifts from other countries. One of the most interesting things were these batons. Every year around his birthday in May they would have a celebration of youth that was like a junior olympics. Teams from different regions would carry unique torches and present them to him. There are 12,000 in storage and here are a few.

We ended our morning tour with a trip to Kalemegdan Fortress, which is now a huge park situated on a slight hill overlooking the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers.

 Started in 535 AD, the fort has been added to over the centuries, but the Austrians built most of what we see today in the early 1700's.  Now it is used by families on outings and for rock concerts. It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying it on a Saturday. As always, I enjoyed the old gates and interesting structure.

We had lunch at Dorian Gray Restaurant and then free time. Armed with a map, I enjoyed walking the city streets and found my way to the Ethnographic Museum. Although small, it had an amazing collection of authentic clothing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries from different Serbian regions. I couldn't believe the handwork and detail that went into these garments and that they were still wearing this clothing in the early 20th century.

I walked to Republica Square and found a wide pedestrian mall. I walked on it for awhile but, as in many cities, it has been taken over by chain stores.

I headed out to find the Tesla Museum but briefly was lost. I overestimated my ability to read Cyrillic (my map was in English but the street signs are in Cyrillic). With a few requests, I got pointed in the right direction.  I passed by the National Assembly and St. Mark's Church, among other sites. 

I found Tesla's Museum, which is relatively small but well done. It exhibits a number of his inventions and information about his life. He was born in Serbia, educated in Hungary and emigrated to the US in 1884. He is known as an inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist and futurist. His main claim to fame is his work on modern alternating current electricity supply system. His company worked with Westinghouse to build the hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls in 1899.  Of the 13 patents licensed for this project, 9 were Tesla's. In 1893 he even foresaw wireless communication. I lack the education to understand many of the examples of his inventions at the museum, but I saw enough to realize the important contributions of this man.

I found my way back to the hotel to relax a bit. Tonight we went to dinner at Restaurant Ima Dana on Skadarluji Street in the bohemian quarter. We ate outside in perfect weather and were treated to four musicians and some traditional dancers. What a lovely evening.