Getting to know...
Belgrade
Introduction
In the following text, we are going to read and learn about Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.
Every city has its specific features. Here are some of the features of Belgrade.
City of many nations, BELGRADE is a city with a tumultuous, but also frequently tragic past,
primarily due to its unique position at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, on the
border between the East and the West. Due to its position it was rightfully named “Gates of
the Balkans” and the “Doors of Middle Europe”. Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe
with a 7000-year history. The space around the large rivers of the Sava and the Danube
was already populated in the Stone Age. The Celts named the populated fortress
SINGIDUNUM, where the first part of the word “Singi“ means round, and “dunum“
fortification or town. In the Byzantine Age, Singidunum became an important city of the
vast empire. The Slavic name BEOGRAD (Beli grad – White City – probably because its
ramparts were made of white limestone) may first be found in records from the 9th century.
Belgrade flourished in 19th and 20th centuries during the reign of the Obrenovic dynasty
and Karadjodjević dynasty. It was then and it still is an important strategic point, the
crossroads from the East to the West and one of the most significant cities in the Balkans.
Visitors who come to Belgrade for the first time, never leave indifferent, and always come
back to it with joy.
More importantly, Belgraders like everyone, so get to know Belgrade by getting to know
Belgraders!
The Temple of Saint Sava is the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans. It is located in the
eastern part of the square of Saint Sava, in the municipality of Vracar. It was built on the
site which is thought to be the place where in 1595, Sinan Pasha burned the remains of
Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
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Kalemegdan is the most beautiful and biggest park in Belgrade. At the same time it is the
most important historical complex, in which the Belgrade Fortress is overlooking the
confluence of the rivers Sava and Danube. The name Kalemegdan refers to the wide plateau
surrounding the Fortress, which was turned into a park in the 19th century. The planned
development of Kalemegdan began 1890 when the military handed the park over to the
Belgrade municipality. There are many monuments in the park, dedicated to famous cultural
and public workers. There is also the Kalemegdan Military Museum, Art Pavilion "Cvjeta
Zuzoric," The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, the Zoo, children's
amusement park, a large number of sports fields, restaurants and the Museum of Natural
History.
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The Old Royal Palace is a representative building in Belgrade, at the corner of Kralja Milana
and Dragoslava Jovanovica street, the main entrance is looking at Nikola Pasic Square. The
Palace, which was built by King Milan in the period 1881-1884, was the residence of King
Petar I Karadjordjevic (1903-1921) and King Alexander I (1921-1922), and today is the
seat of the Belgrade City Assembly.
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The old, bohemian quarter of Belgrade, Skadarlija, arose during the late 19th and early
20th century when its inns were the gathering place of the best known names in Belgrade.
It is frequently compared to the Montmartre of Paris, both in appearance as well as the
exuberant and dynamic artistic atmosphere. Skadarska street is located in the very center
of Belgrade, close to the National Theatre. At the end of the 19th and in early 20th century,
many actors, artists, poets, writers and painters lived in the street. Skadarlija is famous for
its restaurants with delicious national dishes, good music and tamburitza orchestras.
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Nightlife, fun, laughs and good music, 24/7. Fun with no time limitation, the ability to be
picky and look for a place that meets the specific taste, a good after-party and party during
weekdays, these are the reasons why Belgrade is one of the capitals of clubbing. Every
evening you can choose a different style of entertainment, whether it is gypsy music, folk,
rock, jazz, heavy metal, reggae or the best DJ sets.
Slika 10.5.5
If you want to experience the heartbeat of Belgrade, head to the green markets, held daily.
The biggest is Kalenic, but you can’t beat Zeleni Venac: the crazy architecture, spectacular
view, and central location. All Belgrade markets have a flea market and fresh produce
section. In the latter, locals hustle their homemade specialities: ajvar, kajmak, honey, and
even homemade rakija (a dangerous yet delicious prospect) sold in recycled glass jars or
plastic bottles.
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Vocabulary
Nouns (imenice): Verbs (glagoli):
confluence – ušće populate – naseliti
border – granica flourish – cvetati, bujati
The Stone Age – kameno doba reign – vladati
The Celts – Kelti hand over – predati
fortress – tvrđava dedicate – posvetiti
empire – carstvo arise (nepravilan glagol: arise – arose –
rampart – bedem arisen) – pojaviti se, ustati
limestone – krečnjak beat – premašiti, prevazići
record – zapis
dynasty – dinastija
point – tačka
crossroad – raskrsnica
joy – sreća, radost
Belgraders – Beograđani
temple – hram
orthodox church – pravoslavna crkva
square – trg
municipality – opština
site – mesto
remains – ostaci
founder – osnivač
Plateau – plato
development – razvoj
monument – spomenik
protection – zaštita
zoo – zoološki vrt
amusement park – zabavni park
royal Palace – kraljevska palata
entrance – ulaz
residence – rezidencija
seat – sedište
City Assembly – gradska skupština
inn – kafana
gathering place – mesto okupljanja
appearance – izgled
entertainment – zabava
heartbeat – otkucaj srca
green market – zelena pijaca
flea market – buvljak
hustle – žurba; energičnost
prospect – izgled
jar – tegla
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Adjectives and adverbs Prepositions and conjunctions
(pridevi i prilozi): (predlozi i veznici):
tumultuous – bučan, uzburkan, zbunjen due to – zbog, usled
rightfully – zakonito, s pravom at the corner – na uglu
primarily – naročito, pre svega
vast – ogroman
significant – značajan, bitan
indifferent – ravnodušan, indiferentan,
nevažan
bohemian – boemski
representative – reprezentativan
frequently – učestalo, često
exuberant – bogat, obilan; euforičan,
veseo
artistic – umetnički
delicious – ukusan
picky – sitničav; izbirljiv
latter – poslednji
homemade – domaći
Tabela 10.1.
Synonyms
Nouns (imenice): Verbs (glagoli):
border – boundary, frontier populate – occupy
fortress – fort flourish – blossom, bloom, prosper, grow
rampart – barricade, barrier reign – govern, dominate, have power over
limestone – a type of sedimentary rock hand over – hand, give back, release
record – document, evidence, history, dedicate – devote, give
background arise (nepravilan glagol: arise – arose –
dynasty – empire, regime arisen) – appear, emerge
crossroad – intersection beat – defeat, surpass, overcome
joy – happiness
temple – chapel, house of worship
municipality – community
site – place of activity
remains – remaining part
founder – person who establishes an
institution
development – growth, advancement
monument – memorial, statue
protection – safety
amusement park – amusement center
entrance – entry, entryway
residence – place for living
seat – center, central location
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inn – tavern, bar
gathering place – meeting place
appearance – look, image, outward aspect
entertainment – amusement
heartbeat – pulse
flea market – open-air street market
hustle – hurry, rush
prospect – aspect, view, outlook
jar – jug
Adjectives and adverbs Prepositions and conjunctions
(pridevi i prilozi): (predlozi i veznici):
tumultuous – confused, hectic due to – because
rightfully – lawfully, legitimately
primarily – generally, in the beginning, at
first
vast – very large, wide in range
significant – important, meaningful,
notable
indifferent – uninterested
representative – characteristic, typical,
classic
frequently – repeatedly, at times
exuberant – energetic, enthusiastic
artistic – imaginative, inventive
delicious – delightful
picky – choosy
latter – latest, recent
homemade – made in the home,
handmade
Tabela 10.2.
Conclusion
• Belgrade is a beautiful capital. It is the city where the Sava River meets the Danube,
where you can enjoy beautiful coffee houses, visit many museums, the Kalemegdan
fortress etc. There are many examples of article usage in the text.
Napomena za testove napredovanja:
Kako biste što bolje usvojili gradivo, uz ovu lekciju dostupni su testovi za vežbu koji se odnose
na razumevanje teksta i vokabulara iz ove nastavne jedinice.
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