Kalemegdan

Ako bih morao odabrati samo jedno mjesto kojem bih se vraćao svaki put kada dođem u Beograd, to bi svakako bio Kalemegdan, prostrani park čiji najznačajniji dio zauzima beogradska tvrđava oko koje se razvio današnji grad. Sagrađena je u prvom vijeku kao palisada sa zemljanim bedemima, a kroz nadolazeće vijekove je nadograđivana u skladu sa tadašnjim vojno-odbrambenim potrebama. U sklopu tvrđave nalazi se nekolicina muzeja i drugih znamenitosti kao što su Crkva Ružica, Crkva Sveta Petka, Grobnica narodnih heroja, Beogradski zoološki vrt i vjerovatno najprepoznatljiviji simbol grada – Pobednik. Spomenik koji prikazuje muškarca sa sokolom u jednoj i mačem u drugoj ruci, djelo je hrvatskog kipara Ivana Meštrovića, a postavljen je 1928. godine povodom proslave proboja Solunskog fronta. a Kalemegdana se pruža predivan pogled na ušće Save u Dunav, te novi dio grada. Ukoliko posjećujete Beograd, nipošto ne propustite da prošetate duž bedema tvrđave, prođete kroz Baroknu kapiju, posjetite Crkvu Ružicu, ili posmatrate zalazak sunca sa vidikovca iznad beogradskog pristaništa. Svaki kutak Kalemegdana krije nešto zanimljivo, te ga je moguće istraživati satima i uživati u hladovini brojnih stabala, čak i tokom ljetnih dana. 

If I could choose only one place to return to every time I go to Belgrade, it would certainly be Kalemegdan, a spacious park whose most important part is occupied by the Belgrade Fortress. And through the coming centuries, it was upgraded in accordance with the military-defense needs of the time. - The monument depicting a man with a falcon in one hand and a sword in the other is the work of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, erected in 1928 on the occasion of the celebration of the breakthrough of the Thessaloniki front. and Kalemegdana offers a beautiful view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, a new part of the city. If you visit Belgrade, don't miss to walk along the walls of the fortress, go through the Baroque gate, visit the Church of the Rosary or watch the sunset from the lookout above the Belgrade port. Every corner of Kalemegdan hides something interesting, so it is possible to explore for hours and enjoy the shade of many trees, even during the summer days.

Terasa hotela Crystal

Iako sam tip osobe koja sve vrijeme obilaska nekog grada provede na nogama, u rijetkim trenucima kada odlučim napraviti pauzu, volim da to bude opušteno mjesto sa lijepim pogledom na neku lokalnu znamenitost. Kada je riječ o Beogradu, svoju oazu mira sam pronašao upravo na krovu hotela Crystal, lociranom u naselju Neimar, odakle se pruža vjerovatno jedan od najljepših pogleda na monumentalni Hram Svetog Save. Hotel je smješten u ulici Internacionalnih brigada, nasuprot Karađorđevom parku, na pješačkoj udaljenosti od hrama. U Beogradu postoje i druga slična mjesta sa sjajnim pogledom, kao što je restoran hotela Mama Shelter, Skylounge Belgrade u sklopu hotela Hilton, odakle imate pogled na Slaviju ili restoran Caruso, sa kojeg se pruža pogled na Hotel Moskva i terazijski plato.

Although I am the type of person who spends all my time touring a city on my feet, on the rare moments when I decide to take a break, I like it to be a relaxed place with a nice view of some local landmark. When it comes to Belgrade, I found my oasis of peace right on the roof of the Crystal Hotel, located in Neimar, which offers probably one of the most beautiful views of the monumental Temple of St. Sava. The hotel is located on Internacionalnih brigada Street, opposite Karađorđev Park, within walking distance of the temple. There are other similar places in Belgrade with great views, such as the restaurant of the Mama Shelter hotel, Skylounge Belgrade within the Hilton hotel, from where you have a view of Slavija or the Caruso restaurant, which offers a view of the Hotel Moskva and Terazije plateau.

Kosančićev venac

U neposrednoj blizini Kalemegdana, ali i čuvene Knez Mihailove ulice, glavne pješačke zone i žile kucavice društvenog života Beograda, smjestio se Kosančićev venac, jedan od meni najdražih dijelova grada. Savršena kombinacija urbanosti i relaksirane atmosfere, Kosančićev venac je područje prvog kompaktnog naselja na teritoriji Beograda, sa očuvanim drvoredima, starim kućama i drugim građevinama od kulturnog i istorijskog značaja, poput kuće Krsmanovića, Srpske patrijaršije, Saborne Crkve Svetog Arhangela Mihaila i Konaka kneginje Ljubice. Upravo ovdje se nalazi i jedna od najljepših secesijskih građevina u Srbiji, a riječ je o kući podignutoj 1910. godine za potrebe Mike Alasa, srpskog matematičara i univerzitetskog profesora. U neposrednoj blizini kuće nalazi se i ljetna bašta gdje možete uživati u opuštenoj atmosferi stare beogradske četvrti.

In the immediate vicinity of Kalemegdan, but also the famous Knez Mihailova Street, the main pedestrian zone and the lifeblood of Belgrade's social life, is Kosančićev venac, one of my favorite parts of the city. A perfect combination of urbanity and relaxed atmosphere, Kosančićev venac is the area of the first compact settlement in Belgrade, with preserved tree lines, old houses and other buildings of cultural and historical significance, such as the house of Krsmanović, the Serbian Patriarchate, the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael and Ljubica Konagin. This is where one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings in Serbia is located, and it is a house built in 1910 for the needs of Mike Alas, a Serbian mathematician and university professor. In the immediate vicinity of the house there is a summer garden where you can enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the old Belgrade district.

Milenijumska kula

Odavno sam prestao brojati odlaske u Beograd, budući da mi je dugo vremena on bio omiljena destinacija za brzinski bijeg od života u malom gradu. Međutim, koliko god puta ga posjetio, imao sam tendenciju da se krećem po istoj imaginarnoj ruti, sa koje bih rijetko kada skretao. Stoga ne čudi ni to što je bilo potrebno više od decenije da bih po prvi put kročio u Zemun. Jednog dana sam samo presjekao i rekao sebi „Dosta više i Kalemegdana i Terazija i Slavije, Beograd je mnogo više od toga“. Glavni motiv za posjetu Zemunu bila je upravo Milenijumska iliti Gardoš kula, podignuta na istoimenom uzvišenju na temeljima drevne zemunske tvrđave Taurunum iz 9. vijeka. Ovo je jedna od četiri kule koje su na krajnjim tačkama kraljevstva sagradile Ugarske vlasti u čast obilježavanja hiljadu godina od doseljavanja Mađara u Panonsku niziju i jedina koja je opstala do današnjeg dana van granica Mađarske. Sa kule se pruža predivan pogled na Zemun i rijeku Dunav, a ukoliko vam ovo nije dovoljan motiv da se zaputite u pravcu Zemuna, posjetu ćete dodatno obogatiti šetnjom uskim ulicama popločanim kaldrmom ili pokraj keja, gdje ćete uz obalu rijeke nerijetko vidjeti jato labudova. Kada se umorite, možete napraviti pauzu u uvijek lijepo dekorisanom ambijentu kafeterije Gardoš ili nekom od lokalnih restorana.

I stopped counting trips to Belgrade a long time ago, since for a long time it was my favorite destination for a quick escape from life in a small town. However, no matter how many times I visited it, I tended to follow the same imaginary route, from which I would rarely deviate. Therefore, it is not surprising that it took me more than a decade to set foot in Zemun for the first time. One day I just cut through and said to myself "Enough of Kalemegdan and Terazije and Slavija, Belgrade is much more than that". The main motive for visiting Zemun was the Millennium or Gardoš Tower, built on the hill of the same name on the foundations of the ancient Zemun fortress Taurunum from the 9th century. This is one of the four towers built by the Hungarian authorities at the end points of the kingdom to mark the thousandth anniversary of the Hungarian settlement in the Pannonian Plain, and the only one that has survived to this day outside the borders of Hungary. The tower offers a beautiful view of Zemun and the Danube, and if this is not enough motivation to head in the direction of Zemun, you will further enrich the visit by walking through narrow cobbled streets or along the quay, where you will often see a flock of swans along the river. When you get tired, you can take a break in the always beautifully decorated ambience of the Gardoš cafeteria or one of the local restaurants.

Muzej Jugoslavije

Beograd se može podičiti širokim dijapazonom muzeja različite tematike, a jedan koji je ostavio poseban utisak na mene jeste Muzej Jugoslavije. Ovaj dio naše zajedničke istorije danas izaziva podijeljene emocije kod stanovnika bivše nam države. Jedni je nazivaju sretnijim vremenima, dok se drugi pozivaju na diktaturu i političku represiju. Bez obzira kojoj grupaciji pripadate, preporučio bih posjetu muzeju, gdje ćete kroz niz informativnih panela praćenih fotografijama, te brojne eksponate steći uvid u to koliko je SFR Jugoslavija bila cijenjena i priznata u svijetu. Ovdje ćete vidjeti različite predmete koje je Tito dobio na poklon, počevši od servisa posuđa iz Indonezije, tradicionalnog oružja i tkanina iz Afrike, pa sve do gigantskog globusa i ključeva Los Anđelesa, Pule i drugih gradova koji su uručili Titu ovo priznanje. U sklopu muzeja nalazi se i čuvena Kuća cvijeća, sagrađena 1972. godine kao zimska bašta za predsjednika Josipa Broza Tita, u kojoj je provodio dosta vremena, zbog blizine svoje rezidencije u Užičkoj 15. Nakon što je 1980. godine zbog problema sa nogom otišao na liječenje u Ljubljanu, izrazio je želju da u slučaju smrti bude sahranjen upravo ovdje. Nakon njegove smrti polemisalo se o mjestu ukopa, ali je naposlijetku ispoštovana njegova želja i kao mjesto posljednjeg počivališta je izabrana upravo Kuća cvijeća, koja je za te potrebe preuređena. Titovoj sahrani je prisustvovalo 211 delegacija iz 128 zemalja svijeta, a zbog nepraktičnosti lokacije, odlučeno je da ceremoniji spuštanja posmrtnih ostataka u grob prisustvuju samo najviši funkcioneri SFRJ, SKJ, JNA i članovi porodice, dok su ostali čekali ispred. Zanimljivo je da je prilikom sahrane grob prekriven lažnom mermernom pločom, jer je prava bila preteška i nije se uklapala u protokol, nego je postavljena tek sutradan pomoću specijalne mehanizacije. 

Belgrade can be proud of the wide range of museums on various topics, and one that left a special impression on me is the Museum of Yugoslavia. This part of our common history today provokes divided emotions among the inhabitants of our former state. Some call it happier times, while others call for dictatorship and political repression. Regardless of which group you belong to, I would recommend a visit to the museum, where you will gain insight into how much SFR Yugoslavia was appreciated and recognized in the world through a series of information panels accompanied by photographs and numerous exhibits. Here you will see various items that Tito received as a gift, ranging from the service of dishes from Indonesia, traditional weapons and fabrics from Africa, to the giant globe and keys of Los Angeles, Pula and other cities that presented Tito with this recognition. The museum also houses the famous House of Flowers, built in 1972 as a winter garden for President Josip Broz Tito, where he spent a lot of time, due to the proximity of his residence in Užička 15. After he went to treatment in Ljubljana, he expressed the wish that in case of death he be buried right here. After his death, the place of burial was debated, but in the end his wish was granted and the House of Flowers was chosen as the last resting place, which was renovated for that purpose. Tito's funeral was attended by 211 delegations from 128 countries, and due to the impracticality of the location, it was decided that only the highest officials of SFRY, SKJ, JNA and family members attend the ceremony of lowering the remains into the grave, while the others waited in front. It is interesting that during the funeral, the grave was covered with a fake marble slab, because the real one was too heavy and did not fit into the protocol, but was placed only the next day with the help of special mechanization.