Wednesday, Oct 21
Steps 13,000 temperature 24C sunshine
We (I) woke to car horns blowing, looking down on Republic Square.
We started with a perfect morning in the city's vibrant center. We stepped out of our hotel and directly into Republic Square, where we managed to snag a table outside to sit in the glorious sunshine.
We ordered a massive breakfast: perfectly scrambled eggs with melted cheese packed inside a flaky, warm croissant, served alongside a side of crispy waffle fries and a fresh salad. Sitting there with the sun on our faces, watching the city wake up around the iconic Prince Mihailo monument, was the absolute best way to start the day.
After finishing we meandered through the bustling pedestrian streets connected to the square, stepping straight onto the famous Knez Mihailova Street. The pedestrian zone was incredibly lively and full of character. It is a grand, wide avenue flanked by beautiful, ornate late 19th-century buildings and townhouses that give it an elegant, historic European charm. The entire stretch was entirely free of cars, making it wonderfully relaxing to stroll through.
The white marble structure in the center is the third incarnation of the historic Delijska Česma, which was re-erected during the street's reconstruction in 1987 (the original dates back to 1843).
The surrounding buildings feature 19th- and early 20th-century urban architecture, including nearby historic landmarks like the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
We turned off the bustling, grand corridor of Knez Mihailova Street, slipping past the neoclassical facades. Following a narrow side path toward Kralja Petra Street, we stumbled into a hidden pedestrian passage that made us smile.
Suspended high above the narrow alleyway was a floating canopy of hundreds of vibrant, multicolored umbrellas.
The visual contrast was absolutely striking. The surrounding buildings carried the weathered, gritty charm that Belgrade is so famous for, yet overhead danced a brilliant sea of reds, yellows, blues, and greens.
The famous historic mural "Student Looking at the Wall" (Student gleda u zid) located off Knez Mihailova Street
Original Artwork: The abstract colorful stripes at the top were originally created in 1983 based on a sketch by artist Perica Donkov, realized by professor Čedomir Vasić and students of the Faculty of Fine Arts as one of Belgrade's first large-scale public murals.
Later Addition: In 2020, well-known Serbian street artist Andrej Josifovski (Pijanista) updated the piece by painting the figure of a student in a denim jacket looking up at the wall.
Because of its highly strategic position, the fortress has been destroyed and rebuilt over 40 times by successive empires. As we walked through the gates, we could literally see the history layered in the stone:
• Ancient Roman foundations from when it was a 2nd-century military camp called Singidunum.
• Medieval Serbian ramparts from its 15th-century golden age under Despot Stefan Lazarević.
• Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian architecture layered right on top, featuring a mix of red Austrian brickwork and gray Turkish stonework.
After leaving the historic ramparts of Belgrade Fortress, we wandered back into town and passed the striking Art Deco building of the French Embassy.
We made our way over to Harat’s Pub Belgrade, a cozy Irish spot right in the heart of the zone, and sat outside in the sunshine.
From there, we kept wandering down the lively pedestrian streets until we stumbled upon a massive cluster of outdoor restaurants and cafes right next to Republic Square!
This mural depicts the Serbian politician, writer, and gender equality activist Mitra Mitrović at two different stages of her life by Jana Danilović.
Created in December 2023 as part of the "Exceptional Women of Serbia" project, organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands in collaboration with the Center for Women’s Studies and KC Grad.
Mitra Mitrović (1912–2001) was a prominent anti-fascist fighter, writer, and the first woman minister in Serbian/Yugoslav history (serving as Minister of Education). The cyrillic text in the middle reads ЖЕНА ДАНАС (Woman Today), referencing the women's magazine she co-founded in 1936.
Passing street vendors roasting fresh chestnuts over open coals (yes, John started singing) and selling steaming hot corn.
In a bookstore.
Before we turned back.
Vuk Foundation, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Serbian philologist and linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić.
Built between 1882 and 1884 as a royal residence for the Obrenović dynasty, it later served government bodies and now features a distinctive green corner dome topped with a golden double-headed eagle.
Construction and the "Palace Rossiya" (1905–1908)
Before the hotel was built, the plot of land at the top of Terazije Square housed a legendary but rundown inn known as the Velika Srbija (Greater Serbia). Svetozar Vukadinović, a Serbian businessman, purchased the plot with backing from the Rossiya Insurance Company of the Russian Empire.
The project was envisioned as a multi-purpose monument called the Palace Rossiya, meant to be a grand symbol of Russian investment and economic presence in the Balkans. Construction took nearly three years, during which local citizens gathered daily to watch the unprecedented engineering project. The building officially opened on January 14, 1908, with a grand ceremony presided over by King Petar I Karađorđević. The original 36-room inn inside the palace eventually grew to claim the entire building as Hotel Moskva.
The Interwar Period and Literary Hub (1918–1941)
Following World War I, the hotel's ground-floor kafana (traditional cafe) became the absolute epicenter of Belgrade's intellectual and artistic universe.
In a war-torn city plagued by severe power shortages, Hotel Moskva was one of the few places with functioning electricity. The famous Serbian novelist Miloš Crnjanski formed the "Grupa Umetnika" (Group of Artists) right here—a collective of writers, painters, and musicians who met nightly under the hotel's artificial lights to reshape modern Serbian culture.
3. World War II and the Gestapo Occupation (1941–1945)
Due to its strategic vantage point overlooking the Sava River and downtown Belgrade, the hotel became an immediate target when Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941. The building was seized and turned into the Gestapo Headquarters for the Balkan region. The Nazis temporarily renamed the hotel back to Velika Srbija to strip it of its Russian-associated name.
Post-War Era to Present
After Belgrade was liberated, the hotel reclaimed its name and returned to its status as a cultural haven. The Nobel Prize-winning author Ivo Andrić famously had his own permanent table in the restaurant where he sat daily.
In 1968, the government placed the building under state protection as a cultural monument. It has hosted over 40 million visitors throughout its lifespan, including a legendary roster of global icons such as Albert Einstein, Alfred Hitchcock, Robert De Niro, Indira Gandhi, and Ray Charles.
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We went back to the hotel before heading out for dinner.
We started hearing horns blowing and opened our window.
On October 21, 2026, thousands of university students from across Serbia marched into Belgrade, greeted by massive crowds of local residents in what became a triumphant prelude to a historic election-week showdown against long-time populist President Aleksandar Vučić.
Video to come
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