Kalemegdan is Belgrade’s central park and fortress lying on a hill overlooking the Sava and Danube confluence, on the eastern side of the river Sava. This has been the sight of the ancient Roman city of Singidunum, the medieval and Turkish era Belgrade and was converted into a park in the mid 19th century.
Location
The park is located in the city center, by the neighborhoods of Dorćol and Kosančićev Venac and connected with the main city promenade – Knez Mihailova street. It is home to several galleries and museums, restaurants, sports courts, and the Belgrade Zoo. It is divided into 4 zones: Upper town, Lower town, Big Kalemegdan and Small Kalemegdan.
The park
Besides of many kilometers of paths and numerous hideouts through the park, there’s also a few playgrounds for the kids, some chess boards from the elder, and a great wall which is a favorite for Belgrade’s teens with spectacular and often romantic views of sunsets, storms or other beauties of nature. In winter, the younger population goes skiing and sleigh riding on the slopes near the Zoo.
The park is also home to squirrels and other smaller animals which from time to time like to hang around with people, specially if you have some food to offer them.
If you don’t like walking, you can also get the mini train that runs through the park.
On the promenade that connects with Knez Mihailova, there are numerous stands of souvenirs and handcrafts. You can find anything from a flute, through vests, hats or candy to a beer pint with the silhouette of Belgrade. In my opinion, the offer is pretty good here.
Monuments at Kalemegdan
Being a preserved sight with two millenia of history, Kalemegdan is home to many monuments. There’s four significant towers, the two most important being Nebojša tower and Sahat (clock) tower, numerous gates, the most important ones are Zindan Kapija, Sahat Kapija (below the tower), and Charles IV gate. There are walls from Roman and medieval times, Turkish and Austrian. There are many ruins and archaeological sights, and a whole lot of statues, the most important being the statue to the Victor, aka Pobednik, and one dedicated to Despot Stefan, founder of Serbian medieval Belgrade. The Victor is one of the most important symbols of Belgrade.
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- Zindan gate is another symbol of Belgrade located on Kalemegdan, kind of our own Arc de Triomphe...
These are two of my friends in front of it.
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- This stairway is the main connection between the Upper and Lower towns, passing by the famous Barutana club (closed a few years ago...). When you go upstairs, unless you're in great shape, they seem eternal.
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- Kalemegdan, the Victor is one of the symbols of Belgrade. It overlooks New Belgrade from the sight where the medieval royal palace stood. It was first intended to be placed on the Terazije square, but the elite of the early 20th century Belgrade rebelled against it, because of it's nudity.
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- Nebojsa tower (Nebojšina kula) is an early cannon tower controlling the Danube. It is situated between Lower Kalemegdan and the Danube Quay. The Greek revolutionary Rigas Fareios was executed here.
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- Kalemegdan silhouette in a magic sunset taken from my terrace. From left to right: The clock tower, Ušće tower (on the other shore of the Sava river), Ružica church
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- Ružica church between Lower and Upper Kalemegdan, made after World War I on the grounds of an older church. The interior is decorated with bullets and sabres from the war. It's been listed on several blogs, amongst others: http://quazen.com/arts/architecture/10-most-unique-churches-in-the-world/
http://arie-travels.blogspot.com/2010/12/ruzica-church-at-kalemegdan-belgrade.html
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