Belgrade from the water

“Anyone who is lucky enough to wake up this morning in Belgrade may think that he has achieved enough in his life for today. Any further demand for something else would be immodest.”
Duško Radović

This statement of Duško Radović is used by all residents of Belgrade in almost all cases and is so often used on social networks in various contexts that it has already become annoying. But perhaps more than at any other time of the year, this quote of his is relevant in the summer. Summer in Belgrade! There is no better combination of life. Belgrade is not as important as Paris, Rome or Moscow, but my dears, Belgrade is the most beautiful in summer. Half of the residents are on vacation, half work from home, there is no crowd in the city, the sun shines 48 hours a day and the only thing a person can think about is how to spend precious free time in such conditions that the city selflessly treats him.

Belgrade is located at the confluence of two great rivers — the Sava and the Danube, and this geographical position has cost it dearly many times throughout history, because many peoples wanted to dominate it and thus gain power in the Balkans… But I will not deviate from the topic. I want to say that Belgrade is best perceived in summer from the water. From the water you can enjoy countless restaurants and “rafting” (discos and restaurants on the landing stages along the Sava and Danube), as well as active recreation. The length of the banks of the rivers of Belgrade is 200 km, so it is not surprising that in summer everyone “moves” to the rivers. Residents of Belgrade love the format of boards and paddles, so in many places you can rent a SUP board on rafts and spend a summer day at sunset and relax to the music that comes to you from the cafe while you drift along the Danube freely and carefree.

For those who are more active, there is a kayak that can be rented on Ada, which the inhabitants of Belgrade affectionately call the Belgrade Sea. It is here that residents of Belgrade come to get their first tan, and at the same time to ride a catamaran or, as I said, on a board or a water scooter. In addition, Belgrade boasts Yacht clubs. On luxuriously equipped ships for a romantic dinner you can enjoy the view of the ideal places for relaxation and relaxation – the river, the untouched nature of the island of the Great War and Kalemegdan with the symbol of Belgrade, the statue – the herald of the triumphal Serbian battles, the Nebojsa Tower, a medieval cannon tower built around 1460 on the very bank of the Danube to protect the Danube pier in the Lower Town near the Belgrade Fortress, then the Usce Tower, which is the second tallest building in Serbia and the tallest skyscraper in Belgrade. This is a free-standing glass building with a panoramic view of the city from the upper platform, followed by the Old Town, Stari Grad, Belgrade on the Water (Waterfront)…

And the bridges of Belgrade are a special story. They are best seen from the water.

Brankov Bridge

During the period of communism, the bridge was called the Bridge of Brotherhood and Unity, but it never caught on among the people, and the colloquial name of the Brankov Bridge has taken root so much that few of the old Belgraders know its real name. It received its colloquial name in honor of Brankov Street, the continuation of which it represents, and not in honor of the writer Branko Ćopić, who committed suicide in 1984 by jumping off it. Belgraders especially like to cross the Brankov Bridge on foot.

Old Sava Bridge

After the Branko’s Bridge, you will come across the Old Sava Bridge. Old Sava Bridge is the smallest bridge used for road traffic in Belgrade. Although it is not the most beautiful, it has great historical significance. It was built during the occupation in 1942 because then the only bridge over the Sava River (King Alexander Bridge) was demolished. On October 20, 1944, Belgrade teacher Miladin Zarić saved the bridge from being blown up by the German Nazis. Tram rails on the bridge were installed in 1984 as part of the construction of a tram line to Block 45 in New Belgrade.

Gazela Bridge

Gazela Bridge is the busiest Belgrade bridge over the Sava River. More than 165,000 cars pass through it every day, although the bridge is designed for about 40,000 cars. The name was given to him by George Lazarevich, chairman of the tender commission for the construction of the bridge, who said that “this bridge jumped over the Sava like a gazelle in a jump.” The bridge on Ada is a bridge with diagonal connections. It has a length of 929 meters, has six lanes, two pedestrian paths, and two paths intended for the future metro.

Lovers of nature and a healthy lifestyle choose the option of the Belgrade Amazon. Yes, yes, exactly as you think. Belgrade has 16 floating islands and many canals that remind you that you are in the Amazon, the most famous of which is the Galijas Canal, where you can get acquainted with the colorful flora and fauna passing through Veliko Ratno Ostrvo, opposite the Kalemegdan Fortress in the very center of Belgrade!

Well, then you tell me that being born in Belgrade and experiencing it in the summer is not a real happiness!

Our Belgrade is like this, he has invested all his efforts so that we have everything at hand.