Belgrade - White City

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Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It has population of 2.000.000 in greater area, and it's the second city by size on Balkan peninsula (after Athnes), but definitely the most dynamic one. Belgrade hosts many annual cultural events, including FEST (Belgrade Film Festival), BITEF (Belgrade Theatre Festival), BELEF (Belgrade Summer Festival), BEMUS (Belgrade Music Festival), Belgrade Book Fair, and the Belgrade Beer Festival , which are visited by many people all over the world. Nightlife in Belgrade is well known by the young population from neighbour countries.

City also has great history. In 4800 BC, the prehistoric Starčevo culture emerged in the Belgrade area, later succeeded by the Vinča culture. The site of the city was settled in the third century BC by the Celts, before becoming the Roman settlement of Singidunum.  The Slavic name Beligrad (a form of Beograd, meaning White City) was first recorded in 878 AD. From the 9th to 16th centuries, it shifted between Byzantine, Frankish, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Serbian rulership, until it was conquered by the Ottomans in 1521 and became the seat of the Pashaluk of Belgrade. Thrice occupied by the Habsburg Empire between 17th-18th centuries, in 1841 (after its liberation from the Ottomans), Belgrade became the capital of the Principality of Serbia, which was renamed the Kingdom of Serbia in 1882. Belgrade was also the capital of several incarnations of Yugoslavia from 1918 until 2006.

The historic areas and buildings of Belgrade are among the city's premier attractions. They include Skadarlija, the National Museum and adjacent National Theatre, Zemun, Nikola Pašić Square, Terazije, Students' Square, the Kalemegdan Fortress, Prince Michael Street, the Parliament, the Temple of Saint Sava, and the Old Palace. On top of this, there are many parks, monuments, museums, cafés, restaurants and shops on both sides of the river. The hilltop Avala Monument offers views over the city. Josip Broz Tito's mausoleum, called Kuća Cveća (The House of Flowers), and the nearby Topčider and Košutnjak parks are also popular, especially among visitors from the former Yugoslavia.

Ada Ciganlija is a former island on the Sava river, and Belgrade's biggest sports and recreational complex. Today it is connected with the shore, creating an artificial lake on the river. It is the most popular destination for Belgraders during the city's hot summers. There are 7 kilometres of long beaches and sports facilities for various sports including golf, football, basketball, volleyball, rugby union, baseball, and tennis. Extreme sports are available, like bungee jumping, water skiing and paintballing. There are numerous tracks on the island, where it is possible to ride a bike, go for a walk or go jogging.  Apart from Ada, Belgrade has total of 16 islands on the rivers, many still unused; among them, the Great War Island on the very confluence of Sava stands out as an oasis of unshattered wildlife (especially birds). Its parts, along with nearby Small War Island, are protected by the city's government as a nature preserve.