Belgrade is the capital of Serbia. The city covers 3,227 square kilometres and has a population of 1.5 million people. It lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers at an altitude of 116 metres above sea level. The city enjoys a temperate continental climate.
The city has a rich history. The first settlements appeared about 7,000 years B.C. There is evidence of Scyths, Celts, Romans, Huns, Sarmatians, Goths, Avars, Slavs, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Barbarossa's crusaders, Turkish invaders, Habsburg soldiers, and German occupants. The city was totally destroyed about 40 times and the oldest buildings here are not older than 250 years.
The city's name has changed many times. In 279 B.C. it was first mentioned as Singidun. The Slavic word Belgrade, 'White City', was first recorded in 878 in a letter from Pope John VIII.
Belgrade is Serbia's political, economic, scientific, cultural, spiritual, and transport centre. It is home to the government institutions (the National Assembly of Serbia, Government, Supreme Court), headquarters of political parties and public organisations, the National Bank, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade University, numerous research institutes, theatres and museums. The capital is divided into several historical districts.The old town in the city centre is the best preserved part of old Belgrade. There you can find the Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park. The Serbian village was located on the Sava side of the city near Cathedral Church. The Turkish village known as Dorcol stood on the side of the Danube. After the city was liberated from the Turks in 1867, it began to acquire its present rectangular urban boundaries.
The most remarkable buildings in the city centre are the Moskva Hotel (1907), and the National Assembly of Serbia (1907-1920) where the meetings of the parliaments of Yugoslavia (FPRY, SFRY, SRY), Serbia and Montenegro, and eventually Serbia were held. St. Mark's Church (1935-1939) in Tašmajdan Park was patterned after the Orthodox monastery Gračanica in Kosovo-Metohija. Nearby is the Russian Orthodox Church of St Trinity. In the centre of King Milan Street are the Old (the City Assembly) and New (Office of the President of the Republic of Serbia) Palaces. The watchtower of the 'Beograđanka' administrative building (1974) is also in this area. A Student Cultural Centre (1971) and the new Yugoslav Drama Theatre are also located there. The old theatre was destroyed by fire in 1997.
The Cathedral of Saint Sava is a major landmark in the Vračar District. cathedral construction began in 1936.
Ada Ciganlija, an artificial 4.2 km long lake, has been a favorite leisure area for many years.
Many historic streets can be found in Belgrade's Zemun municipality, mainly in the Gardoš district which is dominated by the Millennium Tower. The tower was erected by Austria-Hungary in 1896 to mark the millennium of victory.
Dedinje has been a high-end neighbourhood for many decades. The Royal Compound on top of Dedinje Hill covers an area of 135 ha. Aleksandar I constructed the Royal Palace (1929) and the White Palace (1937), which from 2001 has been the residence of the Royal family, namely of Crown Prince Alexander II Karađorđević, Princess Katarina, Prince Peter, and Princes Philip and Alexander.
Among other sights is Avala Mountain (511 metres above sea level) near Belgrade. A Monument to the Unknown Hero of the Wars of 1912-1918 was constructed on the mountain top in 1938 by sculptor Ivan Meštrović. There is also a monument to Soviet military commanders who died in an airplane crash in 1964. The Avala TV Tower, the symbol of Belgrade, is currently under reconstruction. It was destroyed in a NATO bombing in 1999.