SMERDEVO FORTRESS

This medieval city is one of the largest and best preserved fortresses in the Balkans.

Built by the despot Đurađ Branković in 1430, it housed the institutions of the medieval Serbian state until the mid-15th century. In 1459, Sultan Mehmet seized it and the fortress became Ottoman for more than three centuries. It is only in 1806, during the first Serbian insurrection, that the Turks are dislodged. At the end of the 19th century, the fortress became an arms depot and a terrible tragedy took place there in 1941, marking forever the memory of the city: the Germans blew up an ammunition depot, causing the death of 2,500 people.

The Smederevo fortress is accessible from the railway station. The plan of the construction is that of a triangle, each side of which is between 400 and 500 m long. The eastern and western sides were protected by the Danube and the Jezava, while the southern wall was lined from end to end by an artificial moat. The curtain wall and the two square towers to the south and east and the cylindrical towers to the west are still visible. The low, crenellated curtain wall that lined the main enclosure, as well as a large gate on the Danube side, have disappeared over time. Within the walls of the fortress there is a large esplanade where the garrison once stood. If you turn to the right at the end, you will reach the royal parts. At the northeast corner of the fortress, you can observe the keep where in the 15th century the residence of Đurađ Branković was located.