Serbia

Serbia has connected the West and the East for centuries. A land, where cultures, faiths, climates and landscapes meet, that today represents a modern, European country. Nevertheless, Serbia knew how to preserve the genuine beauty of its mountains, canyons, gorges, caves, forest and other natural jewels.   

WHY VISIT SERBIA:

*The city of Belgrade lies on two international waterways, at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, which surround it on three sides. Because of its position, Belgrade is fittingly referred to as the Gateway to the Balkans and the Door to Central Europe. The oldest archaeological finds in the Belgrade area date from the fifth millennium BC. The prehistoric site of Vinca, is located on the banks of the Danube, and it holds traces of prehistoric human cultural material (Neolithic plastic art), thus making Belgrade one of the oldest cities in Europe.

*Museum of Yugoslav History located in Belgrade is dedicated to Yugoslavia, once one of the strongest countries in Europe, which disintegrated in 1991. It holds more than 200,000 items, which illustrate the life in former Yugoslavia, with emphasis on the life and work of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito.

*On a rocky cliff at the base of Fruska Gora, today sits the grand Petrovaradin Fortress, which has been the site of many military forts throughout the ages. The latest archaeological studies indicate that this site has a history spanning more than 2,000 years. A sample of the many cultures and societies that have used this site include Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Hungarians, Turks, and Austrians. According to one legend, the name Petrovaradin is derived from words of numerous languages - "Petra" is Latin for rock, "var" is Hungarian for town, and "din" is Turkish for faith, meaning "The town on the rock, firm as faith."

*Sarganska Osmica (the Sargan Eight) is an old-fashioned narrow-gauge railway. Its construction was finished in 1925. Today it represents a major tourist attraction, because of its ancient look, carriages with wooden seats and wood stoves, as well as the beautiful, wild landscape of Tara Mountain that the train runs through while making its arduous way to one of the mountain peaks.

*Ljubostinja is one of the most beautiful and most significant monasteries in Serbia. It was built by Princess Milica, from 1388 to 1405. Ljubostinja is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin. Its name comes from the Old Slavic words Ljubov and stinja, which mean "place of love". This monastery is indeed a place of love. The Princess gave the monastery this name in honor of her love for Prince Lazar. The Prince and Princess met exactly where this building was built.

*Open sky museum “Staroselo” (Old village) in Sirogojno is actually an authentic village from the end of the 19th and beginning of 20th century and depicts the life of a country family. There you can find an exhibition, which features old national architecture saved from the village of Zlatibor. All objects and households are authentic, and the museum workshop offers replicas of the museum pieces of art, pottery, carpentry and other craft.

* UNESCO protected Gamzigrad-Romuliana is a Late Roman palace and memorial complex built in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries, commissioned by the Emperor Galerius Maximianus. The strong fortifications of the palace are an allusion to the fact that the Tetrarchy Emperors were all senior military leaders. The spatial and visual relationships between the palace and the memorial complex are unique, and hold the mausoleums of the Emperor and his mother Romula.

*Located near the town of Knjazevac, Stara Planina is the largest mountain in eastern Serbia. This high mountain range of fascinating beauty and unspoiled nature is a natural border with Bulgaria. As one of the most beautiful mountains in the country, Stara Planina has vast potential for the development of tourism. This mountain is a natural resource of extraordinary importance, as it belongs to the first category of natural resources. Babin Zub, situated at an elevation of 1,758m, holds one of the most beautiful landscapes of Stara Planina. The striking rocks of Babin Zub end to the southeast of Midzor (2,169m high), the highest peak of Stara Planina and Serbia. Babin Zub is a protected natural reservation, and holds a developed ski resort.