ON THE TRAIL
Head underground to discover millennia of history layered beneath the Serbian capital
1 TASMAJDAN CAVES
Belgrade’s foundations stand above a network of prehistoric caves — some of the scattered shells found within them date back up to eight million years. These cavernous spaces have housed a Roman aqueduct system and military tunnels; more recently, they served as Second World War bunkers for Nazi occupiers. Enter the network from Tasmajdan Park and explore a section used by German soldiers escaping Belgrade’s liberation in 1944.
2 ROMAN CASTRUM
Continue to the site of a secondcentury castrum (fort). During the city’s Roman era, a frontline legion was stationed here to defend the city (then known as Singidunum) against impending forces from the east. Traces of the garrison are minimal today, but you can still find evidence of the monumental gate that once stood at its entrance: keep a close look out for its stone foundations at the intersection of the city’s Knez Mihailova and Pariska streets.
3 KLUB KNJIZEVNIKA
Take a break from the underworld to lunch at one of Belgrade’s most storied restaurants. In its 70-year history, Klub Knjizevnika (‘The Writers’ Club’) has hosted stars including Sophia Loren and Richard Burton, as well as some of the region’s most acclaimed literary figures — it was here that author Ivo Andrić celebrated his 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature. Tuck into rich servings of pork alongside savoury beignets (deepfried dough). klubknjizevnika.rs
Back on Pariska street, Belgrade Fortress — amore modern iteration of the castrum — is a treasure trove for history-lovers. Insid
