Detailed review by fizzytom
fizzytom
Gateshead, United Kingdom90%
All great cities have at least one great park and in the Serbian capital Belgrade, that’s Kalemegdan. As I travel more and more in this part of the world I’m becoming increasingly able to spot the Turkish influence so I can tell you that the name 'kalemegdan' translates roughly as fortress square, 'kale' meaning a fortress or castle, and “megdan being a derivation of “meydan which means square with the meaning of a market place, or business centre of a settlement. Kalemegdan is the oldest part of Belgrade and for a long time, it was the city itself because the whole population of Belgrade lived inside the fortress walls. As a result of this intense concentration, Kalemegdan is like a multilayered history park which, to a great extent, creates a mini museum of Belgrade history.
You could easily spend a whole day and more at Kalemegdan. As well as being a lovely place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre (and with a population of 1.1 million it’s much appreciated), there are some excellent viewpoints, the remains of various fortifications, several museums, a zoo, lots of monuments and sculptures, an outdoor exhibition area, places to eat and drink, a souvenir market, childrens’ play areas, fountains, sports grounds....the list goes on.
If you do only one thing at Kalemegdan, make for the viewing spots at the far end of the park where you can view the impressive confluence of the Rivers Sava and Danube. From the high vantage point you can get an excellent view of the shining high rises across the water in New Belgrade and on a clear day you can see, just beyond, the magnificent spires in nearby historic Zemun. Further across, where the Danube bends, are the dense forests of the Panonian Plain, the vast expense of flat country that expands into Hungary, continues west and even into Slovenia (my place of choice for easy cycling when there, and close to my home). I’ve seen the Danube in Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Romania and in none of these countries did I perceive the river to be 'blue'. In Budapest I remember it was a shade of deep murky green, in Linz in Austria it was battleship grey; in Belgrade it was a depressing dingy brown in spite of the glorious weather that day. The River Sava, on the other hand, was inky black and I was surprised by how there was a strange shadowy effect where the rivers met.
There are a few entrances to the park and we entered using one beside the orthodox cathedral and as we made our way towards the headland for the viewing point, we enjoyed a brilliant outdoor exhibition of photography. These colourful photographs featured famous sights natural and manmade in Belgrade and around Serbia; people in cities and in the country, at leisure and at work, some enjoying traditional festivals, harvesting Serbian produce; domestic interiors, sporting scenes, and loads more. It was worth visiting the park for this alone.
The park was created in the 1860s by Prince Mihailo Obrenovic to commemorate the handing back of the fortress to the Serbs. At this time the park just consisted of what is now a small lower section and it was enlarged in the 1930s to include the larger area in the upper town. Some parts of the park are designed while others are more open and, while there are no really untouched areas, there are some parts which are certainly more natural looking. Some of the parks monuments are large and easy to spot, others are more modest and take some looking for; it’s lovely to find a bust or abstract sculpture hiding behind some shrubs and urges you on to explore some more.
Kalemegdan Park is (unofficially) divided into four areas: they are Donji Grad (the lower town), Gornji Grad (the upper town), Mali Kalemegdan (Little Kalemegdan) and Veliki Kalemegdan (Great Kalemegdan).
Donji Grad comprises the sections that slope down to the rivers. This is where you’ll find the main fortress buildings and towers, one of which, the 'Daredevil Tower' is now a museum devoted to a Greek revolutionary who was captured by the Turks and subsequently thrown into the Danube.
The Monument to Victory is in the Upper Town area at the place where the two walkways converge. This statue was sculpted by the great Ivan Mestrovic (I am becoming very familiar with his work as we travel through the former Yugoslavia) and it had originally been intended to be displayed in the city centre; however, a number of city worthies objected to the nudity of the figure which quite clearly demonstrates its 'manhood' which is an amusing story but actually the figure seems to be perfect for the location, looking out over the rivers.
Mali Kalemegdan is the most open section of the park with wide open (but manicured spaces). Belgrade Zoo (which I bravely resisted) is in the northern part of this area of the park, as is the stylish art pavillion which has changing exhibitions. Veliki Kalemegdan, on the other hand, is the most 'designed' section of the park with lots of promenades criss crossing the grass, flower beds (the roses are wonderful!) In the other parts of the park you can keep yourself to yourself, finding a shady spot to escape the relentless sun, or simply finding a quiet place to read or just to admire the views. Veliki Kalemegdan is the heartbeat of the park and is as lively as any part of the city. There are bandstands, circles of benches arranged sociably around fountains or rose gardens. There are ice cream vendors, old ladies selling paper wraps of roasted sunflower seeds, pop corn sellers and stalls where you can buy all manner of sweet sticky treats.
Mums meet to catch up while the children have great fun trying to stem the jets of the fountains; old men play chess or debate the day’s news, while the old ladies drop the shopping bags and take a well earned rest on their way home from market. There are professional types getting some fresh air at lunch time, students lounging on the grass, dog walkers, artists, all of Belgrade life is here.
At the clock tower gate you can see the remains of the old moat and in the building that runs alongside them is a military museum. Usually I wouldn’t be very interested in this sort of thing but I had heard good things about the section of the museum that deals with more recent conflicts in the country’s history and I was not disappointed. Outside just below the fortress walls is a collection of armoured tanks and other vehicles spanning the twentieth century which, again, I found surprisingly interesting. Nearby is the Belgrade Fortress Museum which displays some items unearthed in various excavations of Kalemegdan and models showing the development of the site over the centuries.
The remains of the Belgrade Fortress are one of the highlights of Kalemegdan Park. The Celts built the first fortifications here and the Romans subsequently added to them. They were further developed during the Middle Ages when the Serbs did well to resist ferocious attacks by the Turks for so long. Eventually, though, the Turks succeeded but when they did so, the fortress fell into ruin and was not rebuilt until the Austrians took Belgrade at the end of the 18th century. The remnants of the earliest fortifications are, admittedly, not that easy to appreciate but a series of boards next to them do a brilliant job of explaining which period different features date from and, an added bonus, are presented in several foreign languages.
Elsewhere in the park there are the Museum of Forestry and Hunting, an observatory and planetarium and an art gallery which is part of the Serbian National Museum. There are two Orthodox churches one of which, Ruzica, has an exceptionally beautiful rose garden in its grounds; both churches can be visited.
You will pay more in the cafe and restaurant in the park but this is Belgrade and unless you go to the very swankiest places, you’re never going to break the bank. We didn’t eat here but we did stop for a drink at a cafe with superb views over the confluence. As this is a very touristy spot, the staff all tend to speak English as well as other languages and menus are in English as well as Serbian.
If you’re more of a shopper than a culture vulture then you can satisfy your urges at the craft and souvenir market which takes place daily from mid morning until late into the evening. There’s very little in the way of tacky junk; most of the goods on sale are tasteful handmade items. Do try some home made honey sweets if you see them: they are delicious!
Kalemegdan is a lovely spot and certainly somewhere you should see when in Belgrade. The gardens are extremely attractive and well looked after and the views are probably the best in the city. It’s a great place to watch the people of Belgrade but you can also find no shortage of quiet spots for a little relief from the noise of this busy city. If you want history you have plenty; then there’s art, sport, shopping or simply enjoying the world go by. If truth be told, it’s the real heart of Belgrade.
Kalemegdan10
