After a visit to the Belgrade Fortress, its Upper town area (artillery structures and medieval ramparts with excavation of the castle) and one of its two tiny churches, the Rose Church of Our Lady, we guide you across the Old Town, where you will see some of the most arresting architectural monuments, mansions and palaces from the 19th century, including the 'Question mark sign' Inn, the Princess Ljubica's Residence and the Orthodox Cathedral (visit). During the tour we take a coffee break in the oldest cafe (founded in 1835) on Knez Mihailova Street.  Belgrade is undoubtedly one of the oldest towns in this part of Europe, though its present appearance gives an impression of a completely new city. Nowadays, the only place where the remains of its distant past can be seen is the fortress, situated on the site of the former fortified settlement - the site where Belgrade was founded during the Roman era in the 1st century AD and on which it developed right down to the second half of the 18th century. The fortress we see today was built in mid-18th century, but its walls encircle the old 15th century Acropolis or the Upper Town made when Belgrade was proclaimed for the Serbian capital in 1404.
Roman Singidunum The Belgrade Fortress, situated on a bluff towering over the confluence of the Rivers Sava and Danube, has exceptionally fine position, easily defended and dominating the area. It is for this that people settled here during pre-historic times. The earliest settlement, judging by the remains discovered on the site, was established in the Neolithic period on the plateau occupied by the present Upper Town or Acropolis. There were very favorable conditions for the development of a settlement here, and it seems that the site was later taken over by the Romans in the early 1st century AD. Then, this area with a legionary camp - castrum called Singidunum (the oldest known name for Belgrade) became part of the Roman Empire, whose northern frontier was demarcated by the Rivers Rhine and Danube. |
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