Belgrade

For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation).

Belgrade
(Flag) (Coat of Arms)
Mayor	Nenad Bogdanović
Area	359.96 km²
Population  - city  - urban  - density	1,273,651 1,717,124 3538(4378)/km²
Time zone	UTC+1
founded became capital last independence	279 B.C. 1403 1867
Latitude Longitude	44°83' N 20°50' E
Area code	+381 11
Car plates	BG
Official Website

Belgrade (Serbian: Beograd, Београд (help·info)) is the capital of Serbia and Montenegro (2003–Present). It is one of the oldest cities in Europe, settled in the 3rd century BC by the Celts before becoming the Roman settlement of Singidunum. The name Beograd (Belgrade) was first mentioned in the year 878. It has been the capital of Serbia since 1404, and of Yugoslavia from 1918 until 2003.

The city lies on the outfall of the river Sava at its confluence with the river Danube in north central Serbia, at 44.83° N 20.50° E. The official population of the Belgrade region is 1,711,800. Unofficially (taking into account displaced persons and refugees), the population likely surpasses 2 million. It is the largest city of the former Yugoslavia, and by population ranks fourth in the Balkans behind Istanbul, Athens and Bucharest.

Belgrade has the status of a separate teritorial unit in Serbia, having its own autonomous city government. Its territory is divided into 17 municipalities, each having its own local government. Belgrade spreads over 3.6% of the territory of Serbia, and 15.8% of the Serbian population (23% excluding Kosovo) lives in the city. It is the central economic hub of Serbia: 31.2% of all employed workers in Serbia work in Belgrade. Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education and science. It has the greatest concentration of institutions of national importance in the field of science and art.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 Tourism 5 Municipalities 6 Transportation 7 Economy 8 Architecture 9 Museums 10 Media 10.1 Radio stations: 10.2 Television Stations: 10.3 Internet Service Providers 10.4 Production: 10.5 Press agencies: 11 Names 12 Education 13 Sport and recreation 14 Night life 15 Received decorations 16 Twin cities 17 Quotations 18 See also 19 External links 19.1 Events 19.2 Tourist information 19.3 Belgrade live-cams 19.4 Observation of the construction sites 19.5 Photo galleries

History

For an overview of Belgrade's history, see Timeline of Belgrade

Being located where the Vinča culture existed and dominated the Balkans about 8,000 years ago, Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe and maybe the world. Settled in the 3rd century BC by the Celts before becoming the Roman settlement of Singidunum, the site passed to the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire.

Singidunum experienced occupation by successive invaders of the region — Huns, Sarmatians, Ostrogoths and Avars — before the arrival of the Slavs around 630 AD. In 878 the city was renamed Beligrad ("white fortress" or "white town") under the rule of the First Bulgarian Empire. For approximately 400 years, it remained a Bulgarian frontier town, often known as the region of "Belgrade and Branichevo." During that period, however, the city was also a subject to Byzantine rivalry and rule, before it finally emerged as a stronghold of the medieval Serbian kingdom. It was a major traffic point on a crusade route which led from Western Europe to Middle East.

The first Serbian king to rule Belgrade was Dragutin (1276–1282), who received it as a present from the Hungarian king.

After terrible defeat in Battle of Kosovo of 1389, Serbian Empire became to crumble, and by the beginning of next century most of it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. However, Serbian Despotate in the north, with Belgrade as its capital, resisted for another 60 years, beeing the last Christian state in the Balkans to do so. Under despot Stefan Lazarevic, son of the last Serbian "Czar Lazar", Belgrade flourished, having its ancient walls refortified, along with its castles, harbours and churches, resisting to surrender to the Muslims. At that time Belgrade became a haven for many Balkan peoples escaping Ottoman control. In 1453, Serbian Despotate fell to the Ottomans, but Belgrade itself invited in Hungarian kings for protection. The Ottomans, however, wanted Belgrade no matter what the cost as it was considered "key to the Balkans." That resulted in their invasion in 1456, the Siege of Belgrade, and Jan Hunyadi and his allies won and expelled the Ottomans from the city. This war has brought the city the reputation of "Guardian of Christianity" and it was celebrated throughout Europe. At that time Belgrade reached its peak of glory with its population numbering well over 100,000 people of many nations, regulating traffic between East and West, becoming a "Christian Mecca" and a cultural hub for South-East. However, "nothing in the Balkans lasts long".... In 1521, the fort was recaptured by the Ottoman Turks, and Belgrade remained under Ottoman rule for nearly three centuries. By 1526 Turks had already conquered Southern Hungary, by 1541 took over the capital Buda, and already by 1563 knocked on the door of Western Europe in Vienna. The city of Belgrade deteriorated as its buildings were demolished and robbed by "non-believers". It was the site of a major rebellion in 1594 (Banat rebellion), that was brutally crushed by the Turks, burning the churches and even coffins of Nemanjic family- see Temple of Saint Sava. Thrice occupied by Austria (1688–1690, 1717–1739, 1789–1791), the city was briefly held (1806–1813) by Serbian forces during the first national uprising against Ottoman rule, and in 1817 became the capital of an autonomous principality of Serbia (except in the period from 1818–1839, when Kragujevac was the country's capital city). It was also the site of 2 Great Serbian Migrations- when hundreds of thousands of Serbs, led by their patriarchs, have retreated together with Austrians into Habsburg Empire in 1690 and 1737, settling today's Vojvodina and Slavonia.

With the departure of its Turkish garrison (1867) and Serbia's full independence (1878) and elevation to a kingdom (1882), Belgrade became a key city of the Balkans. But despite the opening of a railway to Niš, Serbia's second city, conditions in Serbia as a whole remained those of an overwhelmingly agrarian country, and in 1900 the capital had only 69,000 inhabitants. However by the outbreak of WWI in 1914 the city has grown to over 100,000, not counting the settlements on the northern sides of Sava and Danube that belonged to Austro-Hungary.

After occupation by Austro-Hungarian and German troops in 1915-1918 during World War I, Belgrade experienced faster growth and significant modernisation as the capital of the new Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the 1920s and 1930s, growing in population to 239,000 by 1931 with the incorporation of the northern suburb of Zemun, formerly on the Austro-Hungarian bank of the river.

On April 6, 1941, Belgrade was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe (killing thousands of people) and Yugoslavia was invaded by German, Italian, Hungarian and Bulgarian forces, aided by domestic Albanians and Croats. Most of the city remained under German occupation until October 20, 1944, when it was liberated by Yugoslav Partisan forces and the Red Army, while the western suburbs were incorporated into Independent State of Croatia. In the post-war period Belgrade grew rapidly as the capital of the renewed Yugoslavia, developing as a major industrial centre. Sarajevo was considered as a candidate for the capital for a short period of time.

In March 1972, Belgrade was at the centre of the last major outbreak of smallpox in Europe. The epidemic, which was contained with enforced quarantine and mass vaccination, was over by late May. See: 1972 outbreak of smallpox in Yugoslavia.

On March 9, 1991 massive demonstrations were held against Slobodan Milošević in the city. Two people were killed and tanks were deployed in the streets in order to restore order. One of the dead, Branivoje Milinović (1973–1991), was a 17 year-old Serb high school student. According to his parents, he was just going into the city centre to buy some cassettes when he was killed. Milinović is considered by many to be the first victim of the Yugoslav breakup. Image:Kalemegdan.jpg After elections in 2000, Belgrade was the site of major demonstrations which caused the ousting of president Milošević.

NATO air strikes caused substantial damage to the city during the Kosovo War in 1999. Among the sites bombed were the Ministries of defense, interior, and finance, the presidential residency, a few television and radio broadcasting stations ("Pink", "Košava", "Radio S", "ELMAG") including RTS (Radio Television of Serbia) killing 17 technicians, the hospital "Dragiša Mišović," the Socialist Party of Serbia headquarters, the Hotel "Jugoslavija," and the Chinese embassy.

Belgrade has come under some form of attack some 54 times since AD 1, or every 37 years on average. Zoran Đinđić was the first democratically elected mayor of Belgrade. The current mayor is Nenad Bogdanović.

Geography

Belgrade is situated in South-Eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. It lies at the point where the river Sava merges into the Danube, on the slope between two alluvial planes. The river waters surround it from three sides, and that is why since ancient times it has been the guardian of river passages. Because of its position it was properly called "the gate" of the Balkans, and "the door" to Central Europe. The city's main traffic artery stretches from Kalemegdan, along Knez Mihailova Street, and through Terazije to Slavija.

At Knez Mihailova street, the coordinates of Belgrade are marked:

• 44°49'14" of northern latitude
• 20°27'44" of eastern longitude
• altitude 116,75 m.

Belgrade is at the intersection of roads that lead between Eastern and Western Europe. which leads from the Morava-Vardar valley and the Nišava-Marica valley, to the shores of the Aegean Sea, Asia Minor and to the Middle East. The city lies on the Danube river, the sailing route, which connects the Western and Central European countries with the countries of South-Eastern and Eastern Europe. After the construction of the artificial lake and the Đerdap power station, Belgrade became a river and sea port. Ships from the Black Sea sail to its docks, and with the opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, Belgrade came to the center of the most important sailing route in Europe: The North Sea - Atlantic - Black Sea route.

Climate

Belgrade has a moderate continental climate, with four seasons. Autumn is longer than spring, with longer sunny and warm periods - the so-called Indian summer. Winter is not so severe, with an average of 21 days of sub-zero temperature. January is the coldest month, with an average temperature of 0.4°C. Spring is short and rainy. Summer arrives abruptly.

The average annual air temperature, for the period from 1961 to 1990 was 11.9°C. The hottest months are July (21.7°C) and August (21.3°C). The lowest temperature in Belgrade was recorded on January 10, 1893 (-26.2°C), and the highest on August 12, 1921 and on September 9, 1946 (41.8°C). The average annual number of days with temperatures higher than 30°C - the so-called tropical days - is 31 and that of summer days with temperature higher than 25°C is 95.

The characteristic of Belgrade climate is also Košava - the southeast-east wind, which brings clear and dry weather. It mostly blows in autumn and winter, in 2-3 days intervals. The average speed of Košava is 25-43 km/h but certain strokes can reach up to 130 km/h. Košava is the strongest air cleaner of Belgrade.

The average annual rainfall on Belgrade and its surroundings is 685 mm. The rainiest months are May and June. The average number of sunny hours over the year is 2.096 hours. There are about 10 hours of sun a day in July and August, while December and January are the cloudiest, with only 2 to 2.3 hours of sun per day. The average number of snowy days is 27, snow cover lasts from 30 to 44 days, and its average thickness is 14 to 25 cm.

Tourism

Image:Ruski car.jpg

Since 1991, in line with Yugoslavia's revival of diplomatic relations with Western Europe and the USA, the republic of Serbia (although landlocked) has been seeing a return of foreign holiday makers absent since the internal wars from 1992. Belgrade is again becoming a choice for weekend breaks and more and more foreign tourists are to be found walking the streets of Belgrade having included the city as a part of their wider European adventure. Belgrade is also the most important tourism destination in Serbia. International tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the economy. From 2002 to 2004, receipts from international visitors increased from $70 million to $220 million, to $350 million in 2005 and projected $1 billion until 2008. Full of restaurants, bars, clubs, museums and set between the confluence of two major rivers, the city has much to offer. It is also well served by air, rail and road links, with reasonable driving distances to many cities. Worth seeing are the beautiful areas such as Belgrade's fine old city, chiefly Skadarlija, the National Museum and adjacent National Theatre, Zemun, Nikola Pašić Square, Terazije, Students' Square, Kalemegdan Fortress, and Knez Mihailova (pictured right). The Federal Parliament and the Old Palace buildings are masterpieces and the city boasts a number of objects not only attributed to the local Serbian/Slavic ancestors, but many outside influences, such as Venetians, Magyars, Ottomans and Austrians. On top of this, there are many parks, monuments, cafes, restaurants and hotels, shops with some lovely nature walks for all year round; both sides of the river Sava, not to mention a fantastic view of the city from the Avala monument, situated at a hilltop overlooking the city, a fine spot for young romantics and those picnicking.

Municipalities

An urban municipality is a part of the territory of the City of Belgrade, in which certain operations of local self-government laid down by the City Charter are run. Pursuant to the Constitution, legislation, present Charter and bylaws of the urban municipality, the citizens participate in conducting operations of the urban municipality through the councilors elected to the City municipal assembly, civil initiative, local citizens’ meeting and referendum.

The bodies of the urban municipality are:

• Municipal Assembly
• District Council Chairman
• Municipal Council

The number of councilors in the Municipal Assembly ranges from 19 to 75 councilors.

The District Council Chairman presides over the Municipal Assembly, and he/she is a chairperson of the Municipal Council. The Municipal Assembly elects the District Council Chairman among the municipal councilors.

The Municipal Council is composed of the District Council Chairman, Deputy District Council Chairman and at the most 7 members. The Municipal Council members are elected by the Municipal Assembly among both councilors and citizens further to the proposal by the District Council Chairman.

The urban municipalities are conditionally divided (in relation to their geographical position and powers) in 10 urban and 7 suburban municipalities:

1. Barajevo
2. Voždovac
3. Vračar
4. Grocka
5. Zvezdara
6. Zemun
7. Lazarevac
8. Mladenovac
9. Novi Beograd
10. Obrenovac
11. Palilula
12. Rakovica
13. Savski Venac
14. Sopot
15. Stari Grad
16. Surčin
17. Čukarica

Urban municipalities:
Čukarica, Novi Beograd, Palilula, Rakovica, Savski Venac, Stari Grad, Voždovac, Vračar, Zemun, Zvezdara,
Suburban municipalities:
Barajevo, Grocka, Lazarevac, Mladenovac, Obrenovac, Sopot, Surčin,

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Belgrade

The main public transportation system in Belgrade consists of buses (112 lines), trams (12 lines) and trollies (8 lines). In addition, there are 24 taxi companies serving the city.

The regional rail system (Beovoz) is operated by the national railway company, and connects Belgrade's suburbs with the urban areas. There are six lines with 41 stations. Two stations near the downtown area (Vukov spomenik and Karađorđev park) are used by lines 1 and 2, and are situated underground. Construction of three line pre-metro/light rail transit system is scheduled to begin in 2007, while first line should be completed by 2010. Second line from Law school (Faculty of law) to Topcider will begin to construct in 2009.

A new bridge over the Sava River crossing over the tip of Ada Ciganlija island is scheduled to start construction later in 2006 and be completed by 2009, significanlty reducing traffick throughfare passing through the downtown. This new bridge is set to be a part of realization of the larger traffick decongestion project named "Unutrašnji Magistralni Prsten" or Internal magistral ring, which should ease the heavy traffic within the city and compliment the new half-circle highway by-pass around Belgrade which has been under construction for a considerable number of years now. The third of the Belgrade's light-rail lines should be crossing the new bridge accross Sava connecting the outer parts of New Belgrade with the central areas.

The international airport, Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (renamed 2006), is located 12 km outside the city. It is connected with the city by the Belgrade-Zagreb highway. It provides connections with many cities in Europe, Asia and Africa. Eighteen established international airlines maintain offices at the airport. The number of airlines using the Belgrade airport is set to increase in from January 1, 2007 when the Open Skies inernational agreement comes into effect in Serbia, liftng protectionist restrictions the national airline or the government puts on international airline traffick landing rights. A major expansion of the airport in Belgrade has been detailed with a development deal signed with DynaCorp. Inc. to build a reagional air cargo hub. Belgrade airport also plans to in the future build a third passanger terminal and another runway, however this does not seem to be plausible in the near future.

The main railway station is situated near the downtown district, and connects Belgrade with many major European cities,such as Istanbul, Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, Vienna and Kiev.

A new central railway station has been under construction since 1977 at the site named Prokop. The new railway station will be called "Beograd Centar"; upon its completion all Belgrade rail traffick currently handled by the old railway station situated at the very centre of the city will be transfered to the new station freeing thousands of square meters of prime real estate along the Sava River and substantially easing the rail travel into Belgrade. After years of delay, this ambitious project is set to be completed in the next few years pending the new international tender for its completion set to be announced by the government at the beggining of March 2006. The train terminals will be situated underground while the vast passanger terminal will be above gound featuring commerical spaces, possibly a hotel and other amenities. Most of the rough work on the station's train terminals has been completed thus far. Belgrade has been restricted in its use of its vast waterfront precisely because of the large rail infrastructure that hug the river banks of the Old Town. Completion of this boom is signaling a major boom in Belgrade's waterfront development and freed land development.

Belgrade has a commercial port on the banks of Danube named Luka Beograd. There is also a tourist port on the banks of the Sava welcoming various river cruise vessels from across Europe. Belgrade has several impromptu sporting marinas near the islands of Ada Ciganlija and Ada Medjica harbouring small sail boats and sporting/recreational vessels. Answering to the need for a real sporting/recreational marina a detailed plan for a marina in Dorćol on the banks of the Danube has been presented to the public and an international tender for it's development has been announced.

Belgrade has a military airport at Batajnica, a suburb of Belgrade.

Economy

The city of Belgrade is the administrative, commercial, financial and cultural center of the Republic of Serbia and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and is situated at the merging point of the Sava and Danube Rivers in the center of Southeast Europe. Serbia is emerging rapidly from over a decade of wars and sanctions that devastated its economy. Four years into this process, Serbia is expected to move through the transition rapidly. Historically the country lacked the heavy state structures of other countries in the region, with a system that in many ways more resembled Western European states. The economy has already rebounded considerably. Much progress has been made recently in improving the Serbian business and investment environment. At 10%, Serbia has the lowest corporate tax rate in the region. Reforms are ongoing in business formation, bankruptcy, banking and secured lending among other areas. Belgrade was once a hub of business and cultural activity. It was both the capital of Yugoslavia and the center of the global “non-aligned movement.” There has also been an increased tendency to travel and do business across borders in the last decade and a half. This means that Belgrade emerges into a more dynamic travel market than the one it left with the onset of war and sanctions in the early 1990s. The capital of a country of over 9 million people, Belgrade is the center of a regional free trade zone with over 40 million. Serbia also has preferential access to EU markets and is uniquely positioned as having tariff free access to Russia. With its historically strong human capital for the region and improving environment, the country is attracting investors seeking access to the greater area. Foreign investors are returning and increases in both exports and imports bring foreigners to Belgrade to do business. Belgrade’s position is strategically important, located at the intersection of European highway and railway networks connecting Europe with Asia. The city is on the confluence of two navigable rivers Sava and Danube, the latter of which provides freight and transportation links to Western Europe and the Black Sea. Belgrade Airport serves 17 airlines with scheduled flights to and from major European cities as well as New York City and the Middle East. Passenger traffic in 2004 was approximately 1.85 million passengers, showing strong increases since 2000. As Belgrade reclaims its position as the cultural and business hub of Southeast Europe, the city offers opportunities to early stage investors in the hospitality industry. Though possessing a wealth of business and cultural potential that is rapidly being realized, Belgrade lags other cities in both quality accommodation and the presence of international hotel chains. Belgrade is the last major European city without significant investments in modern hotels and without a preponderance of major hotel operators. Interested investors may seek opportunities in greenfield projects, renovations, and management contracts.

Architecture

Various parts of Belgrade have wildly varying architecture, from the center of Zemun, which is a typical one for a Vojvodina town, via still remaining Turkish-styled buildings and street layout of the centre of Belgrade, to modern architecture and layout of Novi Beograd.

Some distinctive buildings in Belgrade are:

• Avala TV Tower
• Bajrakli mosque
• Beli Dvor
• Beograđanka
• Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro
• Temple of Saint Sava
• Genex Tower
• Palace Albania
• Countess Ljubica's Residence
• Count Milos's Residence
• Ušće Tower — Formerly housed the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Following Nato bombardment, from which only the skeleton of the building survived, it has been redeveloped into an office block.
• Sava Center
• Hotel Moskva

Some notable streets and squares are:

• Boulevard of King Alexander (formerly Boulevard of the Revolution) — the longest street in Belgrade
• Knez Mihailova
• Skadarlija
• Slavija
• Terazije
• Republic Square (square of Victory, of Theater)
• Kosančićev venac
• Mitrović passage - the shortest street in Belgrade

Famous tourist and historical sites from Belgrade include the Avala mountain, the Kalemegdan, the Dedinje ward and the Josip Broz Tito's mausoleum, called Kuća Cveća (The House of Flowers).

Museums

See also: List of museums in Belgrade

Some of the more prominent museums in Belgrade are:

• Ethnographic Museum of Serbia (Studentski Trg 13) - museum contains more than 160,000 items presenting rural and urban culture of the Balkans. Established in 1901.
• Museum of Contemporary Art (Ušće bb) - Includes works of art produced in Yugoslavia since 1900, around 8,540 objects.
• Museum of Natural History - includes more than 900,000 items related to nature.
• National Museum (Trg Republike 1a) - an art museum with a collection of over 300,000 objects including foreign art master pieces. Established in 1844. Currently closed for restoration works.
• Nikola Tesla Museum (Krunska 52) - museum preserves personal items of Nikola Tesla. Includes around 160,000 original documents and around 5,700 other items. Established in 1952.

Media

Belgrade is the most important center for the Serbian media, it is the headquarters of the national television network "Radio Television Serbia" - RTS. The largest daily newspapers in Belgrade include Vecernje Novosti, Politika, Glas Javnosti, Blic and Kurir. Some of the more popular television stations without national television are B92, Pink, Bk, Studio B, Politika, and they cover large variety of tv programs,topics. While there are others like Sos channel which is focused on sport events, Metropolis which is music oriented, Art whics covers art-based topics, Cinemania - movie channel or Happy tv for children entertainment.

Radio stations:

(not all included)

Radio Beograd; Radio Beograd 202; Radio 101; Radio B92; Radio Barajevo; Radio Golf; Radio Indeks; Radio Yugoslavia; Radio Lazarevac; Radio Novosti; Radio Nostalgija; Radio Pingvin; Radio Politika; Radio Top FM; Radio S; Radio Studio B;

Television Stations:

(not all included)

Art TV; Radio Televisija Srbija - RTS 1, RTS 2, 3K; TV B92; BK TV; TV Kanal D; TV Košava; TV Metropolis; TV Pink; Politika; TV Sos Kanal; TV Stankom; TV Studio B; Happy TV;

Internet Service Providers

(not all included)

EUnet; SezamPro; BeoTel; Verat;

Production:

Produkcijska Grupa Mreža; Video Nedeljnik VIN; Advance; DТV Production;

Press agencies:

Таnјug; FoNet; Beta; Tiker;

Names

The following is a list of names of Belgrade through history:

Name	Notes
Singidūn(on)	Named by the Celtic tribe of the Scordisci; dūn(on) means 'lodgment, enclosure', Singi is still unexplained but there are some theories; 279 BC
Singidūnum	Romans conquered the city and romanized the Celtic name
Beograd	Slavic name first mentioning in 878 in the letter of Pope John VIII to Boris of Bulgaria
Alba Graeca	Latin translation
Fehérvár	Hungarian translation
Weißenburg	German translation
Castelbianco	Italian translation
Nandoralba	In medieval Hungary up to the 14th century
Nandorfehérvár	In medieval Hungary
Landorfehérvár	In medieval Hungary
Veligradon	Byzantine name
Veligradi, Βελιγράδι	Greek name
Dar Ul Jihad (The House of War)	Ottoman name
Belgrat	Turkish name
Belogrados poleos

Education

Belgrade University was founded in 1808 as a Great Academy. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the country (the oldest higher-education facility dates back to 1689 and is located in Subotica- Teacher's college). Belgrade educational system is under the control of the Serbian Ministry of Education and Sport, while a minor part is controlled by the Sectretariat of Education. Belgrade has two state universities, and private institutions for higher education are being established as well. There are 195 primary (elementary) schools, and 85 secondary schools. Of the primary schools, there are 162 regular, 14 special, 15 art and 4 adult schools. The secondary schools consist of 51 vocational, 21 gymnasiums, 8 art schools and 5 special schools. There are 230,000 pupils enrolled, managed by 22,000 emplyees in over 500 buildings, covering around 1.1 km². Belgrade is also the seat of high-level scientific and research institutes covering many fields.

Universities located in Belgrade are:

• University of Belgrade
• University of the Arts
• Braća Karić University
• Singidunum University
• European University
• Megatrend University of Applied Sciences
• Police Academy
• Military Academy

Sport and recreation

There are around a thousand sports facilities in Belgrade, many of which are capable of serving all levels of sporting events. Belgrade was a host of many great sport events in its history, including World and European championships in many sports categories. Belgrade launched two unsuccessful candidatures to organize the Summer Olympic Games: it bid for the 1992 Summer Olympics which it lost to Barcelona, and it also bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics which it ultimately lost to Atlanta.

Belgrade will be the host city of the 2009 Summer Universiade, defeating the cities of Morelia and Poznan.

Sporting arenas include:

• Red Star Stadium
• Partizan Stadium
• Belgrade Arena
• Pionir Hall

Ada Ciganlija is an island on the Sava river, and Belgrade's biggest sports and recreational complex. It is the most popular destination for Belgraders during the city's hot summers. There are 10 kilometres of long beaches and sports facilities for various sports including golf, rugby, football, basketball, volleyball and tennis. Extreme sports are included, like bungee jumping, water skiing, and there is even a paintball club. There are numerous tracks on the island, where it is possible to ride a bike, take a relaxing walk or jog. Many other recreational facilities are available, including fishing.

Night life

Belgrade offers a rather sophisticated night life. The general atmosphere within the city centre matches the feeling generated in Northern Europe more so than a near-Mediterranean based city. Many clubs and discotheques can be found throughout the city that are open until dawn. The most recognizable nightlife feature of Belgrade are the barges (called "splavs") that are spread along the banks of the Sava and Danube rivers. These restaurants and discotheques float on water and offer an exciting scene for summer fun. Some of the most visited "splavs" are Ambis, Sound, Sargon and Amsterdam. Other well known "non-splavic" popular clubs are Mr.Stefan Braun,Andergraund, Plastic, Zvezda, Bassment, Drama and the latest hotspot - Apartman.

Recently according to several local, regional and international news magazines, papers and news agencies, notably The New York Times and CNN, Belgrade has become quite the regional night life hub, boasting cheap drinks and accommodation in comparison to the rest of Europe and the regional capitals like Zagreb and Ljubljana. Weekend fun-seeking visitors from Europe and most notably from Croatia and Slovenia revere Belgrade as "the-place-to-be", citing friendly atmosphere, great clubs and bars, cheap drinks, language they can understand and lack of restrictive night life regulation. Belgrade has long been boasted for its friendly and fun-loving atmosphere which is said to be returning slowly but surely after years of war and economic desperation.

Belgrade also has a small and cuatious "gay scene" where the LGBT people enjoy socializing. Apparently, Belgrade has two permanent gay clubs named X and Can-Can, both centrally located, and a number of lively private LGBT parties are hosted monthly, promoted independently through Serbia's on-line LGBT portal http://www.gay-serbia.com/. Gay bashing is unfortunately still common in Belgrade and Serbia which is generally hostile to those of different sexual/gender orientation, so caution is advised when LGBT places of interest are visited.

Famous spots for the followers of what is often termed alternative or non main stream music and cultural trends can enjoy famous and very well established clubs named Akademija located in the basement of the Faculty of Fine Arts located in Knez Mihajlova Street and famed KST (Klub Studenata Tehnike) located in the basement of the Faculty of Electro-Engineering of the University of Belgrade at Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra. One of the most famous sites of alternative cultural happenings in the city is the SKC "Studentski Kulturni Centar" or the student's cultural centre, located in a representative building in Kralja Milana street right across from Belgrade's highrise landmark Beogradjanka. This centre has a large stage hall where concerts are often held including some of the most famous local and foreign bands. SKC is also very often the site of many exhibitions and public debates and discussions.

Individuals prefering a more traditional Serbian night life experience accompanied by traditional music locally termed "Starogradska" roughly translated into English as the Old Town Music typical of Northern Serbia's urban environments, can opt for a night out at Skadarlija city's old bohemian neighbourhood where poets and artists of Belgrade gathered for centuries. The Skadarska Street and the surrounding neighbourhood are lined with some of Belgrade's best and oldest traditional restaurants dating back to the 19th and early 20th century. The streets are lined with cobalt stones adding to the quaint atmosphere of this Belgrade jewel. At one end of the neighbourhood stands Belgrade's oldest beer brewery founded in late 18th century. Today it is restored and open for the public to enjoy the famous "BIP" beer right from the taps where it has been produced for centuries.

Received decorations

Belgrade received domestic and international decorations.

• Legion of Honour
• War Cross
• Karađorđe's Star with Swords
• Order of National Hero

Twin cities

Belgrade is twinned with the following cities:

• Beijing (Peking), People's Republic of China. Since 14 October 1980.
• Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2005.
• Coventry, United Kingdom
• Buenos Aires, Argentina

Quotations

• I cometh and found the noblest burgh from ancient times, the grand town of Belgrade, by sorry fate destroyed and nearly void. Having rebuilt it, I consecrated it to the Holy Mother of God. — despot Stefan Lazarevic
• Soldiers! Heroes! The supreme command has erased our regiment from its records. Our regiment has been sacrificed for the honor of Belgrade and the Fatherland. Therefore, you no longer have to worry for your lives - they do not exist anymore. So, forward to glory! For King and country! Long live the king! Long live Belgrade! — major Dragutin Gavrilovic, to defenders of Belgrade in First World War
• "The sky above Belgrade is wide and high, unstable but always beautiful; even during winter serenities with their icy splendour; even during summer storms when the whole of it turns into a single gloomy cloud which, driven by the mad wind, carries the rain mixed with the dust of panonian plain; even in spring when it seems that it also blooms, along with the ground; even in autumn when it grows heavy with the autumn stars in swarms. Always beautiful and rich, as a compensation to this strange town for everything that isn't there, and a consolation because of everything that shouldn't be there. But the greatest splendour of that sky above Belgrade, that are the sunsets. In autumn and in summer, they are broad and bright like desert mirages, and in winter they are smothered by murky clouds and dark red hazes. And in every time of year frequently come the days when the flame of that sun setting in the plain, between the rivers beneath Belgrade, gets reflected way up in the high celestial dome, and it breaks there and pours down over the scattered town. Then, for a moment, the reddish tint of the sun paints even the remotest corners of Belgrade and reflects into the windows, even of those houses it otherwise poorly illuminates." — Ivo Andrić writing about Belgrade

See also

• Timeline of Belgrade
• List of national capitals
• List of Belgrade suburbs
• Belgrade Arena
• University of Belgrade
• Temple of Saint Sava
• Skadarlija

External links

• City of Belgrade Official Website
• Interactive map of Belgrade (In Serbian)
• Architecture of Belgrade
• Weather in Belgrade
• Google Maps Satellite image of Belgrade
• Belgrade Public Transport
• Belgrade Airport
• BELAM - Belgrade Metro Project

Events

• Eurobasket 2005
• 2005 European Volleyball Championship
• European Water polo championship 2006 Belgrade
• Summer Universiade Belgrade 2009

Tourist information

• Tourist Organization of Belgrade
• Belgrade Eye (Tourist information)
• Totally Belgrade (Tourist information)
• Belgrade Inside Out (Tourist information)
• Belgrade Sightseeing (Tourist information)

Belgrade live-cams

• Belgrade Live-Cam: Republic Square
• Belgrade Live-Cam: New west quarters - "Novi Beograd"
• Belgrade Live-Cam: Nikola Pašić Square

Observation of the construction sites

• BeoBuild (Construction projects and observation of the construction sites)

Photo galleries

• Belgrade Photo Gallery
• Mondophoto.net: 129 Public Domain photos of Belgrade
• BeoBuild Photos (Photos and panoramas of Belgrade)

Travel guide to Belgrade from Wikitravel

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