RITAM SRBIJE / RHYTHM OF SERBIA
even if only briefly. This is a city tailored to the traditionally rich measure- ments of the Pannonian Plain, where everything thrives, from preserved Art Nouveau buildings to postmodern architecture. Its most popular contemporary trademark is the EXIT music festival, while it is also home - as it was in the past - to foundational institutions of Serbi- an culture: the Matica Srpska cultural centre, the Serbi- an National Theatre, the Sterija Pozorje theatre festival etc. This is a mini metropolis, a city where differences are perceived as an advantage. Also testifying to this is the work of the Novi Sad Theatre, the Novi Sad Univer- sity, with its 19 faculties, and many other things that represent the living essence of Novi Sad’s daily life. No- vi Sad is a city that is proud of its past, the best trac- es of which continue to endure and radiate, and where you can live peacefully and dynamically, with all the up- coming and already-present images and occasions of the simmering 21 st century. Around ten kilometres further along, the Danube carries us to Sremski Karlovci. This is a place that’s rich in culture and history, but which is renowned for offering the highest quality wines. The next stop on the course is Stari Slankamen, where the Tisza empties into the Dan- ube and where, according to legend, Attila the Hun, the Scourge of God, is buried. And then we witness the most beautiful love story of two rivers, the place where the Danube and the Sava kiss eternally, perhaps the world’s most beautiful city, the capital of Serbia, the one and
Opkoljena Dunavom i Jezavom, kao srednjovekovno srpsko graditeljsko čudo, stoji veličanstvena Smederevska tvrđava Surrounded by the rivers of the Danube and the Jezava, standing as a marvel of medieval Serbian architecture is the magnificent Smederevo Fortress
only Belgrade. The vantage point of the river provides an impressive view of the city’s Kalemegdan, Belgrade’s largest and most beautiful park, which also happens to be the country’s most important cul- tural and historical complex dominated by the fortress above the confluence. During the time when the fortress was Belgrade’s main military stronghold, it served as a place to watch for approaching enemies and await battle, which is why its name is derived from the Turkish words “kale” - city, or fortress, and “megdan” - battle- field. The Turks also called Kalemegdan Fićir-bajir, which means “hill for thinking”. But the Danube flows on, inexorably, and we must go with it, via Vinča, to the city of Smederevo. On the bank of the Danube towers the powerful Smedere-
Trajanova tabla je još jedan od simbola Đerdapa Trajan’s plaque, Tabula Traiana, is another symbol of Đerdap
vo Fortress, which was built by Serbian despot Đurađ Branković. Once the capital of Serbia, Smederevo is to- day a city that provides a reminder of the powerful days of the Serbian medieval state. Before the river leads us on to Silver Lake, check out the Ottoman fortress of Ram. Not a lot is known about the history of this for- tress, but it is an extremely valuable monument among the fortifications of the Danube. And here we are on Sil- ver Lake, the watery neighbour of the Đerdap Gorge, the Iron Gates of the Danube.
The Đerdap Iron Gates Gorge is the largest river gorge in Europe. This area is also home to the Đerdap National Park, the largest national park in Serbia. Lo- cated on the right bank of the Danube and stretching from Golubac Fortress to the ancient Diana Fortress, it covers a distance of 100 km. And nearby is also Lep- enski Vir, one of the largest and most important Meso- lithic and Neolithic archaeological sites, which was dis- covered in 1965, on the very bank of the Danube, and
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