Posts tagged Serbia Tourism

Letters from Serbia: Divčibare, the natural kingdom of pine forests…

My dear travelers, welcome to my new post. Today I have prepared an interesting post for all nature lovers and I am sure you will enjoy it. I believe that the pandemic has changed our habits and that we have been forced to change our way of life so far. Worries, nervousness and fear became more and more frequent “visitors” during this pandemic and we need a return to nature.

Our ancestors used to say: “You can always find solutions to all problems in nature… Nature has its power!”. Today I decided to show you the beauties of Divcibare, a natural air spa in the Kolubara district. After this Coronavirus and lockdown situation you can come and #SeeSerbia and #ExploreSerbia.

I remember back in 2001 when my father received a recommendation from one of our family friends to visit Divcibare. My father, who is otherwise known as a great lover of nature, accepted with great pleasure the kind invitation of a friend to spend the holidays together with his family. That 2001, after a week of winter magic, my father decided to look for his second home in this natural paradise.

Year after year, Divcibare as a mountain center, together with the municipality of Valjevo, developed without losing its original, untouched natural beauty. By the time, Divcibare became a famous mountain-tourist place in Serbia and many found their second home there, even some people from other countries like Germany, Austria and other EU countries.

I have heard some stories that even one family from China decided after their visit to Divcibare to buy their cottage here, but to be honest, that story has never not been confirmed by someone who I personally know.

This mountain resort is located not far from the town of Valjevo and is one of the closest mountain complexes to capital Belgrade and Novi Sad. How did this air spa get its name?

Divcibare got its name thanks to the mountain river Crna Kamenica, which still flows through the center of this mountain complex. Based on a legend that is passed from generation to generation, a young shepherdess once drowned in this river during a summer torrent.

Due to this unpleasant situation, the mountain plateau was given the old Slavic name Divcibare, which in our language means “Girls’ ponds”. The name Divcibare itself is very old because it was first used in 1476 as the name of a Turkish village.

Prince Milos Obrenovic was among the first in Serbia to notice the healing and effective influence of the mountain climate of Divcibare on the human, and at the beginning of the 19th century he bought the whole of Divcibare from the Turkish Bali Bey. The locals claim that Prince Milos extremely loved and appreciated this area and gladly stayed here during the summer and winter period.

When we talk about the real tourist development of tourism in Divcibare, the first official forms of organized mountain tourism began at the beginning of the 20th century with the help of the Divcabare Health Association. The society was founded by the then respectable citizens of Valjevo. They built the first accommodation facilities and made the first urban plan for this mountain.

After the construction of the first accommodation capacities, the Ministry of Trade and Industry appointed Divcibare as the first air spa in our area. Tourism slowly but surely began to develop so that many famous families from Belgrade and surrounding cities began to come to Divcibare and this plateau became one of the most famous mountain tourist destinations in Serbia.

In the middle of the 20th century, tourism in this mountain center stopped its development, stagnated until the end of the 20th century when it started to actively promote this mountain center.

Diverse flora and fauna are present in Divčibare and Maljen. When we talk about the flora, coniferous forests are the most numerous and next to them in this area from the coniferous family are present fir, spruce, white and black pine, mountain pine.

Divcibare is known for a large number of forest and meadow natural communities. There are jeremicak, kacun and lincur, and at the end of April, a flower appears which is the symbol of this mountain – Narcissus flower. There is the biggest quake in Serbia on Maljen, and quake ecosystems are very rare on the entire Balkan peninsula. The quakes are “natural writings” from which the history of living nature can best be learned.

Narcissus flower

Numerous forest fruits are present in Divčibare, which are used as a supplement in various human diets, such as mushrooms, natural delicacies of wild strawberries, wild raspberries and blackberries.

The most unusual is the blueberry, which grows in the form of shrubs, mostly in forests. Among other things, in Divčibare you can find a variety of medicinal herbs such as hajduk grass, wormwood, lemon balm, thyme and many others.

Many representatives of wild animals live in this mountain complex, the most numerous of which are deer, besides them there are also wild rabbits, squirrels, wild pigs, martens. Divčibare has a really rich flora and fauna, so during the walk, don’t be surprised if you meet some of the animal families that inhabit this area.

The natural wealth of flora and fauna, mild climate, I believe you will remember this summer if you visit Divcibare. It’s more than nature, it’s your new second home. Fortunately, nature in this area is still intact, so you will be able to be in direct contact with nature. For all lovers of long walks and hanging out with friends in nature, Divčibare is an ideal tourist destination!

I would ask you to protect the nature around you and wherever you go in our beautiful Serbia, do not leave garbage behind. Nature has tried to give us all the best, and it is up to us to try to preserve it.

Special educational boards have been set up in Divcibare, where you can learn more about the natural and animal world. The best example is the “mushroom school” where edible and poisonous mushroom species are indicated.

If you decide to go in search of mushrooms, it is best to look for professional people and not go alone. Edible mushrooms have many good properties that can contribute to strengthening the body, but there are also poisonous mushrooms that are not used for human consumption and should be strictly avoided.

Church of St. Panteleimon in Divcibare

In the very center of this tourist complex there is the Divčibarska church or the church of St. Panteleimon is located and is a religious and cultural landmark of this mountain tourist place. The church dates from 1995, because the wars hindered the previous construction.

My dear travelers, we have reached the end of a special post from the series of posts on my adventure in Serbia. Time always flies when you have a good time! A man is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world around him and I am glad to always be able to explore destinations in a completely different way.

Let’s use this summer to explore the beauties of our countries and to explore some undiscovered places. When this situation with Corona-virus finally comes to its end, you should come to #SeeSerbia and #ExploreSerbia in your own way. I would like to hear your experiences and what you managed to visit in Serbia before COVID-19. Have you made any holiday plans for this summer, is it going to be the seaside resort or the mountain?

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Blogger greetings from Divcibare,
Mr.M

This post is my gift to all my dear travelers, who wants to learn something new about Serbia. The post is for informational purposes only and is not sponsored.

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Letters from Serbia: Subotica, charming Town of Northern Serbia…

My dear travellers, how are you today? In the past few months, due to a situation called Corona, the way of life has changed. Unfortunately, a lot of human lives have been extinguished, people’s consciousness has changed and we have started to take more care of ourselves and our health. Many companies closed down, and lot of people lost their jobs and unfortunately this is global thing. The economy has been seriously affected, especially tourism as a sensitive activity has suffered great damage.

This year will be dedicated to domestic and regional tourism because those are the only possibilities of this tourist season. I sincerely hope that everyone will be able to plan their vacation in the best possible way and get to know their country and region a little better.

Reichl Palace, a living masterpiece by architect Ferenc Reichl

I am sure that at least some of you had a feeling of desperation and helplessness during this period, so I tried in every way to find some kind of inspiration. I was helped by a one work assignment given to me by a fashion label and their only request was to take pictures in some interesting environment and to find some interesting city in Serbia.

After searching for some interesting destinations in Serbia on the Internet, pictures of the city of Subotica gave me inspiration for work and I decided to sit in the car and visit this gem in the very north of Serbia.

Do you want to start a new adventure? It is a question that goes through my head every day and I believe that each of us sometimes needs a change of environment, at least for a short time to escape from the daily routine. When I set off my road trip for Subotica, I felt great excitement because I didn’t know what was waiting for me there, and the pictures were promising.

Subotica is the northernmost city in Serbia and the second most populous in the autonomous province of Vojvodina. A city with its interesting geographical position in the heart of the Northern Bačka district. Throughout history, many names have been used to show the beauty of this unusual center of Hungarian Art Nouveau.

The Subotica Promenade

During the history, the city changed about 200 names. You must be wondering why? Subotica is a city where people of different ethnic origins lived from the Middle Ages until today, and it was also under the rule of several different conquering forces. It is interesting that all the inhabitants wrote about Subotica and gave the name of the city in accordance with the spelling and grammar rules of their language, but in most cases, they have not changed the way they are pronounced until today.

The Subotica City Hall and the monument to Tsar Jovan Nenad

Today’s name of the city of Subotica comes from the word that means the day of the week “Saturday” and first officially appears in the middle of the 17th century. However, the opinion of the inhabitants is that the town was named after Subota Vrlić, the treasurer of Emperor Jovan Nenad.

Of course, as always, there are more legends that have been passed down from generation to generation and more sources of information, but I think that these two assumptions about the origin of the name of the city of Subotica are true. Do you perhaps know what was the official first name of this city?

Some historical writings prove to us that the first officially documented name of the town was Zabatka, which dates from the 15th century. There are various theories of the history of the origin of this name. According to one of the theories, it is actually one of the variants of today’s name of the city in the Hungarian language, which reads Szabadka.

In accordance with this theory, this word derives from the adjective Szabad, which in Hungarian means “free” and the suffix “-ka”, which is interpreted as a diminutive – diminutive. Therefore, in the free translation of the original name of today’s Subotica, we can interpret it as a “small” or “free, lovely place”.

Park on the central Republic Square

Subotica is certainly one of the most intriguing cities in Serbia because it has the largest number of buildings built in the spirit of modern artistic architecture. The town house and synagogue, which were built at the beginning of the 20th century, stand out because of their timeless beauty.

They were built according to the plan of the same team of Hungarian architects, Mr. Marcell Komor and Dezso Jakab. Another marvel of the architecture of the Hungarian Art Nouveau in Subotica is the Reichl Palace, built by the architect Ferenc Reichl as his masterpiece of life. Once the palace was his home and office, today it is an object of exceptional cultural significance where the Gallery of Modern Art “Art Encounter” is located.

Church of St. Teresa of Avila

Church buildings such as the Cathedral of St. Theresa of Avila, the Franciscan monastery, the Orthodox Church and the Hungarian synagogue built in the Art Nouveau style typical of the early 20th century are some of the sacral buildings you can visit in Subotica.

The Cathedral of St. Teresa of Avila was built in the late 18th century in a typical Baroque style. Subotica was part of the Habsburg monarchy at that time. The cathedral was designed by a Hungarian architect named Franz Kaufmann. On the roof of the church, between the two bell towers, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary.

You must be wondering how the crack in the central part of the building was created? Construction experts believe that the two bell towers began to sink and that they were gradually pulling the church nave to their side, as a result of which a crack appeared in the very middle of this sacral building.

This mistake was made in the construction of the church itself, and a little crack caused a serious crack, which experts have been trying to repair for years. It is believed that due to the excessive pressure exerted by the bell towers, which are higher and heavier than the central part of the building, the subsidence of the terrain additionally affects and in that way a crack was formed on the church.

Monument to the victims of fascism

The monument to the fallen fighters and victims of fascism is a cultural asset in the very heart of Suborica, a mausoleum where the remains of the greats of the Subotica workers’ movement and revolutionaries who died in the fight for freedom of the North Bačka district. The monument consists of three parts: a pedestal, an access plateau and a tomb.

The Jakab and Komor Square Synagogue in Subotica

The synagogue in Subotica is the only remaining sacral building built in the style of Hungarian secession in the world. It was built by the Jewish community, which at that time had around 3,000 members. Its architecture emphasizes the dual, Hungarian-Jewish identity of its builders, who lived in the multiethnic, majority Catholic city of the Habsburg Empire.

National Theater in Subotica

The original building of the National Theater in Subotica was built in the middle of the 19th century as the first monumental building of cultural significance in Subotica. Unfortunately, it was demolished for the purpose of renovation by the city authorities about ten years ago, although at the end of the 20th century it was declared a historical monument of exceptional importance. Residents believe that by demolishing the original building of the National Theater, Subotica has lost its charm.

Monument of Holy Trinity

The monument of the Holy Trinity shows the harmony and unity of the citizens of Subotica at a time when the population was working together to clean up the swampy parts of the city. This is not only a cultural good but a symbol of faith, hope and unity all with the aim of improving multiculturalism and creating a better community.

Subotica is truly a real gem of the Northern Bačka district and I sincerely advise everyone to visit this city and see for themselves the true beauty of Northern Serbia. When you finish your visit to Subotica, not far from the city bustle, only seven kilometers from the center of Subotica, there is Palić, the most famous health resort and picnic area.

Why visit Palić? Palić is known for Palić Lake, which has been one of the most visited places in Serbia for many years. Have you perhaps heard some of the many legends about the origin of this lake?

According to a legend that was passed down from generation to generation, Lake Palić was created from the tears of the shepherd Paul, who lost his flock exactly where the lake is today. That is why many people today “claim” that the water in the lake is salty because of tears of this desperate shepherd.

Palić Lake

How did you like this interesting story one of the most famous city in North Serbia? Have you visited Subotica and Palić? Here spring is the most beautiful period of the year I have prepared this travel story for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! I hope that you will maybe visit Serbia this summer and enjoy in the colours of the natural beauties of Vojvodina. Have you already made some plans what you are planning to visit after this lockdown?

Palić Lake

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is my gift to all my dear travellers, who wanted to learn something new about Serbia. The post is for informational purposes only and is not sponsored.

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What is Fashion? The Elegant Secession Style of Northern Serbia…

My dear travellers and fashionistas, welcome to my new post. How are you today? Have you managed to get back into the normal life after this lockdown time? I am sure that we were all relieved that the authorities decided to relax the measures and return our lives to normal, to which we are all accustomed.

These days, I was thinking about where I could go and clear my mind a little, and along the way learn something new about my country. Researching on the Internet, I found a lot of recommendations with places in Serbia which you have to visit. I have to admit that I was delighted with the photos of Serbia and in the end I decided that I should visit the northernmost city in Serbia – Subotica.

Throughout history, many names have been used to describe the beauty of this city. During the turbulent history, the city changed about 200 names. You must be wondering why?

Subotica is a city where people of different ethnic origins lived from the Middle Ages until today, and it was also under the rule of several different conquering forces. It is interesting that all the inhabitants wrote about Subotica and gave the name of the city in accordance with the spelling and grammar rules of their language, but in most cases, they have not changed the way they are pronounced until today.

Today’s Serbian name of the city of Subotica comes from the word that means the day of the week “Saturday” and first officially appears in the middle of the 17th century.

However, the opinion of the inhabitants is that the town was named after Subotica Vrlić, the treasurer of Emperor Jovan Nenad. Of course, as always, there are more legends that have been passed down from generation to generation and more sources of information, but I think that these two assumptions about the origin of the name of the city of Subotica are true. Do you perhaps know what was the official first name of this city?

Some historical writings prove to us that the first officially documented name of the town was Zabatka, which dates from the 15th century. There are various theories of the history of the origin of this name. According to one of the theories, it is actually one of the variants of today’s name of the city in the Hungarian language, which reads Szabadka.

In accordance with this theory, this word derives from the adjective Szabad, which in Hungarian means “free” and the suffix “-ka”, which is interpreted as a diminutive. Therefore, in the free translation of the original name of today’s Subotica, we can interpret it as a “small” or “freely place”.

The building you have the opportunity to see in the pictures is the amazing palace of the architect Ferenc Reichl, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. This palace was his home and design bureau at the same time. This building is made in the style of the unique Hungarian Art Nouveau and really represents a masterpiece.

Today, this building is a protected cultural asset and a cultural monument. I will write more information about this landmark in the next post when I take you on a tourist walk through beautiful Subotica.

The city radiates a special energy and all the time I had the feeling that I was in another country. Believe me, I had the impression that I was in a charming Austrian town. My photographer and I were the real attractions in the city for a very short time because no one took pictures, and I had a quite interesting equipment, so it was interesting for people to see what we were doing.

One lady who went to the supermarket with her daughter recognized me and did not believe that she would meet me in her city. The lady was so wonderful that I couldn’t refuse her kindly invitation for coffee, so my photographer and I had an unexpected break.

Since you know that I always share some interesting information with you and my personal observations, I have to tell you one interesting thing. The lady who took us for coffee and lemonade to one pastry shop that had wonderful ice cream. Unfortunately, due to this situation with COVID-19, they can’t make cakes at the moment, but we enjoyed the beautiful sweet summer treats like ice cream.

The thing that amazed me was the price of ice cream, coffee and lemonade… Will you believe me that a scoop of ice cream costs less than 50 cents (euro) dinars and a cone costs around 20 cents… A glass of lemonade 50 cents is also the same price of coffee… I have to admit I was in shock because in my hometown – Belgrade the prices are drastically higher. I didn’t believe it when I got the bill, I thought they didn’t calculate something well, everyone noticed that I was surprised, so they explained me.

I think you now have more reason to visit the northernmost city in Serbia and enjoy the beauty of the city and to refresh yourself a little and take a little sweet break while summarizing your impressions of Subotica.

This nice weather allowed me to “walk” through Subotica my new one and I have to admit a very sensitive jacket made of suede leather who has shown itself very well because you know how difficult leader things made of suede leather are hard for keeping it clean and fresh for a longer time.

I promise you that in the next post I will tell you a story about Subotica and that there will be a lot of interesting information and advice on what you should visit if the road leads you to Subotica!

OUTFIT

Jacket: Loro Piana

T-Shirt: Loro Piana

Jeans: Pedro del Hierro

Backpack: PICARD

Sneakers: Loro Piana

How did you like this outfit I wore to visit the one of the most famous city in North Serbia? Have you visited Subotica? Here spring is the most beautiful period of the year I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! This outfit is made by something new, something old and a unique balance is the final result.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by PICARD Lederwaren and Tendam fashion group. This post would not have been possible without the selfless help of Loro Piana fashion house which helps me to express my fashion spirit with their iconic and fashionable pieces.

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Belgrade Diaries: The Avala mountain, a Faithful Guardian of Serbian History…

My dear travellers and fashionistas, how are you today? I sincerely hope that you are well and that you have been able to find some kind of fun during this situation called COVID-19 (Coronavirus). I am not going to give you any advice on how to spend your time during this ongoing alarming worldwide situation, I just want to ask you how much you can abide by the regulations currently in force during this state of emergency.

This is a time we need to spend with family and stay in touch with friends and the outside world via telephone and other online forms of communication which we successfully use nowadays.

In my previous posts, I did my best to find that it was primarily because of people who wanted to learn more about the sights of Belgrade, such as the Gardos Tower that forms the heart of Zemun on the banks of Danube and Topcider Park, which remained known as Prince Milos Obrenovic’s favorite green oasis. Today I wanted to introduce to you the most famous Belgrade “mountain”.

Avala is a hill located in the southeastern part of Belgrade, and just over 16 kilometers from the heart of the city, you have the opportunity to enjoy exceptional views of Belgrade, Vojvodina and Sumadija. Belgrade’s most famous “mountain” is 511 meters high.

In the Middle Ages, the town of Zrnov was located at the very top of Avala. In the 15th century, Zrnov was conquered and under siege by the Ottoman Empire, which built a brand new city and renamed it “Havale,” a word that comes from the Arabic language and means an obstacle.

Avala has been on the list of protected government properties since 1859 as a natural monument and a site of exceptional cultural and historical importance of Belgrade. It was not until 2007 that Avala entered the circle of protected green spaces of the city of Belgrade.

The mountain was declared a national park in 1936. A few years later, Avala was granted the status of public good of general interest and the administration was assigned to the Government of the Republic of Serbia. In the mid-1960s, more precisely 1965, the 202-meter-high Avala Tower was built, one of the tallest buildings in the Balkans. The tower was unfortunately destroyed in the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia.

Fortunately, with the Government’s decision, the reconstruction began in 2006 and the officially new Avala Tower was opened to the public on April 21, 2010. The new tower is the best replica of the destroyed one, and once again Avala has been given the opportunity to confirm its title of Belgrade’s most famous picnic and relaxation area.

On the Avala, you can also find the Monument to the Unknown Hero, the Monument to the Soviet War Veterans, the Memorial Park, the Monument to Vaso Carapic.

The beautiful forest, the restored tower and the Monument to the Unknown Hero are indisputably symbols of present-day Avala, however, older generations know that the well-preserved fortress of the medieval town of Žrnovo once stood on the foundations of the Monument to the Unknown Hero.

At the request and order of the king, the remains of the fort were destroyed by dynamite with the desire to erect a new Monument to the Unknown Hero on the remains. There has been public debate as to why King made such a decision, but no real conclusion was reached. I would like to share with you the fact that at the time, not far from the new one, there was already a Monument to the Unknown Hero, but it was also demolished. Only the cross left in the church in Beli Potok remains today.

A new monument to an unknown hero at the top of Belgrade’s Avala Mountain symbolizes the great plight of a country. Have you ever wondered who is the Unknown Hero resting on Avala?

It’s one boy whose childhood was violently interrupted in 1915 when he was hit by a grenade. Sculptor Ivan Mestrovic wanted to display a symbol of five centuries of slavery under the Turks with sculptures marking the different nationalities of the former republics in Yugoslavia…

On the other hand, many believe that the monument to the Unknown Hero was used not to give official meaning to the mysterious hero, but to display Serbian history with jeweled numerous Masonic symbols. Many today believe that King Alexander and Ivan Mestrovic were Freemasons.

Whether the Monument to the Unknown Hero is in fact, a grand Masonic symbol built for reasons unknown to us, or as many believe, is just one confirmation of the adherence to the idea of unification, by which King Aleksandar Karadjordjevic tried to prove his loyalty to the Yugoslavs… This is a secret we may succeed to find out, but one thing is inevitable Avala is a symbol of Belgrade that we can be proud of.

I will say that I made good use of one day and had the opportunity to learn more about Avala. As in past posts after a “walk” through history, I have to tell you something about my outfit.

When you are a blogger it is always a great honor for you to feel immense happiness and satisfaction when you get an invitation for collaboration with a brand that builds its story for years and invites you to be part of that fashion story. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the WELLENSTEYN brand, but it’s one of the more famous luxury German fashion brands. You may have been wearing it for years, but do you know the story behind this brand?

The history of the Wellensteyn brand began, sometime around the 1960s in Germany, but today this brand can be seen in stores across the United States and North America.

Then, sixty years ago, Adolf Wuttke was a manufacturer of mechanical instruments used to plunge into the depths of the North Sea. He always tried to be close with his customers, in the right way to find out what they wanted. Of course, he was always a welcome guest at the docks and shipyards that used his instruments every day.

After a while he noticed the need for adequate work clothes that would not only be part of the work uniform, but also possess a certain elegance. He did not want to create any kind of clothing, his vision was to produce the best jackets for men. That’s exactly what he did!

He created a straight line of stylish jackets and coats that were unique because they were made of special waxed materials that will withstand wind and rain, while keeping every worker at the dock safe from all natural disasters.

The company was taken over by Adolf’s son Thomas. Nowadays, the Wellensteyn fashion brand also has a women’s collection, with a number of different jacket styles that will give you exceptional comfort and impeccable elegance in any season.

The brand fosters a style of functional elegance, where I decided to introduce you a model from their new Spring-Summer 2020 collection. In the following posts you will have the opportunity to see some more interesting models.

OUTFIT

Jacket: Wellensteyn

Sweater: Loro Piana

Trousers: Loro Piana

Sneakers: Tod’s

How did you like this outfit I wore to visit the one of the most famous city sights in Belgrade such as Avala? Have you been in Belgrade? Here spring is the most beautiful period of the year I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! This outfit is made by something new, something old and a unique balance is a result.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Wellensteyn. This post would not have been possible without the selfless help of Loro Piana & Tod’s Group fashion houses which helps me to express my fashion spirit with their iconic and fashionable pieces.

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Royal Diaries: Topcider, the Green Oasis of the Prince of Serbia…

My dear travellers and fashionistas, I hope you are doing well, because today I have one real nice surprise for you. A few days ago, I wrote you something about Gardos Kula in Belgrade, sight which makes only the heart of Zemun, on the bank of the Danube river. Today I will show you another interesting place called Topcider Park, a landmark that is on the bucket-list of every tourist who visits Belgrade.

I am sure that you at least once had the opportunity to see this park on the postcard from Serbia or on the internet, but you did not know that it was an oasis created by Prince Milos Obrenovic during the 19th century, building a court complex that was the centre of cultural and social life in the 1930s. in Belgrade.

When I mention my friends from Germany or my other friends from another countries my beloved Belgrade, they always ask me what they can see in Belgrade and what kind of architecture and natural beauties they can expect to see? When I tell them that famous word EVERYTHING, they just say, oh yes (like yeah, right…)… just to persuade them, I kindly type on the google “WHAT TO SEE IN BELGRADE” and results come up with a thousands of extraordinary pictures that evoke the beauty of the Serbian capital. After they dare to type “WHAT TO SEE IN SERBIA”, maybe after a few days, they send me a message that they are coming to Belgrade and may be traveling little a bit in Serbia. Obviously, almost every time at the end of message is sentence: “You need to go with us!”.

As I spent many years in Germany and other European countries, I have realised how much some nations in Europe are in love with their homelands. An average German will, in 90% of cases, will always choose to spend his travel budget and holiday in his own country. I didn’t even know it until I went to some German cities with my friends from Berlin and we visited their local sights, most important cities of culture and natural beauties, especially to highlight their lakes because they are really unusual and well maintained.

Having learned a lot from Germans, I decided to put it into action and to introduce some of my international readers of my blog to see some unusual places in Belgrade and Serbia as well (soon). Due to the current situation with the Corona virus, I will stay in Belgrade for a few more days until we get permission to visit other places in Serbia. I am sure you will like new interesting posts that will focus on Tourism in Serbia.

Did you know that Topcider Park is the oldest park in Belgrade? The word Topcider comes from the two Turkish words TOPZI (meaning: cannon) and DERE (meaning: stream or valley) and in literal translation it would be Valley of the Cannons, because almost five centuries ago the Ottomans performed exercises and preparations for battles in this area.

This park has always been a favorite in Serbia and a place where everyone came to enjoy nature, some rest and fun with family. The urbanization and expansion of Belgrade has led to a decrease in green space around Topcider Park and Kosutnjak as well.

It is interesting fact that in 2015, a special session of the Government was held where Topcider Park was proclaimed as the most important natural monument of culture in Belgrade. Topcider Park is located in the Savski venac municipality and is state-owned by the Republic of Serbia as a protected property of high cultural importance.

When we look a little into the history, we come to interesting information that Prince Milos Obrenovic decided to build a residence for himself and that he wished to be located in Topcider Park. In the period from 1831 to 1834, the construction of the main part of the Royal court complex was completed.

The park within the court complex began to be renovated in the time of Prince Milos, especially since the arrival of engineer Atanasije Nikolic in 1839, who also edits the first nursery garden in this area in 1846. Some historians claim that French and Czech landscape architects were involved in the construction of the park, who left their personal mark on the course of the Topcider Park.

In front of Residence of Price Milos ( itself is a tree of the London plane tree, which is also on the list of protected cultural and historical heritage of Topcider – Kosutnjak park.

It is not known exactly when this plane tree was planted, but it is believed that it was planted by order of Prince Milos Obrenovic when his Residence was built. This plane tree is considered one of the largest and most beautiful specimen of its kind and represents the living historical and horticultural heritage of Belgrade.

Residence of Prince Milos Obrenovic, which you have the opportunity to see in the photos, was built in 1831 and is a combination of tradition and cultural Serbian heritage of the 19th century. This building could be proudly compared to other objects of cultural importance of its time.

During the reign of Milos Obrenovic, this place played a very significant role as a court and at this place assemblies and meetings were held regularly. The palace was designed by architects Janja Mihailovic and Nikola Djordjevic. Some of their rich interior decoration of the building’s ceilings, walls, and niches has been partially preserved till today.

The second remodeling of Topcider Park was marked by the erection of an obelisk in honor of Milos’s return to Serbia in 1859. The position of the obelisk is carefully designed so that in the intersection of the axis of symmetry of the Residence and the church, key objects in the royal court complex are connected.

Around the obelisk were circular hedges and low conifers of regular shape. Symmetrical plantings were introduced with exotic plants, such as banana trees, which were very popular in arranging European parks in the 19th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century, geometric landscaping was still present in decoration of Topcider Park, and there were numerous novelties within the court complex. You can also visit the Archibald Reiss Memorial at this cultural complex. It was erected in 1931 in memory of Dr. Archibald Reiss, a great friend of Serbia, a criminal expert and professor at the University of Lausanne.

To the Great Friend of Serbs from the Hardest Days, the Soldier of Justice, Truth and Law… Swiss Professor Dr Reiss

In the early 1920s, the landscaping of the park changed substantially, with the controlled application of the free English landscape style of landscaping and the disappearance of proper geometry.

In 1954, the 150th anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising, the former residence was opened as the Museum of the First Serbian Uprising. The museum, dedicated to the entire period of Serbian resistance to Ottoman rule known as the Serbian Revolution, later served as the basis for the Historical Museum of Serbia, founded in 1963. The Residence of Prince Milos was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, placing it under the protection of the government of Serbia.

Today, Topcider Park extends over 13 hectares, just five kilometers from the heart of the city and is surrounded by the wooded hills of Kosutnjak and the Topciderka River. Slightly neglected and forgotten, far from the former image of a splendid and lavish European park. This park is of great value and represents an unimproved potential of Belgrade.

If you want to relax and spend some quality time with your family and friends visit this incredible green oasis. I believe that all of us always need those five minutes without any noise from the “noisy” world… In this wonderful complex you have one interesting restaurant.

The restaurant “Milosev Konac” (Konak is Serbian old word which means Residence) is located in Topcider Park, and as a restaurant dates from the Second World War. The facility is located in an environmentally protected area, because it used to be for the personal needs of the Prince Milos Obrenovic, and in recent decades, this restaurant has been visited by the most eminent foreign and domestic very important persons.

The restaurant provides top-notch service with a rich selection of national and international cuisine, along with a wide selection of local and foreign drinks. I have little tip for you! If you are coming at the end of the Spring time or during Summer this is the perfect place for you and your family and friends to enjoy in the beauty of Belgrade history.

I used the beautiful and sunny time to visit this gem of Belgrade and with my photographer I have done my best to make these photos for you that I sincerely hope you will like. I hope I have been able to show you at least a little bit of the beauty of this natural and historical oasis in Belgrade.

For all the fashionistas who follow my blog with great love & joy and I have to write just few sentence for my today’s outfit, I hope my dear travellers will not love me less after this point of the post! 🙂

When winter comes, which is mostly dry and the sun rules out, your best friend in this case is a COAT. The coat may be a little more elegant than a feather (bomber) jacket, but it may be a little difficult for the coat because it can only be worn in dry and cold weather. So I decided to take advantage of these sunny days and walk my “best buddy” and together we feel the freshness and beauty of nature in Topcider Park.

OUTFIT

Coat: Burberry

Turtleneck Sweater: Loro Piana

Trousers: Loro Piana

Sneakers: Roberto Botticelli

How did you like this outfit I wore to visit the one of the oldest park in Belgrade? Have you been in Belgrade? Here spring is the most beautiful period of the year I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! This outfit is made by something new, something old and a unique balance is a result.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Burberry. This post would not have been possible without the selfless help of Loro Piana fashion house which helps me to express my fashion spirit with their iconic and fashionable pieces.

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Urban Elegant Spring at Gardos

My dear travellers and fashionistas, how are you today? I hope you are beingware and have taken some precautions because of this new situation with the Corona virus. We need to be aware that this is only the beginning and that the Corona is a respiratory infection that can easily be infected by each of us and that it is just like any other flu. Of course, this is only the beginning of a pandemic and we must be prepared for the fact that there will be a large number of patients, it is important to remain alert and not to panic.

The Corona is dangerous for people in vulnerable groups, those who are already suffering from some autoimmune diseases, people with impaired immunity and the elderly people. All those who are sensitive to the flu, I remember five years ago when my grandmother died of the common flu that led to pneumonia at the age of 89. We need to be aware of the fact that this is a virus that will continue for some time. It is important not to panic and be adequately guarded, to maintain hygiene and to protect yourself well before going outside.

I decided to take pictures for a new post so I took the opportunity to visit one of the most important landmarks in Zemun – Gardos Tower. When looking at postcards and magnets that tourists can buy when visiting Belgrade, you cannot miss Kalemegdan, the Winner Statue and the Tower at Gardos.

Based on the traces and the remains found, the scientists concluded that some of the first settlements near Belgrade and Zemun were found near the Tower on Gardos. Today it is a historical monument where everyone can enjoy a beautiful view of the beautiful blue Danube and the Serbian capital, Belgrade .

This historic monument was built in the time of the Hungarian Monarchy, but to this day due to the great efforts of the authorities it has been preserved and we have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this extraordinary cultural monument.

Since my photographer came to Serbia because we were supposed to go on a planned trip to South America, but everything was canceled in the last minute due to the situation with the Corona virus, the photographer decided that he at least did not miss his flight to Serbia, so we considered some travel options in Serbia and Balkan region during March and April 2020.

So far, certain tourism organisations have been prepared to show their willingness and commitment to cooperate despite the current situation, which is why I am extremely pleased. I hope you enjoy the future posts that follow this spring.

Everyone who regularly follows my blog knows that my fashion posts are mostly educational and I will do my best to prove it this time. How did the Tower of Gardos begin? The famous tower in Zemun that adorns Gardos was built in 1896, when the Hungarians celebrated their 1000th anniversary of moving from the far Ural region to Europe. To mark this important anniversary, four millennium monuments have been built to mark the exact borders of Hungary on all sides.

The central millennium monument of this unusual composition, with statues of chiefs of the seven tribes who are the founders of the state and significant figures who have marked the rich Hungarian history, is today located on the Heroes Square in Budapest.

The tower on Gardos was built to mark the framed southern border of the Hungarian Monarchy and this is the only remaining monument outside the borders of the present-day People’s Republic of Hungary. Unfortunately, towers in Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania no longer exist.

Originally, this tower was named the Millennium Tower, due to marking one millennium, or 1,000 years since the arrival of the Hungarians in these areas. The Serbs who inhabited the present-day Zemun area had different names, but the most popular among the people was the name of the “Janka Sibinjan Tower”, after the famous historical figure Janos Hunjadi, who fought against the Turks and who was famous for his heroism and great deeds in many folk songs.

This name was widely accepted by the people and accepted by the Government after the First World War. Today’s name is Gardos Tower, named after the famous bank on which it was built more than a century ago.

Today, this place is the center of cultural and artistic events, so this time-honored beauty of Gardos has gained new meaning and splendor. Gardos Tower is the heart of Zemun on the bank of the Danube, which is open to visitors every working day from 10am to 7pm. I am sure you will enjoy it because the view from the tower is truly magnificent and unique.

For all the fashion lovers who follow my blog with great joy, I have to write some words about my today outfit, I hope my dear travellers will not take me wrong! ?

I’m sure you’ve noticed over the years, realistically, how and not when I’ve been repeating on social media as much as I really am a big fan and supporter of urban elegance where the trench coat is little more than a piece of clothing, but it’s an iconic cult of fashion!

OUTFIT

Trench: Burberry

Turtle-neck Sweater: Loro Piana

Trousers: Loro Piana

Sneakers: Loriblu

How did you like this outfit I wore to visit the one of the most famous sights of Belgrade? Have you been in Belgrade? Here spring is the most beautiful period of the year I have prepared this outfit for you with a lot of love and I hope you like it! This outfit is made by something new, something old and a unique balance is a result.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Burberry. This post would not have been possible without the selfless help of Loro Piana fashion house which helps me to express my fashion spirit with their iconic and fashionable pieces.

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