Serbia is located at the crossroads of central and southeastern Europe and was part of the former Yugoslav Republic

SERBIA TRIP

MAY 2014

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Communist Partisans resisted the Axis occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945 and fought nationalist opponents and collaborators.

Belgrade is home to many ethnicities from all over former Yugoslavia. Many people came to the city as migrants from smaller towns and countrysides, while many thousands arrived as refugees from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, as a result of the 1990 Yugoslav wars. Many Middle Easterners, mainly from Syria, Iran, Jordan and Iraq, arrived to pursue their studies during the 1970s and 1980s and have remained in the city.

Although there are several historic religious communities in Belgrade, the religious makeup of the city is relatively homogenous. The Serbian Orthodox community is by far the largest. There are also Muslims, Roman Catholics and Protestants. There was a significant Jewish community in Belgrade, but after World War II Nazi occupation of the city and Jewish emigration, their numbers have fallen.

The military and political movement headed by Josip Broz "TITO" took full control of Yugoslavia when their domestic rivals and the occupiers were defeated in 1945. Tito held Yugoslavia together as an independent country in the turmoil that followed WWII and the cold war. Yugoslavia was the first country to open its borders to foreign visitors and abolish visa requirements. Tito was a popular leader and re-elected six times. Tito’s memorial is in Belgrade.

We also visited the Belgrade Fortress. This is the core and oldest section of the urban area of Belgrade. For centuries the city population was concentrated only within the walls of the fortress.

THE DANUBE RIVER: On its way from the Black Forest in Germany to its mouth in the Black Sea, the Danube passes by or through ten countries. It is the most international river in the world. Since 1992, 14 European cities are directly linked by inland waterway on the Rhine-Main-Danube axis. The sculpture of Dacian King Decebalus is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe. It is located on the Danube’s rocky bank. It took 10 years for 12 sculptors to finish it, costing over one million dollars. King Decebalus is famous for fighting three wars and negotiating two periods of peace with the Roman Empire.

IRON GATES: The Iron Gates dam project was initiated as a joint effort between Romania and the former Yugoslavia to produce hydro-electric power where the Danube River surges through the gorge. The Danube forms a border with Serbia and Bulgaria; it is important for shipping and trade.

Serbia Photo Gallery

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