[Walk in the park] Serbian parks contain dramatic history

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[Walk in the park] Serbian parks contain dramatic history

The Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [ARCHIVE BELGRADE FORTRESS/DUSAN STOJANCEVIC]

The Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [ARCHIVE BELGRADE FORTRESS/DUSAN STOJANCEVIC]

The sites of historic battles, popular spa vacations and the winding paths once taken by Romantic poets are accessible just a few steps into the parks of Serbia.
 
“There is no better place to comprehend, at least at the first glance, the history of Belgrade and Serbia than at Kalemegdan Park,” said Nemanja Grbic, ambassador of Serbia to Korea, speaking at the embassy in Seoul recently.
 
The park is located within Belgrade Fortress, whose records date back to third century B.C. Weathering many battles waged as the Romans, Austro-Hungarians and the Ottoman Turks came and went, the fortress and its structures were reconstructed by Serbian despot Stefan Lazarevic in the 15th century — around the same time that Korea built Changdeokgung Palace.  
 
To share their tips on the not-to-be-missed tour points across the historic and grand parks of Serbia — such as the underground tour of Kalemagdan Park, or the country’s sulfuric springs resort Banja Koviljaca — as well as their impressions of the natural cityscape in Seoul, Grbic and his wife Ines Grbic sat down with the Korea JoongAng Daily.  
 
Nemanja Grbic, ambassador of Serbia to Korea, and his wife Ines Grbic, speak with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Serbian Embassy in Seoul recently. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Nemanja Grbic, ambassador of Serbia to Korea, and his wife Ines Grbic, speak with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Serbian Embassy in Seoul recently. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Belgrade Fortress & Kalemegdan Park

Sitting on a hill overlooking a point where the rivers of Danube and Sava meet, Belgrade Fortress was the city’s chief military stronghold and often coveted by the ruling powers who changed hands over the years, including the Romans, Hungarians, Ottoman Turks and Habsburgs.
 
“It was Prince Mihailo Obrenovic who first began the work of transforming the fortress and its areas into a park in 1867,” said Ines Grbic. “Serbia’s first urbanist, Emilijan Josimovic, who had studied architecture and urbanism in Vienna, became the mastermind commissioned to design the park.”
 
Bombed heavily during the two World Wars, the fortress was designated as a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979 and preserved by the state of Serbia since.
The Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [ARCHIVE BELGRADE FORTRESS/DUSAN STOJANCEVIC]

The Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [ARCHIVE BELGRADE FORTRESS/DUSAN STOJANCEVIC]

 
Today the fortress and the park testify to the many upheavals endured by the Serbians and of the natural beauty of the Southeastern European nation.  
 
“On any given day with good weather, you will see some elderly people playing chess at the park, and couples and families taking strolls,” said Nemanja Grbic.  
 
Visitors will be greeted by “Pobednik,” or Victor, a monument erected in 1928 to commemorate Serbia's victory over Austro-Hungary and the Ottomans, and the Sahat Tower, or the clock tower near the entrance of the park.  
“Pobednik,” or Victor, a monument erected in 1928 to commemorate Serbia's victory over Austro-Hungary and the Ottomans, on the grounds of the Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

“Pobednik,” or Victor, a monument erected in 1928 to commemorate Serbia's victory over Austro-Hungary and the Ottomans, on the grounds of the Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

 
Key structures of the park include the Grand Staircase built in 1928, one of the most beautiful spots at the park, the Military Museum, an art pavilion, and the Belgrade Zoo, home to white lions, and possibly the world’s oldest alligator bred in captivity named Muja, who survived even the brutal bombings of the Second World War. The zoo was bombed along with the fortress during the world wars, an account that Winston Churchill included in his memoirs as well.
 
The Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

The Belgrade Fortress in Serbia. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

Entrance to the park is free, but for history aficionados the Grbics recommend the underground tour at Kalemegdan Park, a historic site that inspired the Palme d’Or winning film “Underground” (1995) by Emir Kusturica.  
 
For electronic dance music (EDM) lovers, they may want to time their next visit to the city during the annual summer EDM festival hosted within the park.  
 

Danube Park in the city of Novi Sad

The Danube Park in Novi Sad. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

The Danube Park in Novi Sad. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

Located in Novi Sad, the second largest city of Serbia, the Danube Park sits on the banks of the Danube, one of the longest rivers in Europe that stretches across the continent’s central and southeastern nations.  
 
Once a marshland, the park, also locally referred to as Dunavski Park, was drained and landscaped at the end of the 19th century, and since then has welcomed many daydreaming poets and artists of Serbia, paying tribute to the nation’s literary giants such as poets Branko Radicevic and Djura Jaksic.  
 
The park, like Belgrade Fortress, is very much part of the people's lives.
 
“In winter, the lake inside the park freezes and turns into a skating rink,” said Nemanja Grbic.  
 
The park since the late 2010s has also been called the “Frozen Forest” for this classic scene of skaters on the lake.
 
Visitors to the park between March and October will be greeted by the lush foliage of its 600 trees ranging from sycamores and hazelnuts to birches and wild chestnuts. Some of the deciduous trees older than 100 years old, as well as Lombardy poplar, silver linden and European nettle tree, easily stand out, along with the park’s decorative plants such as the white poplar, cherry plum and Turkish hazel.
 
On a sunny day at the park, it won’t be hard to spot newlyweds posing for a photo before the saletla, or the white gazebo.
The white gazebo at the Danube Park in Novi Sad, Serbia. [SHUTTERSTOCK]

The white gazebo at the Danube Park in Novi Sad, Serbia. [SHUTTERSTOCK]

 

Banja Koviljaca, a Balkan hot spring resort

 
Located in western part of Serbia, Banja Koviljaca has been settled since the Roman Empire.  
 
Nobody knows exactly when the town's hot springs of sulfuric water grew famous, but age-old legends credit two sisters — Vida and Koviljaca — for popularizing the springs with healing powers.
 
“Because the water is sulfuric, it smelled bad and the locals were afraid to go near it,” said Nemanja Grbic. “One of the sisters, Koviljaca, was said to be the first to discover the water’s health benefits and persuaded the others to try drinking or taking a bath in it. So legends have it that the springs were named after her.”
 
Banja Koviljaca, a hot spring resort, in Serbia. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

Banja Koviljaca, a hot spring resort, in Serbia. [EMBASSY OF SERBIA IN KOREA]

In 1858, the first spa dedicated to the springs opened, and doctors began prescribing local spas for certain illnesses.  
 
The spas and their benefits were soon picked up by Serbian Prince Mihailo Obrenovic in 1867, and Banja Koviljaca eventually developed into a spa resort.
 
A park developed in the resort’s premises at the end of the 19th century, incorporating popular styles of architecture from Western Europe.
 
Today, the resort is a popular vacation spot for locals and international visitors alike, with its sulfuric and mineral springs still doing their wonders.
 

Beauty of hiking trails in Korea

Korea might be one of the best places in the world for hikers, say the Grbics who have been on several hiking trails accessible from the city’s center.
 
Ambassador Nemanja Grbic and his wife Ines Grbic on Mt. Bukhan recently. [NEMANJA GRBIC]

Ambassador Nemanja Grbic and his wife Ines Grbic on Mt. Bukhan recently. [NEMANJA GRBIC]

“We went to Bukhansan one weekend, and then went back again the very next weekend,” said Ines Grbic.  
 
The couple was first surprised by how difficult the hiking was — there are several trails on the mountain, including ones involving quite rocky trails — and then by the local hikers.  
 
“Many appeared older than us, yet clad in full hiking gears, they seemed to overrun us with no trouble,” said Nemanja Grbic. “We are in love with the hiking scene in Korea.”
 
The juxtaposition of skyscrapers with the mountain trails accessible by subway or bus gives the capital city of Korea a unique skyline.  
 
“Korea is a highly modernized and urban country, but at the same time a country that lives with and is surrounded by nature,” said Ines Grbic. “It’s been amazing to see this harmony at work.”
 

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BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
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