European Bus Trip (1): Serbia

Photos by Philip Galvin

In 2018, we took a bus tour starting from Rumania, visiting 9 countries as follows:

• Romania
• Bulgaria
• Macedonia
• Albania
• Montenegro
• Croatia
• Bosnia
• Serbia***
• Hungary

Serbia (Republic of Serbia)

Serbia borders Montenegro to the southwest, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, North Macedonia to the south, Bulgaria to the southeast, Romania to the northeast and Hungary to the north.  It is a landlocked country located in the Balkans.  The capital of Serbia is Belgrade.

1. Belgrade

Belgrade sits by the Danube and Sava Rivers and is one of the major cities of Southeast Europe. It is the capital and the largest city of Serbia. The population of the Belgrade metropolitan area was 1.6 million when we visited there.

1) The Temple of Saint Sava (Orthodox Church) in Belgrade

The Temple of Saint Save dedicated to Saint Sava, who was an important figure in medieval Serbia and the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It stands very tall (hight 79m), and it sits on the Vracar plateau in Belgrade.

This church is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches and also ranks among the largest churches in the world.

Once inside, we were quite astonished by the glittering gold colors that were reflecting the bright light and the gorgeous space. 12,000 square meters (130,000 sq ft) of gold mosaics were desplayed in its large dome and four apses.

2) Belgrade Fortress (Kalemegdan Fortress)

Belgrade Fortress was originally built in 279 BC, but was repeatedly destroyed by the Goths and the Huns. The fort was later rebuilt by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian around 535. 

                   Stambol Gate

 Behind the gate, we saw a canon and many other weapons such as below.

                                            Monument of Victor (Pobednik)

Monument of Victor was built to commemorate Serbia’s victory over the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires during the Balkan Wars and the First World War.  Created by Ivan Mestrovic, the height of the statue is 14 meters (46 ft). It is the most visited tourist location in Belgrade. 

In 1784, Damat Ali-Pasa’s Tomb, an Ottoman                                Another hero’s bust

mausoleum was built.  It held the body of the

vizier Silahdar Damat Ali Pasha.

                                                                Monument of The Struggles of Man and Snake

3) St. Mark Orthodox Church

This church is in the Tasmajdan park near the Parliament of Servia. It was built by the Krstic brothers and completed in 1940 after the old church was destroyed by bombing during the WW I.   

4) Other Sights in Belgrade

House of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia

2. Topola, Servia

1) Holy Martyr George

We took a special excursion to the Sumadija region to visit the town called Topola. Topola is the birthplace of the Serbian Revolution against the Ottomans in 1804.

Perched high above the town, there stood Holy Martyr George, burial place of the Karadjordjevic Royal Dynasty. Inside, it is filled with stunning mosaic frescos as shown below. There also were memorabilia of the royal family displayed at the summer home of Kiing Alexander and Queen Maria.