Belgrade, Serbia

 

Tito

Belgrade has a population of 2 million and 7000 years of history. We visited the mausoleum of Tito. Today, there is a diversity of opinions about Tito. What is of common opinion is that he was the only one who could keep these ethnicities together. He was born here, when this was part of the Hapsburg empire. Belgrade became the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after World War I. Serbia was the only independent country of what formed Yugoslavia before the war. The kingdom was an attempt to unite the separate ethnicities of Southern Slavs. For centuries, there have been 6 ethnic regions which have been ruled by larger empires: Romans, Hungarian, Ottoman, and the Hapsburgs. Yugoslavia was occupied by Germany in 1941. Tito organized the resistance against Germany, creating a socialist Yugoslavia. He eliminated his opponents to ensure he would lead the country. Yet he stood up to Stalin to not become a Soviet Satellite Nation. In fact, in 1961 he became head of over 100 non-aligned nations. Yugoslavia had a higher GDP than the Soviets, people could travel everywhere, and they could buy blue jeans and coke! Tito died on May 4^th, 1980. His funeral was the fourth largest in the 20^th century with well over 130 countries sending representatives. His birthday continued as a holiday for 8 years after his death.

Orthodox Cathedral

We continued to the city center, seeing the pedestrian shopping area, the home of Nikola Tesla (promoter of alternating current vs. Edison’s direct current), and the Orthodox Cathedral. On the same street are a Catholic church, a synagogue, and a mosque. We stopped inside the Orthodox church. Here we learned the key differences between an Orthodox and Catholic church: no pews, the people stand, no statues, no organ, and a screen covered with paintings or icons in front of the altar. Each country’s church is led by a patriarch, and the Patriarch of Istanbul is the first among equals.

Despot Gate in Belgrade Fortress

In the afternoon, we visited the Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park. Belgrade has been a pivotal military point for centuries located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. This is the last hill before the European plains. There have been 214 battles here and Belgrade has been destroyed 42 times. The latest battle was when NATO bombed the city in 1999. The Victory Monument celebrating the victory over the Ottomans stands here. It was originally planned for Victory Square, but stands here instead, since it is a naked man. As we walked out of the Fortress, we saw numerous young men and women dressed in native costumes taking a break from dance competitions in the shade. That evening we were entertained by the Talija

Serbian Dancers