Belgrade

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Belgrade, the 15 hill white town and the capital of Serbia, was always the Balkans' major crossroads in communication. The vicissitudes of history caused the town to be destroyed several times by successive wars, World War II in particular, and diverse insurrections. History recently repeated itself as Belgrade was bombed by the NATO forces, within the frame of the Yugoslavian conflict. Today, the capital bears no more scars of the conflict. The old citadel houses numerous museums which give it its renown. The National Museum exhibits artistic and archaeological tokens, from the first trace of human civilisation to the mid-20th century. The pre-historic objects are characterised by the famous little votive cart of Dupljaja, which represents a deity pulled by ducks. Numerous remains from Hellenic and Roman Ancient History, some of them gold masks, portraits, bronze or terra cotta vases, are worth seeing. The museum has several sections covering all eras, all the way to modern and contemporary art. The Ethnography Museum, located in the town centre, displays rich folk collections of ancient objects, costumes, rugs, caskets, painted eggs, jewels and pottery. The Fresco Museum has admirable copies of interesting wall paintings which decorate the Medieval monasteries in Serbia and Macedonia. You should visit the strategic Kalemegdan Fortress, built on a rocky spur at the junction of the Save and the Danube, where Celtic, Roman, Slavic, Turkish and Austrian elements are displayed all together. You should also visit the Palace of Princess Ljubica, an authentic palace in the Balkanic style, characterised by a small guard tower.