turies. The Ottomans set out on the path of its valley to make their conquest of Europe. It also played a key role in connecting the industrial centres of Europe dur- ing the time of the Industrial Revolution. At the time, most of the course of the river was controlled by the Austrians. Many battles took place on the Danube dur- ing both world wars, and the histories of various na- tions are linked to the Danube Valley, as this river has always linked the destinies of the nations of Europe. And the Danube has retained that role to this day. Or, as French emperor Napoleon would say, the Danube is the emperor among rivers - as eternal as the Tiber, as fertile as the Nile, as magnificent as the Mississippi, as loved as the Volga, as spirited as the Rhine … The Danube enters Serbia at the 1,433 rd kilometre of its course, at the point of the three-way border be- tween Hungary, Croatia and Serbia, then flows through the country for 588 kilometres. The first major settle- ment on this stretch of the river is Apatin, while not far away is Sombor, Vojvodina’s greenest city. The course of the great river leads us on towards Fruška Gora, the lonely mountain in the Pannonian Sea, which sprawls proudly over the plain, protecting numerous monaster- ies, the National Park, the Wine Route etc. The Dan- ube’s entrance to Novi Sad is guarded by Petrovaradin Fortress, one of the most beautiful fortifications on the Danube, while Novi Sad is a city that you must visit, Surrounded by the rivers of the Danube and the Jezava, standing as a marvel of medieval Serbian architecture is the magnificent Smederevo Fortress - once the miniature em- bodiment of the glorious city of Constantinople. If the legend is to be believed, this “watery city” was created at the behest of Jerina the Cursed, Byzantine princess Irina Kantakuzin who was the wife of Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković. The peo- ple believed that a “demonic force” radiated from it. The city of Smederevo was built with the purpose of becoming the new Serbian capital and the fortified court of Despot Đurađ that would be able to resist Turkish attacks, while today it remains as a testament to this Serbian ruler. FETISLAM When you leave the centre of the town of Kladovo and head towards the Đerdap hydroelectric power plant, you will be awaited by a winding, stone road that’s become overgrown with moss over time, and if you were to follow its route you’d soon reach the fortress of Fetislam. The proper name of this fortification, which was built during the time of Suleiman the Magnificent as the last line of Ottoman defence, is actually Fethislam or “the gate of Islam”, while it can also be found in lit- erature under the name “the gate of peace”... It is also inter- esting that this fortress, composed of the Smaller and Great- er towns, was nicknamed “Svetislav” by the Serbs, in their spirit. For almost five centuries, this “sleeping old lady” has re- called the smell of gunpowder, the stamping of horses, the clatter of heavy knight’s armour, sabres and maces. SMEDEREVO FORTRESS
Dunavski ulaz u Novi Sad čuva Petrovaradinska tvrđava, jedna od najlepših na Dunavu The Danube’s entrance to Novi Sad is guarded by Petrovaradin Fortress, one of the most beautiful on the Danube
29. jun je Međunarodni dan Dunava i obeležava se u 14 evropskih podunavskih zemalja potpisnica Međunarodne konvencije o zaštiti Dunava, kako bi se podigla svest za očuvanje reke i apelovalo na racionalnu upotrebu vodnih resursa / International Danube Day is commemorated on 29 th June in the 14 Danubian countries of Europe that are signatories to the international Danube River Protection Convention, which is aimed at raising awareness of the need to preserve this river and represents an appeal for the rational use of water resources
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