RITAM SRBIJE / RHYTHM OF SERBIA
WELCOME TO SREMSKA MITROVICA City where you can hear the footsteps of legionnaires Buried beneath modern streets and squares, the mighty Sirmium – one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire – still pulsates, its mosaics and walls testifying to the time when the fate of the world was decided in this place O ccupying the banks of the Sava, in a spot where the flat plain gen- tly gives way to the slopes of Fruška Gora, of the city. Walking it reveals a side of the city at its most relaxed, with jog- gers in the early mornings, families in the afternoons, fishermen in the ear- ly evenings and young people lounging on benches beside the river. The Sava is the heart and open stage of the city. Also occupying a special place are numerous smaller parks scattered throughout the city’s neighbourhoods, which serve to make Mitrovica a city where greenery is accessible every- where, and not just in the city centre. Sremska Mitrovica is today considered one of Serbia’s greenest cities. Parks, treelined boulevards, riverside prom- enades and cycle lanes have all been carefully nurtured here for decades. The city’s central park is among the fa- vourite places for locals to gather, but the Sava quayside is the real symbol
A first experience of the city often turns into a spontaneous walk to Žit- ni Square. There, under the open skies, the archaeological layers of Sirmium are visible peeking out from under the modern city, while the houses sur- rounding the square hark back to the periods of Ottoman and Austrian rule. The city’s Museum of Srem fea- tures gold coins of Constantine the Great, a marble sundial, gold belts of the Avar Khaganate and icons from Fruška Gora monasteries, all displayed as proud witnesses of their respective eras. The sundial dates back to around 100 AD! The city centre is also home to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Demetrius, dedicated to the city’s pa- tron saint. Its modern life began in 1810, when the church was consecrat- ed, only for it to later receive the sta- tus of a basilica. The city is also proud of two other churches dedicated to Saint Dimitrius, an Orthodox one and a Catholic one, which together testify to the spirit of community.
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