FORTRESS

Located on the right bank of the Nišava River and overlooking the city, the present Turkish fortress was built between 1719 and 1723, on the site of an ancient Roman castrum and then a Byzantine fort. The Byzantine fort was for a long time the most formidable medieval military structure in Serbia, a feat in itself in this mountainous country used to large fortifications. In modern times, when the Ottoman building was still occupied, this polygon extended over 22 hectares and was defended by no less than four gates and three bastions. Of what remains today, one can visit the southern gate - Istanbul - and the western gate - Belgrade - as well as many remains of the buildings and defensive structures inside. Among these buildings, the most interesting are, next to the Istanbul Gate, the structures of the old arsenal dating from 1857; it was built by Sultan Abdul-Madžid at the end of the Crimean War, and served as a storehouse of weapons and ammunition for the Turkish army. We also find inside the fortress the oldest Ottoman monument, a hammam of 1498. Finally, the Bali-Beg mosque built in 1521, with a library dating from the same period. Renovated in the 1970s, it now houses the gallery Salon 77, which exhibits the paintings of Ljiljana Kostadinović.

Alongside these Ottoman monuments, the fortress preserves the remains of Roman baths and villas, as well as the monument to the liberators of Niš, erected in 1878. In short, it is a long visit.