Belgrade

Belgrade, the capital and largest city of Serbia, is a dynamic metropolis located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Not just the hub of Serbia but also one of the main urban centers in Southeast Europe with a population of 1,685,563 in its metropolitan area as of the census 2022. Strategically located at the junction of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula, this city boasts a rich tapestry of millennia-spanning history, ranking among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and indeed the globe.

Belgrade’s narrative starts in the mists of prehistory, with the Vinča civilization blossoming in the area during the sixth millennium BC. Renowned for its advanced pottery and early writing styles, this Neolithic society set the stage for the area’s ongoing significance. Thraco-Dacians arrived in the area as time marched on and settled here, hence forming the early cultural scene of what would become Belgrade.

A major turning point in the history of the city came in 279 BC with the arrival of Celtic people. It was they who assigned the settlement the first known name, Singidūn, hence initiating Belgrade’s recorded history. Still, throughout the whole chronology of the city, this Celtic influence was somewhat fleeting. For Singidūn, the entrance of the Romans under Emperor Augustus signaled a fresh chapter. Understanding the site’s strategic value, the Romans strengthened the settlement and, by the middle of the second century AD, gave it the sought-after title of Roman city. This era permanently changed the nature of the city by seeing the construction of infrastructure and the absorption of the area into the larger Roman sphere.

Belgrade saw further changes with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the later human movement across Europe. Slavic tribes started to settle in the area in the sixth century, therefore progressively changing the demographic and cultural scene. The city thereafter went through a period of flux, passing several times between several nations trying to dominate this strategically important junction where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. Belgrade was ruled at different periods by the Byzantine Empire, the Frankish Empire, the Bulgarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary, each of which left traces on the growth and personality of the city.

A turning point in Belgrade’s medieval history happened in 1284 when Stefan Dragutin, the Serbian ruler, moved there. This signaled the start of Belgrade’s prominence as a hub of Serbian political power—a position it would periodically occupy throughout the next centuries. Belgrade was the capital of the Serbian Despotate during the rule of Despot Stefan Lazarevič in the early 15th century, hence underscoring the city’s significance in Serbian history. The city developed significantly during this time; Lazarevič built a fortification that would eventually constitute the center of Belgrade’s fortifications for decades to come.

But the geopolitical reality of the moment meant Belgrade’s position was usually unstable. Lazarevič’s successor Đurađ Brankovič was obliged in 1427 to place the city back under Hungarian rule. This hand-off of authority prepared Belgrade for one of the most well-known events in its past: the Siege of 1456. Belgrade was a key barrier preventing the Ottoman Empire’s spread into Europe. Under the direction of John Hunyadi and with help from a crusader army, the city’s defenders effectively repulsed a sizable Ottoman force during the siege. Celebrated throughout Christian Europe, this triumph is still observed today by many European cities having church bells sound at noon.

Belgrade’s position on the boundary separating Christian Europe from the growing Ottoman Empire meant that battle was never far off, notwithstanding this victory. Under Suleiman the Magnificent, the city at last succumbed to Ottoman forces in 1521, launching a protracted period of Ottoman control. Belgrade developed as the center of the Sanjak of Smederevo, a significant Ottoman Empire administrative entity. As the city was included into the larger Ottoman universe, its population and culture underwent notable changes.

Frequent strife between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy defined the next centuries, with Belgrade usually caught in the middle. Several times throughout the Ottoman-Habsburg wars, the city changed hands and suffered great damage in the process. Along with changing Belgrade’s physical environment, these disputes affected its demographic composition since inhabitants moved with every change of government.

Belgrade and Serbia overall welcomed fresh winds of change at the advent of the 19th century. Beginning in 1804, the Serbian Revolution signalled the start of Serbia’s protracted fight for freedom from Ottoman domination. Belgrade once more became the obvious choice for the capital of the fledgling Serbian state as the revolution developed and Serbia acquired more sovereignty. Officially named the capital of Serbia in 1841, it has maintained that position ever since.

Belgrade grew fast in late 19th and early 20th centuries as it embraced its position as the capital of an independent Serbia. Still, the city’s situation remained complicated; the northern portion of Belgrade stayed under Habsburg rule until World War I’s end. At the end of that struggle Belgrade became the capital of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, subsequently known as Yugoslavia. For the city, this marked a new era as the hub of a far bigger, multiethnic state.

From its founding in 1918 until its breakup in 2006, Belgrade’s position as the capital of Yugoslavia was one of great growth and progress but also one defined by the turbulent 20th century history. The city endured occupation and bombing during World War II, so suffering greatly. Belgrade grew quickly under socialist Yugoslavia in the years following war, adding new residential zones and municipalities to meet its rising population.

Belgrade has been a city molded by its strategic location and consequent battles over its long and rich history. Testament to both its significance and the resiliency of its people, it has been battled over in 115 wars and destroyed 44 times. Five times the city has been attacked and besieged, yet every time it has emerged from the ashes, rebuilt and reinterpreted itself.

Belgrade now is a sophisticated European capital that combines modern dynamism with rich legacy. Being the main city of Serbia, it has particular administrative importance inside the nation and hosts the central government, administrative agencies, and government departments. Apart from its most significant media and scientific institutions, it is also the economic center of Serbia, home to practically all the biggest businesses in the nation.