Homeland

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ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THIS ARTICLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THIS ARTICLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE

Nine Centuries of a Charming Town

“Remain here!... the sun of another sky

Will not warm you like this one;

The bread is bitter there,

Where you find neither your kindred nor your brothers.”

– Aleksa Šantić

Gamzigrad – Romuliana

            The palace and legacy of the Emperor Galerius (293-311) is a testament to the palatial architecture of Late Antiquity, and is found in the region then known as Dacia. The palace was named after Galerius’ mother Romula. Even today, most of the luxurious buildings can be discerned through the uneven trapezoidal foundations which remain, constituting of a number of separate palaces, a temple, and heated bath houses, all enclosed within ramparts and gates. Everything is constructed from terracotta combined with various local stones. The remains of floor mosaics have also been discovered, along with other unique and valuable decorative objects, especially a mosaic depicting the god Dionysus, and statues depicting Hercules and Jupiter. This palace was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Monk, theologian, diplomat, enlightener, orator, writer, legislator, statesman, and the first Archbishop of the independent, autocephalous Serbian Church. All of Saint Sava’s roles are depicted in the recently opened “Saint Sava the Serb” exhibit, at the Historical Museum of...

I heartily recommend this route (Guca, Zlatibor, Tara, Drvengrad) for your trip through Serbia. Whoever has more time can certainly stay at each destination an extra day, experiencing the places more fully and at a more relaxed pace. But for the rushed Canadian travellers, who have a relatively short holiday, even these five days are invaluable for getting better acquainted with Serbia and experiencing some of its natural and cultural charms.

In certain appropriate conversations, I often ask: “How many rivers does Belgrade have?” Usually I get a bewildered look, a look which wonders why I even ask such a question, followed by a reticent answer: “the Danube and Sava, everyone knows that.”