Ancient Belgrade

Ancient Belgrade – Singidunum
Belgrade is strategically located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The first fortress was built by the ancient Celts; later, it became a Roman stronghold and then a Byzantine fortress. The foundation of today’s fortress dates to the time of Emperor Justinian, who rebuilt it as an important border fortress and called it the White Fortress—hence the name Belgrade in Slavic. Before this time, Belgrade was called Alba Graeca.

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian (6th century) was the great builder of Balkan cities—he built a fortress in Skopje, rebuilt Sofia, constructed a fortress in Niš, and one of his masterpieces was the fortress in Belgrade. It was later rebuilt by the Serbs, Hungarians, and Ottomans—but more on that later.