One
of the last traces of Belgrade’s
ancient and violent past, Belgrade Castle
is believed by many to be the site where
the city was founded by the Romans. The
castle has seen many additions and subtractions
over the centuries; the majority of its
current structure dating to the 18th century,
but its walls encircle the old 15th century
fortifications made when Belgrade was
proclaimed as the Serbian capital in 1404.
The site is excellent for defence, situated
above the confluence of the Rivers Sava
and Danube. Starting out as a camp or
“castrum”, the semi-permanent
fort was occupied and reinforced when
the Romans left. Around this haven grew
a town, and this would make it a permanent
enough entrenchment to facilitate the
construction of sturdy walls and towers
also protected this lower section of the
fortification.
By
the 15th century the double ramparts with
towers and gates were installed, and a
great and heavy wall began to creep around
the edge of the old city. Existing defences
were reinforced yet again. As the city
grew to include things like new churches,
hospitals, and inns the inner walls became
obsolete and a second layer of walls needed
to be built. The city began to divide
itself into partitions to reflect the
layers created by these walls, with the
first of the layers (the original Roman
fort) given back to the military.
The city was taken by the Turks, then
by the Austrians; defences were modernized
and by the 17th century a star shaped
“bastion wall” was added to
the lower reaches of the city. The castle-city
began to take the use of artillery seriously,
but by this time the age of the castle
was over. Modifications to the walls continued,
but their defensive use was more or less
a thing of the past, and by the mid-1800s
they passed into antiquity. Today Belgrade
Castle is the major archaeological and
historical site in Belgrade.
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