This is the route we followed and it took all of the 2.5 hours plus.  Good thing I brought snacks.  DoraMac was located not far from the orange Sport Center on the water.  So we walked from there to Republic Square and then back to the fortress with the tour and then back toward Republic Square where the tour ended.  And then back to Doramac!

Katrina the tour veteran and Dora, with the orange umbrella who was leading her first tour with Katrina to help her out when necessary.

Prince Mihaijlo Obrenovic statue

   This stumped me right away trying to remember the stories we were told and none of us remembered the same stories relating to the lack of a crown on Prince Mihaijlo’s head.  I remember the “story” of the sculptor being so mortified for forgetting the crown that he commit suicide. NOT TRUE.

Rick, Randal and Mary remembered some story about a second statue being made in another town by the same sculptor and that one had a crown.  I can’t find any proof of that.  And then there’s the story about the “horse’s ass “ café or maybe it really is the restaurant behind the horse.

“Favorite thing:  I have been assured that Republic Square is not the literal center of Belgrade but it is only about 100 yards from Terazije which is the official center of Belgrade.  Nevertheless, every time that I have been asked to meet someone in Belgrade it has been either "at the horse statue,"(which is in Republic Square) or at the train/bus station. Many bus lines stop by Republic Square. It is also the site of some of Belgrade’s most recognizable public buildings, including the National Museum and the National Theatre.

"The horse statue" is actually a bronze statue of Prince Michael (or Mihailo) on a horse, by the Italian sculptor Enrico Pazzi. It was erected in 1882 in honor of the Prince’s most important political achievement, the complete expulsion of the Turks from Serbia and liberation of the remaining seven cities within what was then (in 1867) Serbian territory. The names of the cities are carved on plates on the monument, on the statue’s pedestal, and the prince is allegedly sculpted with his hand pointing toward Constantinople, indicating where he wanted the Turks to go. However, his hand actually points to the north-east instead of the south-east, which is the correct direction from Belgrade to Turkey.  In recent years, the honor accorded to Prince Mihailo has declined significantly and the statue is often referred to simply as kod konja (Serbian for ‘at the horse’).  Even the nearby restaurant is named, Kod Konja.”    Republic Square  by etfromnc Written Aug 15, 2011     http://www.virtualtourist.com

There is rather common and morbid legend about the inauguration ceremony – the story says that a child cried "Knez has no cap! He is bareheaded!!!".   Pazzi’s "mistake" was the cause of his suicide. Reality is quite more pleasant – on the inauguration ceremony Pazzi received the Medal of the Knight of the Royal Order of Takovo of II degree from King Milan Obrenovic.  He lived in Florance for 17 more years, and died in 1899, at the age of 80.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/   Our guides told us this story though I’m not sure they said it was a story…..

More tangential trivia….

http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=6520 interesting article showing how Pazzi’s life intertwined with the poet Dante. 

We were also told the code of a horse’s legs related to statues.  Prince Mihaijlo Obrenovic  was actually assassinated not hurt or killed in battle.   But the code is questionable anyway.

This reply to a letter about the horse’s legs code was written by the Superintendent of the National Park Service in the US. 

“Dear Sir:

Your letter of October 19, 1931 is received and noted.

The story that the posture of the horse in equestrian statues on this battlefield indicates whether the rider was killed, wounded, or unhurt seems to be one of those myths which grow up around historical places and are almost impossible to destroy. Sculptors whom I have consulted assure me there is no such convention connected with the art.

This office does not countenance the story. On the contrary, invariably discourages it. It seems, however, to appeal to some imaginations among both guides and tourists.

If you are in position to supply the name of your guide or the number of his cap, I can possibly stop one from further reciting the myth.

Very truly yours,

E. E. Davis,

Superintendent  National Park Service “

http://npsgnmp.wordpress.com/

National Museum on the left “under-reconstruction and the National Theater on the right.

The museum apparently contains a wonderful collection of prehistoric artifacts, icons, religious books, Serbian and European art.  The renovation has been going on for years and years with the museum remaining closed.  No end in sight apparently which seems a shame but the locals seemed resigned to that.

The small but charming old “Bohemian Quarter”

Once the home of many Serbian poets, writers, artists, and actors, the cobble-stoned Skadarlija (or Skadarska) street today hosts some of the best restaurants in Belgrade, all of which strive to preserve bohemian traditions from the early 19th century. Definitely the place to go if you want to get a feel of the atmosphere of Belgrade’s old times, cruise art galleries, shop for antiques or souvenirs, or taste the best of local food.”

http://www.belgradeeye.com/skadarlija.html

The tale of the origins of Skadarlija tells us that in that

very spot, many a year ago, a mother with her daughter

and son decided to settle down. This was spurred by

the predictions of an old lady, telling of how her children

would become famous, her son a sage and her daughter

a princess. As long years went by and her children

grew up, the prediction of the old woman came true to

the letter, so the mother, somewhat melancholy for her

children leaving, found herself back on the Skadar slope.

She sat and recalled everything and, as if relieved, she

felt her first tears rolling down her cheeks. And so it

began. Evermore, the tears of weariness, emptiness and

joy flowed together, gushed over the meadow and kept

flowing downhill into a tiny stream. The stream slowly

carved the ground, leaving an ever increasing runnel,

like a small river bed. The meandering slope carried the

water downhill. A spring of potable water sprung up in

this very place. In time, people started settling down on

both sides of the stream. At first, these were poor slums,

followed by inns visited by the poor, artists and actors.

Thus the Skadarska Street was born, later well known as

Skadarlija, eventually becoming but a pale shadow of the

former bohemian street. However, the spring still flows

to this day…

Maja Stamenković, Legends of Belgrade, Signature,

Belgrade, 2002

http://www.tob.rs/download/Everlasting%20Skadarlija.pdf  a 22 page pdf file that tells everything you’d want to know about the area.

Skadarlija is the old Bohemian Quarter of Belgrade and dates back to late 19th and early 20th century. It was back then when its kafane (taverns and restaurants) were a meeting place for many of the greatest figures of the cultural scene of the period. It is often compared with the Montmartre in Paris, both for its appearance and the cheerful, vigorous artists’ atmosphere. The area is home to some of Belgrade’s best restaurants, offering the traditional national cuisine, most notably the roštilj (grilled meat) with pivo (beer). Every restaurant has live musicians playing traditional songs. The musicians travel from table to table and the guests often sing along.

Serbian cuisine is very rich with heavy creams and cheeses. The stuffed peppers were a particular favorite of ours, which we enjoyed with each of our meals. I recommend a nighttime stroll around Kalemegdan park to walk off a bit of your meal!  http://jdombstravels.com/

Đura Jakšić ‘s house

Djura Jaksic (1832-1878) was a poet, painter, narrator, play writer, and great patriot. He occasionally spent time in Novi Sad and was friendly with Jasa Ignjatovic (another famous Serbian author…..

A 150 cm. bronze monument, also by Jovan Soldatovic and erected in 1990, stands before Jakšic’s former home in Skadarlija, Belgrade…”  http://www.hyperbyte.net/Jaksic/  is a good introduction to the art and poetry of Djura Jaksic

Birthland

This rocky pile of Serbian earth, which thrusts

Up through the cloud, and menaces the sun,

By the dark wrinkles of its sullen brow

Tells of times infinitely far away

And shows us, as in a silent mimicry,

The deep-sunk furrows on its face engraven.

Ages of darkness-here behold their print

In those black wrinkles, in those pits of gloom.

This pile of stone is like some pyramid

That springs out of the dust towards high heaven,

A heap, no more, of craggy skeletons

Which, in their mortal combat with the foe,

Thy fathers of their own free choice had raised,

Cementing with the blood of patriot hearts

Their shattered bones and sinews – to prepare

For their sons’ sons a place of ambuscade

Whence they, with scornful valor, should hereafter

Await the foe, with all his ravening bands.

Thus far, no farther, to this pile of stone

This mighty ramparts,

Thy unclean foot may chance to penetrate!

Wilt thou dare farther?…Thou shalt hear the thunders

Breaking the quiet of this land of freemen

With horrible clamor; thou shalt understand

Then, in thy coward soul, their dauntless voice;

And then, upon that hard and rocky wall

Shalt break the bald crown of thy shaven pate

In wild distraction and dismay; and yet

Through the dread crash and rattle of that warfare

Shalt hear one single utterance, one thought: –

‘Behold the Serbians’ birthland, now their own!’

http://www.experienceproject.com

Plaque on the wall of Ðura Jakšic’s house in Skadarska (Skadarlija), Belgrade:

Tiny print isn’t a problem; it’s all in Serbian so impossible to read.  The frustration in being and English/Latin alphabet only person.  And Hebrew print; I can recognize the letters of Hebrew print even if I can’t translate most of it anymore.

Little further stands brewery BIP that used to belong to one of the richest Belgrade families, Bajloni. At the very end of the street, you will find Sebilj Fountain, replica of the fountain that stands in Baščaršija in Sarajevo.

Although Skadarlija is not particularly convenient for high heels and tipsy walk, it is still very appealing among visitors of all ages.  http://www.belgradian.com/sightseeing/skadarlija/

Maybe the Brewery? 

Sebilj Fountain

Aleksandar Vitek, architect (Skadarska Street; erected in 1989)

The Sebilj Fountain at the lower end of Skadarlija is a replica of the Sebilj Fountain in Baščaršija, donated to Belgrade by Sarajevo in 1989. According to Ottoman tradition the Sebilj or public fountains were built on squares or crossroads.

http://www.tob.rs/en/see_in.php?id=102

The Sebilj (Bosnian: sebilj – Turkish: sebil) is a kiosk-shaped public fountain made out of wood and stone, usually built at the public squares or intersections of important roads. Such fountains were common in the lands that were ruled by The Ottoman Empire. The particular design of the fountain that will be built in St. Louis is a work of the Bosnian governor under the Ottomans, Hadži-Mehmed-Paša Kukavica, who built Sarajevo’s Sebilj in 1753 in a part of the city called Baščaršija.

The Sebilj in Sarajevo was relocated by Czech architect Alexander Vitek in 1891. He rebuilt the Sebilj with the features of a pseudo-Moorish style of architecture copied from the stone Sebilj in Constantinople (todays Istanbul). That particular Sebilj, built by Vitek, is the one currently located in Sarajevo.

Over the years many copies of Sarajevo’s Sebilj were built throughout the world. The city of Sarajevo gave a Sebilj as a gift to the city of Beograd, Serbia in 1989, and that Sebilj is still located in Beograd’s neighborhood of Skadarlije. Novi Pazar (Serbia), Birmingham (England) and Sarajevo’s sister city Bursa (Turkey), also have each a Sebilj modeled after the one located in Sarajevo. Our great hope is for St. Louis to become a host for such a cultural, architectural and historic monument, as a sign of friendship and great respect between the Bosnian community and all other communities in St. Louis.

http://www.stlbosnians.com/what-is-sebilj/

The fruit and vegetable market

Knez Mihailova street across from the entrance to the Fortress complex.  The City Library is the building on the left.   More about this pedestrian plaza in another email.