Serbia

Visited: August 2004, September 2008, July 2021, April 2022

Duration of visit: 15 days

Capital city: Belgrade

Population: 6.64 million (2022)

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

• The capital Belgrade with its bars, restaurants, Balkan food and charm.
• Tomb of legendary Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito in Belgrade.
• Panoramic view from Kalemegdan.
• Nostalgically remembering good old times of socialism, when we were still united in the same country.
• Mountainous Mokra gora area on the northern slopes of Zlatibor: narrow gauge railway, traditional village of Drvengrad and a limestone cave Stopića.
• Novi Sad – the capital of autonomous province of Vojvodina, also known as “the Serbian Athens”.

Serbia used to be a part of ex-Yugoslavia, the country where I was born and raised. So, I have a special relationship with all the of republics of ex-Yugoslavia, which the 1990s became independent countries.

Many of Serbia’s conflicts and wars were driven by leaders seeking to unite Serbs from Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in one country.

A utopic mission costed them prosperity, economic development, peace and prestige in international community for many years in different historical periods.

Successful sports figures from Serbia filled both its citizens and those of the former Yugoslavia with pride and joy through major international events and competitions. From the Olympic Games and world championships to the inspiring stories of ordinary boys and girls achieving success in various sports, they brought a sense of shared glory to the nation.

My memories of Serbia at the time of ex and post Yugoslavia go basically back to Tito, sport clubs of Partizan, Crvena Zvezda and stubborn political leader Slobodan Milosevic. I have never had a strong desire to visit Serbia as a tourist destination; therefore, my earlier visits for business or family reasons did not include exploring its attractions or landmarks.

My only tourist experiences before 2021 were in Belgrade, the capital city, where I toured its famous landmarks and top places to visit in 2004 and 2008. I was staying at my distant relatives’ apartment in downtown area and moving around the city on public transport.

Well-developed public transport network was inexpensive and efficient but the fleet of buses was outdated and uncomfortable. The tram system with old swiss wagons was even less efficient at the time.

I visited Belgrade in 2004. My impressions might be peculiar due to the perspective from ex-Yugoslavia citizen, which reflects common past, when Slovenia and Serbia were part of the same country.

Through conversation with elder people I always got an impression that Serbs are still the smartest, most hard-working people who speak the most important language in the world. In fact, they are just fine, commute around Belgrade in dilapidated buses and worn out trams, which were written off in Switzerland a few decades ago.

There are two elements that are never missing: cigarettes and ćevapčići – a grilled roll of minced meat.

Despite international competition, Slovenian brand names Gorenje and Iskra are still highly appreciated, at least in conversation. Some flowers always decorate the Flower house (Tito’s grave). Recently, grass has overgrown the flowers, while peacocks allegedly escaped during the American bombing in 1999. Still, in the year 2004, the grave has already attracted over 20,000 visitors by August.

I got a feeling that everybody smokes in Belgrade, talk all the time and work only the minimum to survive. People were relaxed and it was easy to start conversation. The older generation’s memories are rooted in the high-quality Slovenian products that once dominated the market. Younger generations, meanwhile, admire the political stability and overall prosperity of the Western world.

The gap in mindset is a clear consequence a direct result of the wars and conflicts that occurred in the Balkans during the 1990s, which originated from Serbian ideological politics and changed the region completely.

Economic development has been sluggish as a result of the country’s pro-Russian stance, reflected in the lack of opportunities for ambitious entrepreneurs and the growing desire of the younger generation to emigrate.

One of the very obvious signs that Belgrade was a capital of a socialist country is the number of cars that are parked around multi-storey apartment blocks in the center. I noticed a typical planning mistake that hadn’t take into account that the number of cars will grow exponentially, as soon as the regulation and restrictions of the old system would be eventually loosened.

Being the headquarter of old Yugo car factory in the past still assures envious number of Yugos on the street, but they have been replaced with so many vehicles that it is impossible to walk on sidewalks around residential areas.

Tomb of ex-president Marshal Josip Broz Tito was one of the most sacred places after Tito’s dead in 1980. His funeral drew many world statesmen from non-aligned and aligned countries.

Based on the number of attending politicians and state delegations, it was the largest state funeral in history with representatives of 128 countries* attending the ceremony.

*At that time there were 154 member states of the United Nations.

In the 1980s, people from all over Yugoslavia were coming to see his tomb, offering flowers, respect and memories to his greatness. After the war between republics of ex-Yugoslavia, Josip Broz, socialism and his achievements became unwelcome. His tomb was almost abandoned, lacked maintenance and lost popularity. In August 2004 the white marble tomb and surrounding area were in good shape and well maintained.

I didn’t see a lot of visitors, though there were many pleasant messages written in the memorial book. Jovanka Broz (Tito’s wife) and her family still come several times a month to remember one of the most remarkable leaders of 20^th century; on 25^th of May hundreds of most loyal Tito’s followers gather to commemorate Tito’s birthday.

Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park represent a cultural monument of exceptional importance for the capital, where various sport, cultural and art events take place. The most visited tourist attraction in Belgrade stands on top of a hill from where you can have perfect views of the area where the Sava and Danube rivers meet.

It also hosts a military museum, exposing over 33,000 articles of once the strongest army in Central Europe that collapsed together with the country that was protecting – Yugoslavia.

The most bizarre landmark of Belgrade is located just a few of hundred meters from the main train and bus stations. It is the former headquarter of the Federal Ministry of Defense, which was bombed by NATO forces on 7^th May 1999.

Through military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War, Belgrade was bombarded from 24^th of March 1999 to 10^th of June 1999.

NATO then expanded the bombing to strike on infrastructure that could have also military purpose: refineries, power stations, bridges across the Danube river, telecommunication centers and Avala TV tower. The biggest surprise regarding targets was the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. It was probably hit by mistake, but NATO never recognized, neither did apologize for it.

The bombings continued until an agreement that led to the withdrawal of Yugoslav armed forces from Kosovo was reached and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

At first the destroyed building of Federal Ministry of Defense was not repaired to expose it to the world as a symbol of Serbian fight against cruel and unfair NATO politics in Kosovo. Later the building attracted a lot of attention from foreign tourists and has stayed in the damaged state.

The Temple of Saint Sava, also known as St. Sava Cathedral, is the tenth largest church in the world and the largest Orthodox church.

It was intended to serve as the bishopric seat and main cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church, dedicated to Saint Sava, its founder. Construction began in 1935, but progress halted during World War II, when the unfinished building was used as a depot by both the German army and Tito’s partisans.

The construction was finished in 1989, when the concrete dome of the temple, weighing 4,000 tones and constructed entirely on the ground, was raised to its present position.

It is probably the most dominant building in Belgrade, reminding of Hagia Sophia, after which it had been modelled.

Skadarlija (Skadarska street) is known as the bohemian quarter of Belgrade, Belgrade’s hedonist quarter, gathering point for poets and artists in the late 19^th and early 20^th century. Today it is home to some of the most popular Belgrade restaurants and cafes, as well as a few art galleries, guesthouses and hotels. This short cobblestone street also includes antique and souvenir shops, all-night bakeries and folk groups singing traditional city music.

There are some well recommended restaurants and bars that are supposed to be the best not only in Belgrade, but in the whole region. The area has become really touristic and popular in the recent years, but the atmosphere, food and live music remains the magnet to explore and enjoy this area during the day or even better at night.

During my visits to various restaurants, I often encountered difficulties in obtaining a seat, and it was exceedingly rare to find a table that was not surrounded by heavy smokers. Old school waiters took an order in a traditional way of writing items in a small piece of paper, delivering the order to the kitchen and whenever they had some time, hid behind the bar for smoking and chatting with colleagues. After I finished eating and dishes were picked up from my table, food scraps and crumbs were removed by hand vacuum cleaner, while I was still seating at the table.

I don’t eat meat, so I was very limited to taste traditional Serbian dishes. But still, my favorites are: burek, čorba and baklava.

Burek is a type of baked filled pastries made of a thin flaky dough such, typically filled with meat or cheese. It can also be filled with spinach or potato, accompanied by natural yoghurt upon request. Čorba is one of various kinds of soup or stew, but my favorite one is fish version.

In 2021, I visited Serbia as a part of Balkan family trip, also returning to Belgrade, staying in a new residential area along the Danube river.

Riding a narrow-gauge railway on Mokra Gora was kind of disappointing. It could be due to extreme heat and tiredness after seeing beautiful mountain ranges and river gorges in Bosnia and Hercegovina before.

If the traditional village of Drvengrad, connected with famous Serbian film director Emir Kusturica, is more of a tourist trap, the limestone Stopića Cave was a pleasant surprise and a worthwhile place to visit.

Easily accessible small cave is perfectly illuminated and cools you nicely during the summer heat. The highlights are unusual tufa bathtubs, cave formations which fill with water in time and then overspill creating a cascade flow. Unfortunately, during our visit, the bathtubs didn’t contain water, but they were still perfectly illuminated.

A stopover in Kraljevo was used to cool down in a ventilated bar next to huge Central square. Drinking ice coffee and observing central square with monument to the Serbian soldiers, who died in the Balkan Wars and in the First World War, was the only activity we could perform during the summer heat wave in the late afternoon.

Summer was heating up downtown Niš as well. The third-largest city in Serbia is known for its fortress and Skull Tower, but there are not many things to do beyond that. It didn’t capture my attention much, apart from strolling through the pedestrian zone, drinking coffee, people-watching, and feeling the city’s relaxed vibe.

I traveled to Novi Sad as a day trip from Belgrade. It is the second-largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, located on the banks of the Danube River. Overlooking the city is the Petrovaradin Fortress, the main landmark and highlight of Novi Sad. This strategic stronghold was held by the Ottomans for 150 years before being captured by the Habsburg Empire during the Great Turkish War.

The fortress’s Baroque clock tower, buildings around and the wall are well preserved and renovated, offering the best view of the city, overviewing the river.

Dunavska street, Liberty square, Danube park and the curios synagogue are good places to meet new friends, have a coffee, taste local food or simply observe people passing by.

Novi Sad is the capital and the biggest city of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, which has been changing dramatically in the last few years.

Chatting with locals, observing streets movement and driving with local intercity transport, I noticed a large number of emigrants, mainly from the Indian Peninsula.

Illegal immigrants cross Serbia in enormous numbers on their way to Western Europe, but many of them also settle in Vojvodina for a longer period.

The authorities somehow ignore them, the locals are afraid of them and don’t approve their presence. Because of their different culture, language and customs, it is difficult for them to integrate into the local society.

Several international travel polls have rated Serbia as the most hospitable nation in the world. Among the top things to do are partying on the Danube River, attending music festivals, and enjoying traditional local food.

The Balkan country is on the crossroads between Western Europe and Russia. While the West is offering stability, economical growth and perspective for younger generations it requires changes in laws, mentality and historical proximity to Russian.

For younger people the direction is clear and defined, but the old population and the major part of political society is not willing to forget about past aspirations and losses.

The time will show if Serbia is ready to take the next step and choose its future in Europe or stay stuck in the past hopping from one conflict to another, most of the time loosing.