Year IX special edition, 2015 free copy www.nacionalnarevija.com
tourism 2015
Seize the Moment
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HELSINKI
SAINT PETERSBURG
OSLO
GOTHENBORG
SEOUL
HAMBURG
COLOGNE
HANOVER
DRESDEN BAHRAIN
SALZBURG GENEVA
HO CHI MINH
COLOMBO
MUNICH
SINGAPORE
CHISINAU SEYCHELLES
SOCHI
MALAGA TENERIFE
KUWAIT
PERTH
BRISBANE SYDNEY MELBOURNE
P r o l o g u e
Publisher “Princip Pres” Cetinjska 6, 11000 Belgrade Tel.: +381 (11) 322 70 34, 322 16 92 www.nacionalnarevija.com princip.press@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN BELGRADE, 2015
Seize the
Director and Editor-in-Chief Mišo Vujović Editor Branislav Matić
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Technical Editor Aleksandar Ćosić Photography Editor Dragan Bosnić Header and cover design Jovan Željko Rajačić Associates Milovan Vitezović, jerej Jovan Plamenac, Bojan Mandić, Dragan Lakićević, Nebojša Jevrić, Olga Vukadinović, Jovo Bajić, Dejan Bulajić, Vlada Arsić, Dejan Đorić, Đorđe Srbulović, Mihail Kulačić, Dubravka Preradović, Milena Z. Bogavac, Rozana Sazdić, Vojislav Filipović, Saša Šarković, Zoran Plavšić, Lenka Šibalija, Hristina Plamenac Translated by Sandra Gagić & “Globe Translations“ Marketing Mirko Vujović, Irena Stolić Secretariat and placement Jelena Jović, Dragana Dimitrijević, Milenko Vasilić Office for Srpska “Princip Pres RS” Aleja Svetog Save 7, 78000 Banjaluka Tel/Fax: +387 (51) 304 360 Office for Australia “Princip Press Australia PTY LTD”, 12/24 Loch Street, 3182 St Kilda West, VIC
Moment
hirty seventh. Always the same and always different. Belgrade Tourism Fair has survived countries in which it was created and grew, and generations who created it. It has also survived during the great breakdown in the territories of Southern Slavs in the 1990’s, and even later, today. To last almost forty years in this “house in the middle of the road”, which is our home, is a serious tradition, eloquent and obligatory. Belgrade Tourism Fair is today an important regional and continental measure in this powerful industry. This year, from February 19 to 22, it will present 1,100 exhibitors from 50 countries. Smiling, they will put before us their bet gifts and most beautiful images. They will talk and present. They will fight to make a good impression of the visitors, which will result in package tours, bookings, good business results. For years, this special edition of National Review has been one of the trademarks of Belgrade Tourism Fair. This year, we take you to Sicily and Amsterdam, to Barcelona and unusual town Constantine in Algeria. We have also reached Taos Pueblo, a little island of native inhabitants in North America. Of course, we have listened to the Balkans well: Belgrade and Banjaluka, Knjaževac and Leskovac, Vrnjačka Banja and Trebinje. We rafted down the Drina and tasted the best Montenegrin wines. We have reviewed the offer of the main regional air carriers. We have made a window for the best hotels, restaurants, tourist organizations, cities, spa resorts. Anthony de Mello may be right: “Life is what happens while we are busy making other plans.” That is why we should listen to the advice from the slogan of this year’s Belgrade Tourism Fair: Seize the Moment.
Print “Portal”, Belgrade
Cover page: “A Little Travel journal” (Design: Jovan Želјko Rajačić) Magazine registered in the Register of Public Media of the Republic Serbia, no. NV000385
CIP - Каталогизација у публикацији Народна библиотека Србије, Београд ISSN 1452-8371 = Serbia - National Review COBISS.SR-ID 139201804
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Freedom (Photo: Uroš Petrović)
CONTENTS Vitrage 04 Prologue: Seize the Moment 06 Album: in Long Blinks
Road Sign 12 Frame: Fair 2015 16 Host: Beograd 24 Angle: Aces up Our Sleeves 28 Invitation: Cities of Srpska 34 Visit: Barcelona 42 Notebook: Amsterdam 50 Worlds: Constantine, Algeria 56 Shores: Sicily 64 Across the Ocean: Taos Pueblo
Introducing 72 Philosophy of Wine: “Plantaže”, Podgorica 74 Guide: Vrnjačka Banja 78 Road Sign: Leskovac 82 Postcard: Knjaževac 86 Connections: “City Talking” 92 Knowledge: “Singidunum” 94 Ointments: “Merkur” Partners of the Publication:
VRNJAČKA BANJA
MUNICIPALITY OF KOVAČICA
MINING BASIN ”KOLUBARA“
MUNICIPALITY OF РУМА
CITY KNJAŽEVAC
SREMSKA MITROVICA
CE TPP NT INSTITUTION OF THE BELGRADE BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS VACATION BELGRADE
Media partners:
RTS - PUBLIC SERVICE OF SERBIA
RTV VOJVODINA - PUBLIC SERVICE
NEWSPAPER SERBIAN PATRIARCHY
This magazine is printed with support from the Ministry of Culture SERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY UROŠ PETROVIĆ, A WRITER
Secret of water Forest magic Eva. Sunset. Lamp
In Long Blinks
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n unusual creative personality is before us. One of the bestselling contemporary writers for children in this part of Europe, playful and mysterious, intelligent and unpredictable. He does not make us readers but accomplices. There is no safe distance with him and safety of the observer, one must be inside and try, must take a risk and say one’s word, make one’s step. Uroš Petrović (Gornji Milanovac, 1967) lives in the same way in which he writes. He went rafting on wild waters, flew in a balloon, searched for truffles, rinsed gold on the Pek River, tamed wolves and horses. He has seen things from unusual angles, reached the points from where some completely new worlds get opened. Created software as a game and turned game into software. Taught us to learn. He was bringing photographs from all over. Serious, deep and mysterious. In some genres truly brilliantly done. He presented them to us at about a dozen solo exhibitions in Serbian countries and broad. As many as four of his photographs were selected by Microsoft for desktop of “Windows 7” operating system. Titles of Petrović’s photographs are an important element of reading the image, entering deeper layers of meanings and interpretation (Bulldog’s Dream, Parrot and Darkness, Forest Magic, The House of the Rising Sun, The Last Day of the old Cherry Tree, Eyes of Wisdom...). Sometimes it seems as if he is writing a novel with photographs. He has excellent photographs of temples, city, children, animals, everyday situations. On this occasion, we are primarily interested in landscapes, that great and simple test for every photographer. Genius loci of this region. Because we are in it and it is in us. (B. M.)
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The Morava River
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THIRTY SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN BELGRADE, FEBRUARY 19 TO 22, 2015
With a Taste of
Serbia
One thousand one hundred exhibitors from fifty countries will present the best from their tourist offers. The partner country is United Arab Emirates, and Jamaica participates for the first time. The side events are fairs of hotel-hospitality equipment, wines and souvenirs. The first part of every fair day is envisaged for establishing business connection, and the second part for promotions and entertainment. On the last day, February 22, special comprehensive presentation of Serbia and Belgrade will take place in Hall 4 By: Ivana Višković
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nder the slogan “Seize the Moment”, the most important tourist organizations, agencies, travel agents, hotels, mountaineering, spa and lake centers, cities, regions and countries of all continents will gather in six exhibition halls of “Belgrade Fair”. They will offer tour packages to the visitors for the upcoming tourist season. One thousand one hundred exhibitors from fifty countries will present their most attractive tourist destinations. In addition to the countries that have been traditionally participating at the Fair, Jamaica, one of the most beautiful Caribbean islands, will present itself for the first time. In addition to a successful commercial aspect (sale of tour packages and the most effective promotion of exhibitors’ business image), significance of this year’s Tourism Fair is also reflected in improvement of business segments and strengthening of business visits. Just like other modern European fairs of this kind, Belgrade Tourism Fair is focused on increasing the number of specific business deals realized during
the event and toward mediation in business cooperation among the participants. The first part of each fair day is planned for business visits and meetings, while afternoons will be filled by entertainment programs and promotions. Tourism Fair is a place of direct encounters of business people from several industries: tourism, hospitality, hotel management, hotel and restaurant hotel, wine industry. Especially attractive programs have been prepared by the Tourist Organization of Serbia and Tourist Organization of Belgrade, which may be regarded as hosts of the event. Presentation of Serbia as a country suitable for investments, business meetings, congresses and seminars, and also for sightseeing, relaxation, recreation
Working Hours The Fair will be open on Thursday (February 19) from 10:00 to 18:00 h, Friday (February 20) and Saturday (February 21) from 10:00 to 19:00 h, and on Sunday (February 22) from 10:00 to 17:00 h. For more detailed information see: www.beogradskisajamturizma.rs. SERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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and recuperation, adrenalin adventures, shopping and entertainment, is one of the most important goals of the fair. The Tourist Organization of Belgrade, with the Secretariat for Economy and Belgrade Chamber of Commerce, presents a joint project and cooperation in the area of stimulating the development of rural tourism. With continuous improvement of its total tourist offer, Belgrade is especially presented at the fair as a business city break destination. Under the slogan “Taste Serbia”, the last day of the Tourism Fair, on Sunday, February 22, is conceived as a comprehensive presentation of Serbia and Belgrade in Hall 4. The visitors will then enjoy, with all their senses, in tastes and aromas of the culinary offer of all regions of Serbia, as well as Belgrade municipalities, within their joint appearance. AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY FOR MANY The partner-country of this year’s Tourism Fair, the United Arab Emirates, will present its cultural attractions and its attractive tourist offer. Its appearance at the Fair will be in the spirit of luxury of
Branching Belgrade, as the capital of Serbia and European center, does not stop improving itself, new hotels are being built and opened, and the number of visitors is growing. Thanks to the stay of foreign guests at the Tourism Fair, the city will have about 15,000 overnight stays more in these days of February.
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this country. Visionary construction, futuristic architectural projects and general progress have made this country a mustsee tourist destination. Partnership at this year’s Tourism Fair in Belgrade is a part of the total development of economic relations with Serbia. Simultaneously with the Tourism Fair i, under the same roofs, there are three more complementary events: the eleventh International Fair of Equipment for Hotel and Restaurant Management HORECA, sixth Wine Fair “BeoWine” and eleventh Fair of Souvenirs. This year’s International Fair of Equipment for Hotel and Restaurant Management HORECA will give companies involved in production and distribution in this area a new opportunity to present themselves. They will include manufacturers of equipment for kitchen, restaurants, bars, hotels, banquets, manufacturers of security and booking systems, equipment and cleaning devices, lighting... Without good wine, of course, there is no complete tourist experience or perfect mood. Presence of the most respected wine-makers and wine cellars, manufacturers of equipment for winemaking and viticulture, rich offer of superb wines from this region, as well as promotion of wine tourism, make the sixth Wine Fair “BeoWine” one of the most important event of this kind in the Balkans. These four events at the Belgrade Fair, from February 19 to 22, are also an opportunity for the visitors to take advantage of exclusive discounts and select their destination for travel and holiday.
ПРИНЦИП ПРИНЦИП ПРЕС ПРЕС
“Golden Apple” TV EDITION OF “NATIONAL REVIEW”! A collage TV show about Serbia, its landscapes and people, cities and customs, cultural and historical heritage and economic and tourist potentials. Travel writings, portraits, lectures, melodies. The most beautiful from Serbia, knowingly and with love! > First Channel of Radio Television of Serbia (RTS 1), Thursdays from 22:45
Д о ма ћ и н
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Good News for Belgrade RECOGNITIONS TO THE CAPITAL OF SERBIA ARE COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS
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“A hidden gem and one of the best kept secrets of Europe”, “Best to travel in 2015”, “A rising star”, “On the way to the top”, “Dolce Vita in Balkan version”, “European city that will surprise you”. These are only some of the titles about Belgrade in renowned world media in recent times. behind these sentences, areas of possibilities recognized by the capital of Serbia are being opened. A lot of hard work is ahead, but also great results
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By: Jelena Stanković (TOB) have
enowned reporters from the media of Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Scandinavia, Turkey (...) become frequent guests in Serbian capital. Belgrade has been recorded by TV crews from Argentina, Brazil, Iraq, Greece, China... After Resto del Mundo and TV Globo, World Travel Channel is coming here soon. Recommendation of Lonely Planet portal did the job, and was followed by recognitions from Rough Guides, Huffington Post, Irish Times. Belgrade in superlatives. More than 780,000 visitors from Europe and the world, of which over 60,000 during the December holidays. A million and a half overnight stays last year and almost 70,000 passengers on the Danube, despite the last year’s floods. Belgrade is the only city in Europe marking a double digit growth in the number of guests, for many years. In
A Must-See Place After Serbia has found its place on the list of the most desirable destinations, as selected by Lonely Planet, the second great travel book publisher, Rough Guides, has declared Belgrade one of ten must-see cities in 2015. Belgrade is seventh on the list, shoulder to shoulder with Johannesburg, Malaga, New Orleans and Hamburg. “Belgrade is a must-see point on every tourist map of Europe. It is a fats changing city – long neglected areas, such as Savamala, have been reborn as places of gathering of artists, while excellent new pubs and clubs have been opened in dilapidated, square buildings.”
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2014, 14 percent more tourists visited Belgrade then the year before, and this is the trend that has been, in recent years, positioning Serbian capital among the increasingly popular destinations in Europe. Belgrade, the regional star. The frequent users of City Break contents, guests from Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, were joined by those from Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania, who have almost been besieging Belgrade during weekends. The announced projects, new hotels, one quite big among them, crowded restaurants and cafes, and more than 3,000 hospitality facilities in the city, have been the recognizable attractions and now already famous “Belgrade atmosphere”, placed this city in all important global tourist portals, global networks and in guide books with recommendations for travel. City pulse. Around 2.5 million people visit Belgrade events every year: over 300 concerts, exhibitions, sports and cultural events, theatre and film events, festivals... Only big music festivals and concerts in Belgrade are annually followed by around one million people. Belgrade manages to gather several times a year hundreds of thousands of people on the outdoor area of Ušće Park. Concerts, opera, theater, exhibitions and various premieres are often the driving force behind tourist visits, and the
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Balkan Dolce Vita Magazine Avantages, one of the bestselling lifestyle monthly magazines in France, presents Belgrade as the perfect place for romantic walks, where tourists can expect arty shopping, trendy restaurants, confortable accommodation, specific design and magical gourmet food. “A weekend in... Belgrade: In relaxed off-season, Serbian capital invites you to the Balkan version of Dolce Vita”.
consequence is the magnetic atmosphere in Belgrade taverns. New Year’s holidays behind us confirmed this all over again. Monthly programs in Kolarac Endowment, “Sava Center”, and “Arena” have had their audience for a long time, profiled outside the borders of Serbia. The Youth Centre, Union House, cultural centers and numerous other institutions have been constantly raising the level of cultural life of their city. The newly mounted clocks count minutes to the completion of reconstruction of the National Museum and Museum of Contemporary Arts. Meanwhile, the House of Jevrem Grujić and Legacy of Petar Lubarda have been opened. The calendar of events in Serbian capital has several peaks during the year. Ahead of us are FEST, Belgrade Dance Festival, Guitar Art, Documentary and Short Film Festival, Resonate Festival. Events in Belgrade are a magnet for guests. In ad-
dition to the existing ones, already traditional, Belgrade has been starting new ones: Belgrade Spring Festival is about to be launched. New business opportunities. Good news for Belgrade is coming from all over. Judging by the results of business activities, of the TOB from the beginning of the year, and effects of participation in great international tourism fairs, Belgrade is continuously being opened for new markets. With the harmonization with strategic business decisions of the flag carrier airline “Air Serbia”, flights to a large number of destinations have been introduced or strengthened last year, which made Belgrade easily accessible to travelers from Belgium, Israel, Czech Republic and many other countries. Appearances of the Tourist Organization of Belgrade in these markets are logical and necessary.
Paris, Berlin, Prague... Rosemary Behan, in renowned paper The National, reveals her experience during her stay in the capital of Serbia: “... From Branko’s Bridge on the Sava River you realize how beautiful this city actually is. Somewhere between Paris and Berlin, only without dizzying prices. Big and gracious old town on the hill overlooking the river on my left-hand side, together with churches, river rafts and shopping mall in Soviet style on my right-hand side. I get off the bus and walk uphill, to my hotel, following the map. I come to a striking old part of the city, with small paved squares and parts that remind me of Prague...”
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The Magical Ingredient This is what Romanian edition of “National Geographic” writes about the Belgradians, energy of Belgrade and well-known nightlife: “The magical ingredient are Serbs themselves, going out in groups and visiting several places in one evening. International magazines have been competing lately in writing about the Belgrade nightlife in superlatives. The locals have been having a good time all their lives, but only now they were discovered by the rest of the world.”
The first appearance this year was in Istanbul, in the market that has been experiencing an incredible expansion lately. In only a couple of years, tourists from this country reached the Top 5 list, and monthly growth reached as much as 75 percent! At the Tourism Fair in Madrid, the TOB with its position contributed to the introduction of direct flights from Spain, of both Air Serbia”, during the spring of this year, and low cost “Vueling” in June. The fair season was marked by promotions in Milan, Brussels, Tel Aviv, Sofia Ljubljana, London. All this will bring new changes in the structure of tourists in statistics, where interesting shifts have already been recorded. Photographs from the publication “All the Things One Can Do in Belgrade”, produced by “Princip Pres”, publisher: TOB, Belgrade, 2014
Crown of the promotion season. International Tourism Fair in Belgrade is the great finale of the fair season. Just like the finals in the local court. The visitors will see the best of what Belgrade is proud of: culture, festivals, sports events, gastronomy, food tasting and, just like every year, a lot of fun: Many foreign reporters are coming. For the first time, two new publications
Self-Awareness of Beauty Under the title “Great Ambitions for Belgrade”, the Romanian edition of magazine “National Geographic” published a fifteenpage article about the capital of Serbia, with striking photographs. “Very few places have been blessed with nature so beautiful. We talk about the only European capital that has nested on two big water courses, the Sava and Danube, with waterway 200 kilometers long, sixteen islands, numerous sandy beaches and parks. Today it seems to me as if the city blooms in an instant, as a beautiful girl not yet fully aware of her beauty.”
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will be presented to the local audience, “Everything One Can Do in Belgrade” and “96 hours in Belgrade”, a part of the TOB’s annual campaign for 2015. Congresses, Danube and “Balkan Tours”. According to the latest statistics of the ICCA, Belgrade places 22nd in Europe and 44th in the world by the number of congresses and business meetings held here. It is the leader of congress industry of Southeast Europe: Zagreb and Bucharest place 79th on the world ranking list, Ljubljana 84th, Sofia 94th, and Dubrovnik 117th. Development of Belgrade tourism is moving in the direction of connecting destinations on the Danube for the travellers who come here on river cruisers, as well as connecting the so called Balkan Tour, and placement of this product in other markets. Belgrade is seriously trying to become the central point for wealthier tourists, which will have far-reaching consequences. New image of Belgrade. Many old things in Belgrade have been restored or provided with new clothing, form and concept. Savamala has been getting a prestigious place in the world media, and Belgrade has been often characterized as a new center of urban culture, design and arts. Photographs of Ušće, St. Sava temple, Avala Tower, Skadarlija and Fortress have been circulated round the world, with the message that European metropolises are getting a serious competition. In the words of Spanish El Pais: “Creativity is thriving in Belgrade. Nobody speaks about the past any more, only about the future. At the crossroads of history, Belgrade has become the epicenter of trend, design, culture and festivals!”
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Aces up Our Sleeves TOURISM IN BELGRADE, FROM INDUSTRY TO A WAY OF LIFE
In Belgrade, there are no two days that are the same, two looks that are the same. Nowhere in the world the mornings smell like here. Stop and get to know this city, listen to its birds, bells and street singers. Feel its warmth and noise of its streets, recognize its humor. You will quickly realize how alive and witty it is, talented and bighearted. The Tourism Fair is an opportunity in which it will happen to you right now By: Tijana Malјković
I
was born in Belgrade and I live for the rhythm and future of this city. It is a metropolis on a junction of rivers, cultures, aromas, energies and characters. People of Belgrade are infinitely friendly and charming people, with wide smiles and hearts! I can freely say that Belgrade is my strongest trump card, the ace up my sleeve and good measure for everything!
The only in Europe. In front of the Secretariat for Economy, I watch Belgrade as the most important local tourist destination, with continuous growth of revenues from tourism. It is the only city in Europe that had a double-digit percentage of increase in the number of tourists in 2014 (14 percent). Just like for other big cities in the world, tourism is for Belgrade one of the most promising and most important industries. The Secretariat for Economy has been taking measures and participating in many activities aimed at continuous improvement of quality of tourist offer of Belgrade, as the most important tourist destination in Southeast Europe. The first category. As the biggest business, congress and cultural center in the region, one of the oldest of European cities, Belgrade is a first category tourist at-
traction. Some of the leading world media have included it among top 10 destinations on the planetary tourist map in 2015. Belgrade today has 82 hotels. Only in 2014, 16 new ones were opened. By following the vision of its development possibilities, Belgrade gives priority to the processes of restoration and construction of city infrastructure that contributes to experiencing this metropolis as a desirable tourist destination. There are continuous contacts with numerous investors who want to invest in Belgrade. There are numerous projects being implemented aimed at creating a favorable investment climate and attracting as much foreign investment as possible. Potentials of a metropolis. Foreign tourists in Belgrade are attracted by the rich culinary offer, diversity and openness. Belgrade is ready to invest its numerous unused by significant potentials in tourist economy, to provide the tourists with a wide assortment of products and serviSERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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Pulse of Belgrade time: Watch-Tower in the Fortress
ces, thanks to cultural, historical, artistic and environmental heritage. We have been investing efforts to stimulate investors to restore old buildings in the city center. Visual appearance and attraction of the city will be significantly improved by restoration of facades, revitalization of ambient units, development of city parks, but also small and urban units and pockets. Fair. The City Secretariat for Economy and the Tourist Organization of Belgrade will, at the thirty seventh International Tourism Fair, jointly present their projects in the field of stimulating development of rural, event, cultural and sports tourism. Belgrade will be presented not only as a City Break destination, but also as a city of new ideas and business possibilities, the city of culture and sports, and congress industry.
Photographs: Archives of the TOB and “National Review”
Always different. In Belgrade, there are no two days that are the same, two mornings, two looks that are the same. Mornings in Belgrade come quietly, after noisy and lively nights. Nowhere in the world morn-
Message In cooperation with the Directorate for Public Transportation, “Bus Plus”, the “City Transportation Company” and “Belgrade Fair” – after the big cities round the world – airing of audio message is enabled: “Visit Belgrade Tourism Fair, from February 19 to 22!” The message is aired in the zone of two bus stops in front of the Fair, in both directions, in all tram and bus lines. This will be introduced also for all other fair events that will be organized this year.
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Sightseeing For the first time at this year’s Tourism Fair, within the World Day of Tour Guides, the Association of our Guides of Serbia has prepared a rich program of free sightseeing of Belgrade. Participants at the Fair and general population may tour around the city in tourist busses and trams, with tour guides in Serbian and English languages.
ings smell like here. Visit and get to know the charms of Belgrade, feel the warmth of Belgrade cobble-stone streets, listen to its birds, bells and street singers. You will quickly realize how lively, bighearted and hospitable this city is. For me, Belgrade open-air markets are the best way to meet the spirit and tradition of this country. And Belgrade parks or a walk in Savamala are like traveling through time, where you can meet the old craftsmen and artisans, but also dive into the bustle of modern, urban and alternative galleries, exhibition areas, bars and pubs, into that “seductive whirlpool of creativity”. Audacity. Be bold and be a Belgradian, at least for a short while. Because, Belgrade is a host to brave, creative and unrestrained people. The city of future and rich past, where the present withstands all the frames of Europe and is shifting the rhythm of the bohemian Balkans. (The author is a secretary at Belgrade Secretariat of Economy)
„Миленијум Палас“ је хотел са четири звездице који се налази на југозападу Македоније, на обали прелепог Охридског језера. „
Millenium Palace“ is a four star hotel located in the southwest part of Macedonia, on the shores of the famous Lake Ohrid.
Смештај 41 стандарднa собa, 10 дуплекса, 6 делукс соба, 6 јуниор aпартмана.
Accommodation 41 standard rooms, 10 Duplexes, Deluxe rooms, 6 Junior Suits.
Храна Ресторан је капацитета 160, а тераса 100 особа.
Dining With the capacity up to 160 and terrace for 100 persons.
Вински бар
Wine Bar
Конференције и семинари две конференцијске сале капацитета од 120 учесника
Conferences & Seminars two conference halls, each with capacity up to 120 participants
Спа и Велнес Финска сауна, Турска сауна (Амам), Теретана, Масажа.
Spa And Wellness Finish sauna, Turkish sauna (Hamam), Gym, Massage.
w w w. m i l l en i u m p a l a c e. co m . m k
•
millenium_palace@t-home.mk
Кеј Маршал Тито бб, 6000 Охрид, Македонија, Тел./Факс: +389 46 263 361
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CITY BREAK DESTINATIONS IN SRPSKA
Good Temper and Old Nobilities
In the category of city tourism, Banjaluka, Višegrad and Trebinje certainly stand out. Three old cities, with a profound worldview and developed sense for enjoying the life’s pleasures, are simultaneously filled with young people and various modern contents. Their taverns, open air markets and promenades, their waters and excursion sites, temples and views, museums and monuments, offer something you will not find anywhere else. The best thing would be to explore this as the local experts would do
Y
ear after year, destinations in Srpska are becoming increasingly attractive to local and foreign guests. Those who want to meet something new and different, to enjoy in a differently conceived culture, gastronomy and entertainment, have been circling the cities in Srpska, primarily its city break destinations, increasingly often. And Banjaluka, Višegrad and Trebinje certainly stand out in this category in Srpska. These are cities of culture and long tradition, interesting stories and legends, but also good entertainment. They will fill your time in an interesting way, enable you to relax and refresh, but also make you want
to keep coming back and discover. Each of these destinations is characterized by diversity and uniqueness of their offers. In a relatively small area here you can find a large selection of things for which in some other countries you would need to travel a few hundred kilometers.
Bridge on the Drina, Višegrad A walk in Andrićgrad. Concert in Kastel in Banjaluka
On the Hill The people of Banjaluka love Banj Hill (also known as Šehitluci), maybe more than other attractions in the vicinity. Everybody who visits this city and have some more time go there for a walk and a little exploration. There are three legends explaining the origin of the name of this excursion place, and we will certainly write about them some other time. SERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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NATIONAL TOURIST ORGANIZATION
The Old Town in Trebinje
If you don’t want to be a typical tourist, do not miss to see the most interesting places and experience the things in which the local population enjoys. Experience Banjaluka, Trebinje or Višegrad as a local. We will propose a few activities, programs and rituals that are considered to be indispensable when you are in one of these cities. TAVERNS, MARKETS, PROMENADES
Photographs: Branislav Andrić, Ana Despenić, Archive of the TORS
Regardless of the time of day, feel free to take a break from your daily routine and sit in one of numerous cafes, have a coffee, wither the traditional local black coffee or espresso. Cafes are open in all seasons, but it is precisely known in which season and where is the best place to enjoy one’s coffee, because of the view on the Vrbas, Drina and Trebišnjica, or view on the city promenade. If taverns are the souls of the cities of Srpska, markets are their hearts. Take a walk through a market of one of them. You may get to know the gastronomy of that region, as well as people, customs, tempers. You may also hear the latest information from the country and abroad, firsthand. The markets of Banjaluka, Višegrad and Trebinje will certainly make you feel like a local, especially when you discuss with the sellers on stalls about cheese from Herzegovina in wineskin or in oil, about monastery cheese trapist, about the famous plum preserve from the surroundings of Višegrad, Borič potato, Višegrad and Herzegovina honey, unique Herzegovina beans polјak, grapes, figs and many other delicacies you will find there. In all three cities and in any time of the year, daily walk down the city promenade or river banks is indispensable. Cities are alive, full of people of all ages. Spring is maybe the most beautiful season for those city walks, when trees in all the streets of Banjaluka turn green, as well as planetrees in Trebinje, and when Bikavac in Višegrad blossoms.
In the Dawn Just like every person from Trebinje who is dedicated to religion and spirituality, early in the morning you may attend a religious service in one of the temples in the city, or in one of the old monasteries nearby (Tvrdoš, Petropavlov, Duži, Zavala, Dobrićevo).
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When you are in Banjaluka, it is recommended to go somewhere near the Vrbas, next to the green water and if possible get some barbecued ćevapčići, the Banjaluka brand, of course. Certainly one of the best ways to feel the charms of the river is to sail in dajak, the authentic Banjaluka boat, used by generations of locals, and each one of them has its story. And of adrenalin is the factor that drives you, the best choice for you is the rafting adventure down the Vrbas Canyon, in day or night version, it’s up to you. There are many beautiful places
down the Vrbas, when you go down the river canyon in the direction of Jajce, on major road M-16. We should mention at least Šeher, Rekavice, Krupa on the Vrbas... Krupa je has been increasingly popular lately, because of restored mills, bridges over the magical cascades and developed walking paths. BRIDGES, BANKS, RITUALS Višegrad lives with the bridge and the Drina. Increasingly important things have
been happening next to the bridge or on it, just like what Ivo Andrić describes in his famous works. The bridge is the key to Višegrad. We suggest that you take a coffee, tea or something else from the nearby cafes, and then sit on the bridge and enjoy by looking at the Drina in its eternal course, at the “constancy of change”. Definitely take a walk through nearby Andrićgrad (Kamengrad), go to a movie theatre and see some good films from around the world, which you can always find there. Indispensable in the life of VišeSERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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On the River If you are in Višegrad in the summer, you must swim in the Drina. Sail on little boats that are passing down the river daily, and then reach some parts of the canyon that cannot be reached from the bank. You should swim and enjoy in fresh fish from the Drina, caught and prepared in the same day.
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grad, Andrićgrad is an accomplished vision, a mixture of different styles and epochs. In words of director Emir Kusturica, the creator of this city within the city, it is also an image of what Višegrad could have looked like if it hadn’t been bypassed by the Renaissance and some other historical periods. And in Trebinje, the city-museum, on every corner numerous gifts by Jovan Dučić to his hometown will greet you and mesmerize you on every step. This giant of Serbian literature has left a permanent mark in his Trebinje. Today, he rests on the Crkvine Hill, above the city, in Gračanica of Herzegovina,
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where one can enjoy in the beautiful view of every corner of this city. The citizens of Trebinje are also proud of yet another masterpiece that has remained from Mehmed-paša Sokolović: the Perovića (Arslanagića) Bridge on the Trebišnjica, the biggest underground river in Europe. In the very heart of the city, this river surfaced in all its beauty. On several locations along its banks you can enjoy, for example, in the best Herzegovina prosciutto and superb Herzegovina wines, of the noblest types of grapes that are grown only a few kilometers from the city center. If you want to feel like a local, after all the activities during the day it is mandatory that you go out in the evening. It can be a dinner in a traditional restaurant, where you will have an opportunity to feel the permeation of gastronomies from the East and the West, all made of local produce, from nearby farms and fields, with no GMO products. You may also opt to go to a night club, with live music almost until early morning hours. It is up to you. One way or the other, we are certain that neither the cities nor their people will disappoint you. Because, this is a noble country, with good people, with interesting cities and beautiful nature.
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A Real, True Lady DIAGONALLY THROUGH BARCELONA, MISS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
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“Time and memory, history and fiction, blend in this magical city as watercolors in the rain”, wrote Zafon. Yes, Gaudi, La Rambla, Sagrada, La Boqueria, “Camp Nou”. Yes, remains of Rome, medieval times, quarters of Catalonian modernism. Yes, guitar and flamenco, a whirl of images and faces, cold wine and warm sea, a few verses and loves. But not only that. This city, self-confident and arrogant, enchanting and maddening, will never leave you alone. Such is its magnetism By: Radmila Tamindžić
Photo: National Review archive, Radmila Tamindžić
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On the streets of Barcelona Gaudi’s church Sagrada Família in Barcelona Bench and the viewpoint in Park Güell
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he legendary song Barcelona, performed by Monserat Caballe and Freddy Mercury, excellently reflects the power of the autonomous province of Catalonia capital in the north-east of Spain. Carlos Ruiz Zafon, world-famous contemporary writer wrote that Barcelona is “an illusion of avenues and narrow streets, a place where one could travel thirty or forty years back into the past only by stepping over the doorstep of a building or café. Time and memory, history and fiction, blend in this magical city like watercolors in the rain…” But it’s a specter of pretty bright colors – we must add. Thus, one shouldn’t go to Barcelona just as a stop along the way. This city of about six million people, with a specific language and culture impregnated with Roman, Spanish, French, Arabian, even African influences, requests absolute attention. It is somewhat arrogant and haughty, it doesn’t leave you alone, it hits, requests, intrigues, seduces, enchants, at times even maddens. It cannot be considered a city for enjoying, if enjoying implies relaxing and leisure, but for the enjoyment of curious spirits, always ready for new challenges. Even those irritated by this endless forest of contracts, merged cultures and explosive mentality, cannot but be impressed by this sassy Mediterranean beauty. Yes, like a magnet, Barcelona attracts millions of tourists from all over the world, fascinated by the incredible juncture of Catholic tradition and modernism. It is truly unbelievable that an eccentric architect from the second half of the 19th and SRBIJA SPECIJALNO IZDAWE 2015.
first half of the past century, Antonio Gaudi, made such a hubble-bubble in an otherwise dominant Gothic style, and grew, due to his original architectural and religious vision, from an individual human genius into the symbol of a city. LA BOQUERIA, THE MARKET OF MARKETS In terms of urbanism, Barcelona is divided into blocks separated by long avenues. The most famous one is the Diagonal, which cuts through the city from its northwest to the coast in the south-east, connecting two exclusive hills and belvederes reachable by cable car, Montjuic and Tibidabo. Statements that the most important places in the city for tourists: remains of Roman culture, medieval city and quarters of Catalonian modernism, can be reached on foot are not entirely true. Perhaps the puss in boots could, but common mortals have to take a bus, metro or subway. Trams were canceled in Barcelona after the beloved one of the nation, Antonio Gaudi, died under the wheels of a tram in 1926. There is only one left, which takes tourists about half a kilometer up to the top of Tibidabo, passing by luxurious villas. The best way to visit the tourist attractions of Barcelona is by the open panoramic blue, red or green buses. Black buses are intended for those who like nightlife, including flamenco, the national dance. The daily ticket for daily buses is not really cheap – 27 Euros, but they drive straight to
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the tourist attractions, passengers can get in and out of the bus numerous times during the day, and the ticket also brings many discounts for other expensive tickets. The buses start at the Catalonia Square, which separates the old from the modern part of the city. It’s like a carousel of the city rumble, fountains, pigeons, roundabout, taxi stations, avenues spreading their rays through the city, neon signs for shops and restaurants. That is where La Rambla begins, the favorite city promenade, an indescribable open theater! It’s not just the flower shops, newsstands, booths, ice-cream parlors, live sculptures, painters with their easels, tourists with cameras on standby, street dancers, rollers, cyclists, restaurants, scents of tapas, paellas, seafood, churros… Not only that. La Rambla are benches, old men with their sticks, La Rambla is the meeting point of both tourists and neighbors, La Rambla is what the Belgrade Promenade used to be. In La Rambla you can often here the cheerful Spanish greeting: ’O la! – meaning hello, hi... See you at the Promenade, see you at La Rambla… La Rambla has several city theaters, even the Opera, La Rambla has several museums, including the Wax Museum, La Rambla has La Boqueria, the market of markets… No, it’s not a market; it’s the Garden of Eden, where one literally gets lost among the perfectly arranged counters with all possible types and colors of products. The garden is unbearably loud most of the time, but, what can you do, this is the way of the Spanish. They talk as if they’re arguing. BELVEDERE FROM COLUMBUS From Catalonia Square, La Rambla slides into the port, straight to the Gate
Pickpockets Pickpockets pillage all over the world, but in Barcelona they are a real institution. Like a spice. They say that the city is safe, but wallets and purses not really. There is hardly anyone who didn’t have a close encounter with them. Therefore, the warnings about not taking valuables with you and holding mobile phones and cameras firmly in your hand should be taken seriously.
of Peace Square, to the eighty meters tall statue of Christopher Columbus, with an elevator taking to the top. It is worth going up and casting a glance on the masts of luxurious yachts in the marina, on boat tours of the port, the famous Aquarium with a glass tunnel through which visitors watch the undersea world of the Mediterranean, on Barceloneta in the distance, a quarter full of narrow streets with exclusive artisan workshops and small restaurants expensive just because they are in the immediate vicinity of the city beaches. The sea is not so bad on these beaches, under the row of somewhat shabby palm trees. It’s warm, Mediterranean, yet there is no true relaxation. The city is breathing down your neck, another kind of magnetism is pulling you. Of course, Gaudi. But not only Gaudi. Independently from him, Barcelona is still a beauty. A real lady. Serious, traditional, aristocratic, nicely lined with numerous parks, squares and fountains. Almost every street has a small square or fountain. Besides Catalonia Square, also famous is the impressive Spanish Square. Speaking of fountains, number one is the Magic Fountain, because of its magical play of water, light and colors. The Gothic Quarter, cut by narrow paved streets, decorated with the Cathe-
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Street dance and procession
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Arc de Triomf in Barcelona
dral of Santa Eulalia, Santa Maria del Mar Basilica and Church of Santa Maria del Pi, is the true medieval symbol of the city. It seems as if the architectural patina releases a somewhat stale scent of the past, so it’s good to refresh your lungs in the Citadel Park, an enormous green area of green and flowery Barcelona. It’s no wonder that many important buildings, such as the Zoo, Zoological Museum, Botanical Garden, geological Museum, Catalonian Parliament, Triumphal Arch… are located inside these gardens, near fountains and lakes. ROOFS RESEMBLING ICE-CREAM CONES In Guell, the craziest park in the world, we are in Gaudi’s territory. We passed by his Guell Palace near La Rambla and
Camp Nou Gaudi? La Rambla? What are you talking about?! For millions of football fans, the real symbol of Barcelona are the football club with the same name and Camp Nou, the most popular stadium in Europe, with a capacity of almost 100.000 people. When the blue bus, driving down Diagonal Avenue, stops at this station, half of the bus gets off, almost like the Sagrada station. Around it, it is almost impossible to pass through, because of stands with all kinds of club souvenirs.
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reached the park on El Carmel hill, where the master let his imagination free: pillars, viaducts, mosaic sculptures of iguanas, the snake-like, longest bench in the world, as they say, covered with broken ceramic plates. It is wonderful to watch the panorama of the city from this bench. Gaudi let his imagination free in many other structures scattered within Barcelona. He decorated Casa Vicens with blue ceramic plates, he made “La Pedrera” (meaning stone pit) in the form of waves, without a single sharp edge, and Casa Batllo as the helmet of St. George, with a balcony resembling a rose grown from the body of the beast, with a roof resembling a dragon. Somewhere his roofs look like icecream cones… Tourists are thrilled, they laugh all the time and continuously take pictures. They also take pictures in the impressive neo-gothic cathedral Sagrada Familia (or Holy Family), Gaudi’s lifework and the place of his burial. Tourists wait for hours to buy tickets for this construction, begun in 1882 and still not completed. Only here everyone seems serious, even shocked, almost terrified, among the tall slim pillars creating lace ceilings, while between them, dim light enters the church through numerous stained glass windows. Then, when the sound of pipe organ spreads through this interior, symbolically representing the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, tears burst into your eyes. Unwillingly. The exterior of Sagrada is fascinating as well, but doesn’t initiate such emotions, perhaps because of the scaffolding that will remain there until the church is completed, in 2026 as they say! Finally, let’s see who’ll be insulted for not being mentioned: numerous wonderful churches scattered throughout the city, the flamboyant Palace of Catalonian Music designed by famous architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, Casa Calvet, Gràcia District, charming Spanish Village with replicas of architectural styles and old crafts, Heritage of Joan Miro, Picasso Museum, Greek Amphitheater, Pedralbes Monastery, La Merce, Procession of the Three Kings, Carnival, Semana Santa in the Gothic Quarter festivals…? They and many others will be deeply insulted, so we must go to Barcelona again. And again write about it.
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City Described AMSTERDAM ON A SUNDAY, OUR AMELIE POULAIN IN AMSTERDAM
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Text and photo: Dragana Barjaktarević
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with
Smiles
It would be impossible to simply reduce it to a list of landmarks. Inappropriate too. The map is anyway just a word search puzzle of complicated names. The best thing is just to get lost in it. And stumble upon real life. The best signs for getting to know Amsterdam are smiles on the faces of its inhabitants. Here’s a small collection, gathered along the way, in one single day
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On the edge of the “World Ocean”
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t’s not only yawning that’s contagious. Smiling is too. It starts from the eyes, the gaze wanders until it meets another gaze, the eyes shine, the lips on one face smile and the muscles on the other face symmetrically copy them. For politeness or for no reason at all. In Amsterdam. THE GIRL WITH THE POLAROID CAMERA
Bicycles and colors: Charms of the streets of Amsterdam
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A boy with lemon hair and silver eyes tensely watches the cobblestone that touches the surface of the water, leaving four concentric circles. Like a myriad of blue lamps, a man in a strange blue robe glitters in the sun. He turned his back standing at the railing of the ferry traveling from the Central Station to the northern part of the city. “A place beyond belief ” sign is seen in the distance. A young couple on bicycles. Riding and holding hands. Three yellow tulips and a handful of lilies in her basket. A paper bag with “Albert Hein” market logo in his. A branch of arugula is peeking from his bag. Two tourists in a tram. Actually, their reflection in the window glass. They are not holding a map, they don’t have a bag full of souvenirs, yet one can see they are SRBIJA SPECIJALNO IZDAWE 2015.
not locals. By their amazement, by their love, confusion, tiredness. She has recently bought a Polaroid camera. No posing, no landmarks, no rules about light and backlight… Only life along the way. She snaps and then, when she comes home, watches in detail the moments captured on the foil. THE BOY SLOGGING THROUGH PUDDLES If it were up to five year old Keyse, the weekend would last five days. Because every weekend he stays with his grandma. She smells like warm homemade waffles with maple syrup, mint candy she always carries in her purse, rosemary, basil, sage and other herbs and spices she grows in her small window garden. The scents stays in his nose the whole Monday and half of Tuesday. Under the blanket tent, she tells him about the narrow buildings on the banks of the Amstel river. They have a hook at their top, because they are so narrow that furniture can only be taken into an apartment through the window. She leaves out high taxes and witty entrepreneurs from her stories and tells about narrow castles for slim princesses, flying pianos, wardrobes. Thus
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she tunes his dreams. Then, behind closed eyes, he continues unfolding the stories, as he pleases. She understands his small caprices, his small joys. While walking down the street, he collects pebbles and when his pockets become too heavy, he stops at the bridge and throws them into the water. He likes to hear: plop. He likes those watery onomatopoeias. Grandma bought him yellow rubber boots in the “Hema” market, so that he can slog through puddles. When there are no puddles, she takes him to the Haarlemmerplein fountain and lets him run barefoot around the water unpredictably splashing from the ground. THE MAN IN THE BLUE ROBE He slowly opened his right eye and tried to sharpen the small hand on his watch. “It’s past noon!” – he concluded crankily. He stayed late with his friend last night. They had Gouda and wine, too much wine, told silly stories and laughed loudly. Laughter was still ringing in his head. Painfully. He didn’t feel like getting up. And the rain was persistently falling all morning. Washing the Saturday residues from the streets. Washing the face of the city for the Sunday all-day siesta. Because Sunday is the day for
healing hangovers, for a picnic in the Wondel park, laying at the Blijburg beach or discovering treasures at the flea market at the Waterloo square. He stayed in bed for a while, watching the raindrops plowing the window. The weather is moody here. It changes until you count to ten. The sun and the clouds play hide and seek. They move in a blink of an eye. The blinding ray of light finally lifted him from his bed. He says he lives from the energy of the sun. He ran to the bathroom, washed his face and took a blue robe, looking like a toga, from his wardrobe. “It glitters so nicely in the sun”, he thought, put a bag over his shoulder, glanced at his reflection in the mirror, winked to it and went out.
Street art gives special charm to this city
THE COUPLE WITH THE SCENT OF THE SEA Miriam is a curator in a gallery of miniatures. Tom works in the mediatheque at the “Eye” National Film Institute. This is where they met two years ago, at the ceremonial opening of the museum in a new, modernist manner. They live in the ground floor of a building in Brouwersgracht Street, immediately next to the canal along which house-boats are docked. They don’t like stereotypes, instructions or routine. How-
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More than transportation: a bicycle parking
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N o t e b o o k ever, Sundays have their own rhythm. Because they decided so. On these days, they do everything together. They wake up at the same time, brush their teeth together, drink fresh mint tea together, go out of the house together, synchronize their pedaling on their bicycles, pick groceries together, according to their color or scent or rarely according to a recipe she copied from the “24Kitchen” channel some days ago. Then together they peel, chop, mix, taste, reduce the heat, “another half a minute!” That Sunday in July, it was raining all morning. Doesn’t matter. They like to get wet. The rain comes from the open sea and then they both have the scent of the sea. They did their shopping, red with a bit of green. They dropped by the flower market to get yellow and purple. By the time they got home, the rain stopped. They opened the big window widely, and it seemed as if the building would fly away any moment now. They let the sun onto their colorful table. And a few interested glances. Amsterdam canals are an important dimension of the city life
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THE GIRL COLLECTING SMILES The streets in Amsterdam have terrifying names. Zeeburgerdijk! Spaarndammerdijk! Spaarndammerstraat! Even after
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some time of living in the Netherlands, said Pavle, he still doesn’t even try to pronounce them. In one of the streets with a complicated name stands the charming “Cafe de Walvis”, my little Amsterdam routine: breakfast and free internet. I move my finger over nothing new at home and come upon Staša’s new status. I never miss Staša’s words. “Why do people have a problem with greeting others in the street? I don’t mean those who don’t speak with each other or can’t stand each other. I mean two people who know each other from a casual encounter or a longgone life or some other story. They know each other, or know each other a bit, but they certainly recognize each other. And no, they won’t greet the other, but play as they haven’t seen them.” That same day, in the streets with horrifying names, just like that, a few unknown smiles greeted me. Just because I looked at them. Because they were beautiful or weird or just because I glanced at them. A girl with a Polaroid camera, a boy slogging through puddles, a man in a blue robe and a couple to whose table my eye wandered. Such a smile, sudden and without a reason, is something that makes one’s day.
INSTITUTION STUDENTS’ RESORT “BELGRADE”
Business Unit “Radojka Lakić” on Avala Build on the foundations of a building from the late 1930’s, it is at the same time the seat of the Institution of Students’ resort “Belgrade”. It is located on the most beautiful part of the mountain of Avala, on the outskirts of the capital of Serbia. After it was demolishes in 1999, during the aggression of the North Atlantic Pact against Serbia, the entire building was restored gradually. Today it is one of the most modern students’ resorts in this part of Europe. It provides excellent accommodation, food and the entire range of other services to students, as well as third party users. It consists of two parts:
New building “Avala” On a surface area of 5.357 square meters, it has 158 beds. It has a restaurant with 200 seats, a conference room with 150 seats, seminar room with 2x30 seats, and summer garden with 200 seats.
Annex Its capacity is 73 beds in double and triple rooms. It has a restaurant with 180 seats. 011 3907 946 •
General Ždanova 201, 11226 Belgrade 011 3907 947 • recepcija.avala@usob.rs • www.usob.rs
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An Old Nest above the Gorge CITY OF CONSTANTINE, HIDDEN TREASURE OF ALGERIA
Some say it is not a city, but a charming curtain hanging on a cliff above the Rhumel River. Far enough and close enough, it preserved its unusual attraction through centuries. Phoenicians built a settlement here, Numids a residence, Romans built a forum and aqueduct, old Arabs a fortress, Turks a mosque, Algerians a university. The present inhabitants are just in the course of building a touristic story of this city, nominated for the capital of Arab culture for 2015
Text and photo: Sonja Lapatanov
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n the eastern part of Algeria, in a mountain area about sixty kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, stands this city, third largest in the country (after Algeria and Oran). It is the capital of the province with the same name, industrial center and important traffic hub. It has a university, high Islamic school, military objects, palace
of Ahmed-Bey, as well as antique heritage, such as the Roman aqueduct and statue of Roman emperor Constantine, after whom the city was named. In the place of today’s city center, Phoenicians built a settlement, Numids a residence, Romans a forum, and Arabs a Kasbah (Fortress), which still stands. AlSERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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W o r l d s Grand monument to the dead. The city theatre. Interior of the biggest mosque in Constantine. Dates, bread and mint tea are indispensable here
though the architectural style of most existing official buildings in Constantine belongs to French colonialism, the Ottoman influence is also visible, especially from the Salah-Beys period. At the time of its founding, two thousand years ago, the plateau surrounded by high cliffs and a deep gorge was an excellent place for building a city. Difficult to conquer from the outside. They say that “it is an attraction created by nature and made more beautiful by humans”. The history of this city is long and turbulent. The stone fortress rising from the Rhumel riverbed was occupied by people already in the Neolithic era. Known as Cirta and Qasentina in the antique era, it was also the capital of Numidia. With its magnificent public buildings, population, political and cultural significance, it stood out from other cities of northern Africa. TIME HAS BEEN TAKING ITS TOLL For centuries, this city has attracted conquerors and merchants from the Mediterranean: Jews from Spain and France, Venetians, Genovese, Turks… Traces of different civilizations are visible even today. Since the XVI century, under the Ottomans, Constantine became an important and independent vilayet or beylik. It has been so until 1837, when the French evicted the last bey and took over power. The movement for the independence of Algeria started in Constantine and nearby Setif and Guelma on May 8, 1945. In memory of that day, many streets in the region today are named May 8. Time, of course, has been taking its toll. The population grew during the centuries, the city has overgrown the plateau and flown into neighboring areas, under the plateau and the Hama valley. Many buildings in Kasbah are on the very edge of the cliffs and it is almost incomprehensible how they were built, how courageous the architects were, as well as those who live there today.
Conquests and Restorations When Julius Caesar won the army of Juba I, the city remained the capital of Roman Numidia. After a resurrection, the Romans destroyed the city in 311, but it was later restored upon the order of Constantine the Great, whose name it has been carrying to the very day.
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Labyrinth Ever since the Phoenician, Roman and Turkish times, the rock Constantine is located on hides within intertwined dungeons, secret passageways, catacombs and casemates. There are numerous secret entrances and halls. Some basements are separated from the underground world of Constantine with only a thin wall. This unique labyrinth remained an eternal mystery to many invaders, especially the French.
The other side of the gorge offers a fantastic view of Constantine, from a place exactly above the Sidi M’Cid bridge, from the hill with the same name, where a monumental Monument to the Dead was erected (in memory of the people of Constantine who gave they lives for their fatherland at the time Algeria was a French colony). The view from the hill of old Kasbah, the new city, the patchwork of cultivated fields in the distance, mosques, bridges, viaducts, the deep gorge with birds flying over it and the snake-like Rhumel River roaring in its bottom, is an extraordinary experience. In the prehistoric times, chronicles state, the Rhumel River was an underground stream. Instead of penetrating the massive limestone rocks, it passed underneath them and found an easier way. The ceiling above the underground stream kept eroding, therefore creating the gorge. Traces can still be seen in the river. It leaves the narrow and deep gorge via a noisy waterfall. The enormous plateau Kasbah sleeps on is banded by streets carved into cliffs. They wind over the hundreds of years old viaduct, disappear in arched passageways and tunnels. Cars rush and nervous drivers honk, without paying attention to the height, cliffs and the river in its depths. The Sidi M’Cid Bridge, also known as the hanging bridge, is one of the symbols of Constantine. It is 164 meters long and opened for traffic in 1912. It connects old Kasbah with the slope of the Sidi M’Cid hill. The view from here is breathtaking, just like the gentle vibrations of the bridge when vehicles are passing over it, above the, over a hundred meters deep gorge. Twelve steel cables holding the bridge were renovated in the year 2000 and are pretty trustworthy.
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City of Bridges The old city of Constantine is famous for its unusual position. It is located on a high plateau and was reachable only through a narrow stone crest from the south-western side. It was impossible to access from any other side, because the deep gorge of the Rhumel River separates it from the Sidi M’Cid plateau. Today, however, the plateau is connected with other parts of the city via bridges. Thus Constantine is also called “the city of bridges”.
Time brings wisdom: an old woman from Constantine
With its winding streets, alleys, steep stairways, facades, gates, windows, balconies, the dramatic view of the gorge and bridges, the center of Constantine is a lovely area for an exciting walk. Through the alleys, passing by artisan shops, hairdressers and restaurants with the scent of just prepared food, one reaches Ahmed-Bey’s Palace, which is now a museum. The Bey built it in the second quarter of the XIX century, but didn’t have the chance to enjoy its beauty for a long time. He retreated before the French, who turned the palace into their headquarters. Since gaining independence, the palace has been used by the Algerian army. Although it was closed for public during that period, it was restored and researched. Behind the high white walls is one of the most important objects from the Ottoman period in Algeria: a row of chambers and yards surrounded with arcades, decorated with large areas of Tunisian and
French ceramic plates, olive and orange gardens, marble pillars and carved cedar doors. DATE PALMS OF LIGHT AND MINT TEA After a tour of the palace, visitors freshen up in the shade of Café de la Place with mint tea and sweet Algerian “date palms of light”, “deglet nour”. These date palms are soft, light and transparent, and taste like honey. They are considered “date palm queens” and best in the world. One of the attractions of Constantine is the monumental Emir Abdelkader mosque, with two elegant 172 meters tall minarets. Its construction began in 1968, with the idea to erect a temple with the capacity of 10.000 people. Later, at the time of President Houari Boumediene (1932–1978), this mosque grew into one of the biggest in the world and the first modern Islamic university in Algeria. A very important discovery is related to the city of Constantine. Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, doctor in the French military hospital stationed in Constantine, first described in November 1880 that malaria was caused by the parasite from the protozoa group. He discovered it in the blood of a just deceased patient. For this and other discoveries in parasitology, Laveran was awarded with the Nobel Prize in 1907. Although the third largest city, relatively close to the touristic centers at the Mediterranean Sea and important traffic routes, with an interesting tourist offer, Constantine is unjustly in the shadow of the capital city of Algeria. They say the problem is in the mountain area, steep slopes, high passes and serpentines, all reasons why more tourists are not coming to this city. And not many know about it either. The Arabian League for Education, Culture and Scientific Organizations (ALECSO) suggested Constantine for the capital of Arab culture for 2015. There’s an opportunity to fix the injustice and fill in the blanks.
Flying Island French writer Alexander Dumas called Constantine “a fantastic city, resembling Gulliver’s flying island of Laputa”. Many buildings are dilapidated or destroyed, but the “feeling of fantasy” has not disappeared.
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INSTITUTION STUDENTS’ RESORT “BELGRADE”
Business Unit “Ratko Mitrović” on Zlatibor It includes several high category facilities, built in the 1980’s and 1990’s. They were rebuilt and refurbished in accordance with modern standards. They are only a half kilometer away from the center of Zlatibor, in beautiful pinetree forest, and they offer exceptional conditions for rest and recreation. There is great interest among students for staying here. They also offer services to external customers. The complex consists of four facilities:
Villa “Srbija”,
On a surface area of 2.015 square meters, with 39 beds. It has a restaurant with 250 seats (four stars), seminar room with 50 seats, and summer garden with 150 seats.
Villa “Lovćen”,
On a surface area of 3.238 square meters, with 141 beds.
Villa “Zlatibor”,
On a surface area of 1.276 square meters, with 88 beds, with sports fitness club.
Villa “Romanija”,
Congress center, with two rooms with 250 seats each, surface area of 1.920 square meters, and with 58 beds. 031 841 369 •
Ulica sportova bb, 31315 Zlatibor 031 841 791 • recepcija.zlatibor@usob.rs • www.usob.rs
Sh o r e s
SICILY, THE PLACE WHERE GOD KISSED THE EARTH
In the Core of the Big Blue
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The legend goes that, impressed by what He had done, the Creator took the world in his hand and kissed it. Sicily appeared in the place where he put his lips. “Sicily is a paradise where you find the key to all answers”, wrote Goethe in 1787. Exaggeration? Ok, first travel there, to the island with one foot in southern Europe and the other in northern Africa. Inscribe into your being the scents and tastes, sounds and colors, images and memories. Then talk Text and photo: Daša Marjanović
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eople say that the memory preserves typical scents, tastes, sounds and colors from each journey. In that case, Sicily smells like olive trees, citruses, limoncello, has the taste of marzipan and red oranges, sounds like the murmur of waves, whistling of the Lipari winds, rattling of espresso and cappuccino cups, mandolins and loud laughter. The colors of the island are turquoise as the Tyrrhenian Sea, dark blue as the Ionian depths, green as the cactuses and palm trees, yellow as lemon and the sun, pink as the oleander flower, red as the lava, black as volcanic dust, white as the stone Syracuse is paved with. Sicily is unique for its variety. Having one foot in Europe and the other in Africa, it is stretched between the refinedness of the Old Continent and the wilderness of the African north. Its variety is explained with the fact that it is the most conquered island in the world, therefore its folklore and architecture keeps traces of Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, Habsburgs, Bourbons. PALERMO Following the logic of priorities and cheap flights, the best place to begin the journey through Sicily is Palermo.
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Mornings in Palermo smell like fresh fruit and vegetables. In the green markets, considered the best in Italy, one can find unusual products – tomato dried in the sun, different kinds of olives, a meter long zucchini, miniature bananas, red oranges, souvenirs made of volcanic lava. From noon to 3 p.m., Sicily is on a break. Everything except restaurants is closed, because it is lunchtime and the time to hide from the strongest heat. For tourists, it is the perfect time to go to the beach. Palermo is a port, so the best solution is to go to the nearby town of Mondello or a bit further to Cefalu. This is where “Duomo”, one of the very best ice-cream shops in the island is. If you decide to freshen up with an ice-cream, don’t be surprised if they ask you whether you’d like it served in a cup or brioche. Of course, take the brioche, because nowhere else will you have the chance to eat icecream with sweet bread. The gates of numerous city attractions open again after 3 p.m. Palermo was founded in 734 B.C. by the Carthaginians, invaded by many conquerors throughout history, and became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Due to all these influences, the city has an extraordinary beauty. Confusing and amazing. Picturesque oriental palaces, fountains and gardens, side by side
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with Christian churches and cathedrals, Greek theaters and monuments. The Quattro Canti crossroad is in the center of Palermo and from there the city spreads in four directions. Whichever way you go, you’ll have a lot to see. Some of the must-see places are the City Cathedral, monastery of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Norman Palace, Zisa and Cuba castles, Capuchin Monastery. One of the stations for tourists is also the Catacombs of the Capuchins, where more than eight thousand embalmed Sicilians rest. The cult of the dead is very important in Sicily. Mummification was common until 1881. Using arsenic baths, the Capuchin monks preserved the bodies of honorable citizens and placed them into the catacombs, so they can be seen today for a few Euros. LIPARI AND TAORMINA For further tours it is best to take the train, which passes by the northern coast of the island, so the sea is visible during the entire ride. The next station is Milazzo, from which the ferry to the Aeolian Islands starts off. Before rushing to take your place on the deck, with the best view of the horizon, check whether you have brought a hat or a scarf. The Aeolian Islands were named after Aeolis, the god of winds. With a reason. There are several islands in the Aeolian archipelago. The biggest is the trendy Lipari, sanctuary for the famous and small paradise for the average ones. The little island leaves a feeling of sweetness and fragility. Everything in it is miniature and intimate, starting with narrow streets, compact shops, houses and gardens. The need for width is compensated with a view of the endless Mediterranean. There are several ways to see the island. Immediately after disembarking the ferry, passengers are flooded with “the most favorable” sightseeing offers: renting scooters for driving inland or those for “riding the waves”, boat tours of caves… One of the best options is a pleasant walk through the labyrinth of stone buildings, tunnels and curtains of colorful African scarfs. Another chic destination in Sicily is Taormina. It gazes at Etna and the “big blue” from the height of two hundred meters. Standing on the top of a steep hill, it
can be reached by car, bus, cable car or up the serpentines on foot, for the adventurous ones. Many will say that Taormina is the most beautiful place in the island. It truly is wonderful, gentle, full of flowers and paved streets. But, if one pays attention to prices, the magic fades away. The shopping nerve should be tamed and let free in a bigger city, in front of shop windows with goods on sale. In Taormina, it is sweeter to taste the famous Sicilian lemon granita in the main square and enjoy the cultural heritage. The entire city is a pedestrian zone, with many narrow streets leading either to the square or to the Greek theater. Teatro Greco dates back to the Hellenistic period. It was built in a unique location, with a fantastic view of the smoky Etna, which originally served as natural scenography.
Beyond the tourist crowds, somewhere on the side streets and on hidden little squares, the pretty little daily life of Sicily takes place
ETNA AND CATANIA How often do you have the chance to walk on an active volcano?! Going to Etna is, therefore, an excursion one shouldn’t miss. Etna is the highest, most active and most researched volcano in Europe. Since 141 B.C. it was the cause of death of only 48 people. The eruptions are not explosive and are dangerous only for the incautious ones. Necessary equipment for this excursion includes sneakers, long trousers and long sleeves, because of the dust and strong winds. There are several ways to climb Etna. One can take the cable car, bus, jeep or track. In any case, when you reach 2.800 meters, you will step on the reddish dust of the crater, with Sicily underneath you in clouds. This is a feeling you’ll never forget. Standing in the shadow of the most active European volcano is Catania, the second largest Sicilian city. It was ruined
Film Sicily is one of the favorite destinations of movie people. This is where “Godfather”, “Johnny Stecchino”, “Big Blue”, “Malena” were filmed, so fans of these movies have the chance to see authentic scenography. Contrary to expectations, “Godfather” was not filmed in the town of Corleone, but in the villages of Savoca and Forza d’Agro. Thanks to that, both villages are must-see tourist destinations, which, in contrast to similar villages in the island which are slowly disappearing, enabled their survival.
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Beaches Sicily is washed by waves of three seas: Tyrrhenian in the north, Ionian in the east and Mediterranean in the south. For Sicilians, the sea is the symbol of life. It brings them nice weather, fish, sea food, resting in the beach. Many beaches are awarded the “Blue flag”, which is the highest quality award. They are featured with turquoise, green, dark blue or light blue water, all in agreement with the sky and algae, fine white sand, silver cobbles, black magma rocks, rust-colored sand dunes, extraordinary surroundings and landscapes.
by earthquakes, destroyed by volcanoes, plundered by the Romans, robbed by the Normans, but today, thanks to the volcano, it is a famous tourist center. The vicinity of the volcano influenced the looks and life of the city in many aspects. Almost all streets are paved with almost completely black volcanic stone, shops sell souvenirs made of lava, and the cliffs around beaches are colored with black ash. The Etna phenomenon on one side and the power of colossal Baroque on the other, make the city breathe with a special spirit. Still, this is the place you’ll feel most at home, probably because of the rhythm of life of a big city, with wide streets and high buildings.
HTP TREND KORALI Obala Iva Novakovića bb, Sutomore, Montenegro Sales: +382 30 37 37 20, Reception: +382 30 301 900 E-mail: prodaja.trendkorali@t-com.me Web: www.trendkorali-montenegro.com
The main tourist places in Catania are the Roman Amphitheater, Castello Ursino, Vinzenco Bellini museum, Church of St. Agatha, Elephant Fountain. The fountain is on the central square, Piazza Duomo, and is the symbol of the city, because of the strong cult of elephants in the island. There is an old belief that elephants are carrying Sicily on their backs. The base of the fountain is an elephant made of black volcanic stone symbolizing Cartagena. It is carrying an obelisk made of light granite on its back, representing the Egyptian civilization, and on top of the obelisk are a cross, palm trees and a globe as symbols of Christianity. Another testimony about the changes of civilizations in this area. There are two airports in Sicily. One is in Palermo, where we landed, and the other in Catania, from which we depart. “You will never have a true idea about Italy if you haven’t seen Sicily. Sicily is a paradise, where you will find a key for answers to all questions”, wrote Goethe in 1787, after returning from Sicily. Regardless whether you are Goethe or a child, you will certainly return from Sicily with an impression worth writing down.
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TAOS PUEBLO, AN UNUSUAL VILLAGE IN THE US, BACKED BY SANGRE DE CRISTO, ON THE BANKS OF RIO PUEBLO
The Last Island of the
Natives
Feel free to take a wrong turn like Bugs Bunny. Whatever turn you take from Albuquerque, the road will magically take you to this small village. Members of the Pueblo tribe, who spoke Tanoan, built this settlement a millennium ago. Houses made of reddish-brown soil, with flat roofs, leaning one to another, stand under the vast dramatic sky like squeezed honeycomb and dried grapes. No, it’s not dolce vita. It’s a long, unfaltering decisiveness to remain faithful and testify, despite everything Text and photo: Josip Šarić
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he story about the first Americans began a long time ago, much before Columbus, the first European, set foot on the North American soil. 28.000– 25.000 years ago, the climate change led to the opening of a corridor in the ice cover, which spread along the northern half of the American continent. This enabled an undisturbed passage for some Asian tribes over Bering Strait, which was then a land bridge between two continents. Members of the variegated population, which science today calls paleo Indians, inhabited North America in the not yet exactly ascertained period. There are some indications that it happened about 27.000 years ago, but the oldest archeological findings, 11.000–12.000 years old, still cannot confirm it. However it may be, the first Americans have certainly been present and part of the continent’s history for already 12.000 years. After the mass immigration of Europeans after Columbus’ first journey and news about the newly found land, the contacts between natives and newcomers became more frequent. Sometimes they were friendly, but much more often violent, with many casualties on both sides. Without entering the history and genesis of such conflicts, we cannot overlook the fact that the native population was decimated at the beginning of the XX century. During the following hundred years, measures were taken for mitigating all the negative consequences of centuries of conflict. The success of such measures is best to be explained by those directly involved in the story. Members of some native tribes found the inclusion into the life of the white man easier, some found it harder, and some tribes already completely disappeared. Fact is that the first Americans today have all constitutional rights, but the degree of enjoying such rights is a subject of another story. RED WILLOW IN OUR VILLAGE “I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque!” Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the legendary statement of Bugs Bunny? Well, if Bugs did make a mistake, when you come to Albuquerque from the west, for example from Las Ve-
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Legend of the Golden City When the first Spaniards reached the land of the Pueblo people, they thought they arrived to the “golden cities”, the greatest obsession of their conquests. Particles of mica in the mud used to cover the exterior of the houses glittered in the sun, which was a great illusion for the Spanish conquerors. The feverish search for gold in the American continent created the basis for the legend of El Dorado – The Golden City, and its origins may be in the settlements of the Pueblo people.
gas, one must really turn left to reach Taos Pueblo. Actually, Taos Pueblo is such a place that whatever turn you take at Albuquerque, the road will magically lead you to this small village. It attracts visitors with a strange and invisible force, surviving for a full millennium. Members of the northern Pueblo tribe, who spoke Tanoan, erected their settlement in the foot of mountain Sangre de Cristo, on the banks of Rio Pueblo, between the years 1000 and 1450. From that time, they have been living in the same place, in their reddish-brown houses made of soil, making the entire place a specific visual experience. The world taos means “red willow” in Tanoan, and the name of the Taos village was derived from tua-tah and means “our village”. The flat roofed houses have been lasting for over a thousand years, leaning one to another, as if they are giving each other support in their millennial existence. Living in a community such as Taos Pueblo in the contemporary world is a matter of personal decision and ability to walk towards the future without novelties of the modern age. The awareness of the need to preserve at least part of the Pueblo people cultural heritage is reflected in the fact that the buildings in the village are still used as family houses. This is to deepen the feeling of belonging to the family and home in younger generations. The houses continue being places of religious and cultural activities. The Pueblo people also designed a program for renovating the houses and returning them to their original state. Taos Pueblo is the only community of North American natives enlisted as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and as national historical landmark of the USA. The only present building which certainly didn’t exist in the original settleSERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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From the church ment is the church, Chapel of St. Geronimo. Its name is the most vivid indicator in Taos Pueblo of the unusual combination of traditional heritage and imposed Christianization, which came with the Spaniards. Traces of the traditional relation with the dead can be seen at the village cemetery, which, as a holy place, is closed for newcomers and tourists.
HISTORY AS A HANDICRAFT Numerous shops opened in residential objects were certainly also not part of the original settlement. Visitors are offered products made by hands of the commu-
Continuous Renovation Houses were usually inherited by the oldest son in the family, and he was the only owner. They were handed over from generation to generation and therefore today owned by families who have lived there for centuries. Built of friable material, the houses request continuous renovation. A new layer of mud is usually spread over them each or at least every second year. Without it, they would not have been preserved to the present times.
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nity members, which is the influence of growing tourism. The shops are mostly owned by the artists who work in them together with their family members. Without selling the handicrafts, where would be no means for maintaining the settlement, and many talented ceramists, painters, sculptors and jewelers would remain anonymous and their handicrafts enjoyed only by the local population. Rio Pueblo silently penetrates the center of the village, bringing along a breath of freshness, so needed in the hot summer days. Thin dogs indolently trod the dusty streets looking for a piece of food. The locals don’t like to have photos taken and can be seen only in the shadows of their houses, like ghosts of the past. They remind of the more glorious times, when their ancestors freely wandered the vast spaces of the continent. Taos Pueblo is one of the rare places in the USA, where one can feel both the breath and spirit of the traditional, without a big influence of the contemporary world and its attainments.
Serbia GEO-POETICAL ALBUM Serbia
ÁLBUM GEOPOÉTICO
Este libro que tiene delante podríamos denominar un álbum, un testimonio colección de documento o una s. No quiere persuadir. No propaga, no impone, es un portavoz, un abogado, no da vueltas. No un agente publicitario parlanchín. Tampoco es un periodista turístico, abismado en palabrería y en aquella forma de auto-apagam Como en algún antiguo iento llamado la rutina. viaje largo y lindo cuando se sienta en el tren y abre de la ventana, pasarán aquí las cortinas numerosas imágenes delante de sus ojos. Mírelos con calma curiosidad, de forma descubrido y ra, con sus propios y con los ojos de otros a los que sobre ese viaje. Algunas contará de estas imágenes recordará instantáneamente, a otras vez en cuando renovando volverá de sus vínculos finos, y tal vez todas ellas converjan en un retrato mosaico grande en una imagen, de Serbia que llevará consigo para siempre. Y no se olvide de la advertencia de uno de los príncipes más desafortunados de literatura mundial: „Sólo la gente superficial no juzga por la apariencia. El misterio del mundo es lo visible, verdadero no lo invisible.”
O
-POÉTIQUE
СКИЙ АЛЬБОМ
ESPAÑOL
FRANÇ AIS
РУССK ИЙ
ENGLISH
Il de documents. témoignage, recueil porteêtre appelé album, re pas. Il n’est ni vous pourrait se pas, il n’exagè Le livre devant infecté par e pas, il n’impo iste touristique, der. Il ne propag . Il n’est ni journal n’aspire pas à persua long voyage de publicité bavard e dans un beau, agent ni Comm . avocat, parole, ni nommé routine sur la fenêtre, de forme d’auto-éteinte et écartez les rideaux t, des clichés et cette z dans un train t curieusemen nquillement e vous vous installe egardez-les tra à l’ancienne, quand vous raconterez devant vous. R de ceux à qui ages passeront s yeux et les yeux nombreuses im aux autres vous eur, avec vos propre rez tout de suite, re, elles dans l’esprit cherch images vous retiend subtile, et peut-êt es-unes de ces votre relation pour ellerez erez ce voyage. Quelqu renouv et que vous emport temps en temps ue de la Serbie retournerez de portrait mosaïq seule, un grand re deviendront une de la littératu malheureux princes toujours. vrai mystère t d’un des plus apparences. Le l’avertissemen pas juger sur les Et n’oubliez pas légers pour ne a que les esprits mondiale : “Il n’y l’invisible.” non et le visible, du monde est
Á L BU M G E O P O É T I C
-POÉTIQUE
ALBUM GÉO
Serbie
ALBUM GÉO
SERBIA
GEO-POETICAL ALBUM
SERBIE
Serbia
The book before you could be called an album, testimony, anthology of documents. does not want to persuade. It It does not propagate, does not impose, does not spin. PR, lawyer, blabby advertising It is not a agent. Neither is it a tourist reporter, steeped into phrases the type of self-termina and tion called routine. Just like on a long and beautiful journey, when you sit in old-fashioned a train and open curtains on the window, numerous unraveling in front of you. images will be Watch them calmly and with curiosity, as an explorer, eyes and eyes of those to with your whom you will be telling about the journey. Some you will remember right of these images away, the others you will occasionally retrieve and fine connection, and maybe restore your all of them will merge into one, into a large mosaic Serbia that you will carry portrait of forever. And do not forget the warning of one of the most ill-fortuned princes in world literature: “It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearance s. The true mystery of the is the visible, not the invisible. world ”
GEO-POETICAL ALBUM
ЕСК
ом, ом, свидетельств назвать альбом ет, не в руках, можно не пропагандиру ю вы держите убедить. Она прессне стремится дение. Она не ментов. Она ввести в заблуж . Она не туре, не старается коммивояжер деленное мнени цию продук старинное ирующий свою Она похожа на окат, не реклам й стереотипы. ски, и описывающи раздвигаете занаве нными фразам сь на поезд и дывайте , когда вы садите видов. Разгля ное путешествие вающих за окном глазами тех, нием проплы глазами, но и адиться мелька своими только вам запомнится о, смотрите не ествии. Что-то любознательн ожет м а , об этом путеш й и н а н и зывать нить воспом м будете расска ь тоненькую и, который дет воссоздат портрет Серби -то нужно бу ой мозаичный в один больш вас сольется ые люди не «Лишь мелочн амяти навсегда. ой литературы: миров ка класси от глаз.» забудьте слова ен, а не скрыт щий мир очевид у взгляду. Настоя
ГЕОПОЭТИЧЕ
ГЕОПОЭТИЧ
ИЙ АЛЬБОМ
SERBIA
СЕРБИЯ
я
PRINCIP PRESS
С Р БИ Ј А
Exceptional monograph on Serbia, in separate editions in five languages! Serbian, Russian, English, Spanish, French! The most beautiful Serbia, on the palm of your hand! Anthology of photo-documents on beauty! Give it proudly, as a gift to yourself and others, here or anywhere else in the world!
Г Е О П О Е Т И Ч К И А Л БУ М
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Cetinjska 6, 11000 Belgrade; Phone: +381 (11) 322 70 34; Fax: +381 (11) 324 56 21 www.nacionalnarevija.com, www.turistinfosrbija.com
P h i l o s o p h y
o f
W i n e
WINE ROAD OF “PLANTAŽE” PODGORICA
One Winery, Entire Region
Wine roads typically include paths and landscapes, culture and customs, wine and gastronomy in a particular wine region. It is rare, however, to experience an entire region within only one winery, and this opportunity is brought to you by special program of wine tourism organized by the biggest and most famous Montenegrin winery
W
ithin different theme programs, “Plantaže” takes you through its three different cellars, wine shops and restaurants – through an authentic world of scents and aromas of the Montenegrin region, defined by the sea, mountains, lake, immense vineyards and landscapes painted with sun, water, rock and vine that yields authentic Montenegrin wines.
“Bouquet” Program A tour to the vineyards in Ćemovsko polјe by a tourist train. A tour to “Šipčanik” Cellar with a guide. Guided tasting of three wines (“Crnogorski Krstač”, “Crnogorski Vranac”, “Vranac Pro Corde”). With the wine: Njeguš cheese. Price per person: 10 EUR. The price of each program includes a ride through the vineyards by a tourist train. All “Plantaža” vines may be purchased at special prices, in the wine shop in cellar itself.
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In addition to the specialties of the Skadar Lake, crap and bleak, fresh seafood and the noblest species of Adriatic fish, the best Montenegrin prosciutto and extraordinary local chees come from the mountains. Local delicacies are followed by a wide range of “Plantaže” wines, from sparkling to white, fresh or barrique, and through refreshing rose wines to red wines – fruity and light or strong and aged, and up to special sweet wines. At the end – the authentic Montenegrin grape rakia made of Vranac variety. WINE CELLAR “ŠIPČANIK” Magnificent wine cellar “Šipčanik” is a special attraction. The old military airport was turned into an enchanting treasury of
Program “’Plantaže’ on the Dining Table” A tour to the vineyards in Ćemovsko polјe by a tourist train. A tour to “Šipčanik” Cellar with a guide. Guided tasting of five premium wines and matching with food. “Crnogorski Val” & canapés made of young cheese spiced with sour apple. “Luča” & canapés made of fish pate and smoked salmon. “Vranac Pro Corde” & canapés made of beef roll. “Vladika” & canapés made of prosciuttos and olives. “Vranac Reserve” & canapés made of a combination of cheeses. Price per person: 30 EUR.
wines, modeled after the French chateaux, because the cellar is situated in the middle of the vineyard, in the same country, in the same rock that gives birth to the vine. The cellar is located at the average depth of more than 30 meters below the ground. It is in the shape of a winding tunnel, 356 meters long, 13.5 meters wide and 7 meters high. Temperature is almost constant – between 17 and 19 degrees. Humidity 70 to 80 percent. In the impressive space, on 7,000 square meters, wine is kept in wooden vessels in ideal climate and technological conditions. Two million liters of wine are sitting and aging in wooden barrels. INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP VISITS Plantaže independently organizes two programs of individual visits (“Bouquet” and “Plantaže on Dining Table”), opening the door of the magnificent cellar Šipčanik to all visitors.
Visit Šipčanik Cellar and experience the enchanting ambiance of a unique wine cellar in Europe, enjoying the unforgettable scents and aromas – the “bouquet” of the region. Select the wine tasting program and discover the authentic world of autochthonous varieties of vine, such as Vranac and Krstač, as well as our dedication, our tradition and our philosophy of wine... And sail through the sea of our vineyards in vast area of Ćemovsko polјe, reigned by Vranac – the national pride of Montenegro. In cooperation with travel agents, organizations and hotels, “Plantaže” organizes 10 different theme programs for group visits. Depending on the available time and affinities, in addition to the visit to “Šipčanik” and “Lješkopolјe” cellars, and different combinations of wines you will be tasting, it is possible to organize a visit to the Viewpoint from where rows of wine stretch as far as eye can see, ride in a horse drawn carriage through the biggest European vineyard, recreational horse riding in equestrian club “Vranac”, lunch or dinner in well-known restaurants “Mareza” and “Jezero” owned by “Plantaže”. You may find detailed content of the programs at the following address: www.plantaze.com.
Montenegro, the Country of Wine Who was the first to plant vine in the territory of Montenegro? Ancient Greeks, Romans, Slavs? Or those who may have been here forever and who, in the sea of time, became one with our Slavic ancestors? We might never find out, which is probably not so important after all. Because vine has been growing here for thousands of years, yielding wine that tells the story about its homeland: “This is Montenegro. The country of wine!”
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NOVELTIES IN ACCOMMODATION CAPACITIES IN VRNJAČKA BANJA BEFORE THE SEASON OF 2015
A Bigger Range of
Possibilities While state owned hotels are still waiting for the changes in ownership structure and modernization, a series of smaller high class hotels has been opened, for the most demanding guests. Apartment accommodation is also on the rise, but capacities are often filled months in advance, and timely booking is necessary. restored and modernized, many old villas shone afresh, but they have retained their recognizable pretty veil of old nobility. The most numerous and most affordable are still, of course, rooms in private accommodation. Go ahead and choose
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or decades, it has been one of the most important tourist destinations in Serbia. The entire economic development of Vrnjačka Banja is shaped based on tourism. In the past thirty years or so, the volume and structure of tourist turnover here have been significantly changed, which, of course, affected other aspects of the economy. The data on tourist turnover in Vrnjačka Banja has been recorded since 1869, when this place was visited by 538 guests. Many results in this chronicle are written in golden font, such as those from 1984, when almost 180,000 visitors stayed here with over two million overnight stays. Vrnjačka Banja still has accommodation capacities of over 15,000 beds, of which around 4,500 are in hotels, guesthouses and apartment villages, 850 beds are in the healthcare center and around 10,000 in private villas and houses. The demand for accommodation in Vrnjačka Banja has been growing every year, especially during various events throughout the year, such as “Carnival of Vrnjci”, “Love Fest”, Festival of Film Screenplay, as well as several music festivals.
If you are looking for a room, private accommodation, hotel, if you would like to spend a vacation, weekend or honeymoon in this center of spa tourism, you will get answers to questions about accommodation and prices quickly, easily and reliably. The website of the Tourist Organization of Vrnjačka Banja, www.vrnjackabanja.co.rs, has selected for its visitors some accommodation facilities, as a part of the best offer in its town. HOTELS Vrnjačka Banja has a large number of hotels, with around 4,500 beds. They are available throughout the year. Some hotels have indoor swimming pools, congress halls and sports facilities. Hotel-Tourist Com-
Private Accommodation The offer of rooms in Vrnjačka Banja is big and diverse. Private accommodation has about 10,000 beds. Prices depend on the furnishings of the rooms and the number of beds in them (from single to quadruple rooms). Rooms are tidy, in good locations and by far the most affordable.
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Camp on the Island of Love “Love fest” is the “biggest island of love” and last year officially “the best medium-sized music festival in Europe”. It has been taking place in Vrnjačka Banja for nine years, and guests can then also stay in a specially organized camp. The accommodation in the camp is included in the price of ticket for this festival, and tickets for the next one are already being sold. For more information: www.lovefest.rs.
pany “Fontana”, formerly the backbone of Serbian tourism, has 1,500 beds and includes well known accommodation facilities such as “Fontana”, “Zvezda”, “Sloboda”, Vila “San” and “Beli Izvor” on Goč Mountain. However, for years this company has been in search for an investor, the one who would provide modernization and further development for these facilities, in accordance with the demands of today’s market. Similar situation is with other old state owned hotels. At the same time, in recent years Vrnjačka Banja has got several smaller modern hotels (“Aleksandar”, “Solaris Resort”, “Leaders”, “Sunny Hill”, Garni Hotel “Kralј”), numerous high category apartment villages, and many of its old villas have been renovated and shone in the spirit of modern times. These new facilities shave almost completely replaced the standard tourist offer of Vrnjačka Banja. All smaller hotels, apartments and villas are privately owned and meet the standards of the most demanding local and
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foreign guests. All facilities have modern equipment and design, and most of them have wellness facilities, swimming pools, salt rooms, beauty parlors and professional staff. “Merkur”, as a specialized healthcare institution with high category hotel accommodation, provides top quality services in the area of medical and other forms of tourism. For more information, visit: www.vrnjcispa.rs. APARTMENTS AND VILLAS Apartment accommodation in Vrnjačka Banja is available all year long. The capacities are often booked for months in advance, and timely booking is necessary. The greatest demand is during the summer and during holidays, such as New Year, Easter, Labor Day, school breaks, Valentine’s Days, Women’s Day. The most famous apartments are “Biser”, “Iwa Wellness”, “Cvetni konaci”, “Beli Bor”, “Prestiž”, “Šumadija”. Excellent accommodation can also be found in villas, with modern but affordable rooms. The diverse private accommodation in Banja is dominated by the pleasant, sophisticated and warm home atmosphere. Some of the best known refurbished villas that have empowered the traditional offer of Vrnjačka Banja: “Minjon”, “Casablanca”, “Savka”, “San”, “Ljubica”, “Devedžić”, “Splendor”, “Kralјica”, “Diona”, “Elena”, “Raj”, “Lenka”.
Atmosphere of Old Friendship Villa “Lazar” is an indispensable part of tourist offer of the Serbian “Queen of Spa Tourism”. Built in 1937, in the quietest part of Vrnjačka Banja, it is a silent and persistent guardian of the local heritage and culture. It is surrounded with a unique park, in which the morning coffee has special aroma. Only ten minutes of easy walk separates it from the city center, Promenade, restaurants, cinemas, Belimarkovića Castle, springs of thermal-mineral waters and, of course, the Bridge of Love. Such a location enables complete serenity and intimate ambiance, suitable for all those who need rest from fast lifestyle and nervous daily routine. Villa “Lazar” has traditional cuisine and exceptionally friendly staff. For eight decades already it has been greeting children, families, people in love, athletes, organizing celebrations, seminars and conferences, meetings, mandatory and social gatherings. It has 60 beds (in 23 rooms and two luxury suites), restaurant with 120 seats, and meeting rooms. It organizes visits to the nearby attractions – monasteries Žiča, Ljubostinja and Saint Petka – as well as excursions to the lavish nature of Goč Mountain, lunches near the Morava and Ibar Rivers, as well as sports activities. It has special service for the most demanding hedonists and gourmets. Through years of experience and monitoring the needs of modern guests, this discrete endowment Villa has found a simple recipe for relaxation: an atmosphere of old friendship.
Banovića Strahinje 8 • 36210 Vrnjačka Banja +381 36 611 922 • www.vilalazar.rs • vilalazar@vilalazar.rs
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LESKOVAC, IN THE OLD PLACE, WITH THE SAME ATTRACTION
In the Rhythm of Ten Carnivals The catalogue is the same, experiences and passions are different. In July, it will be the tenth carnival from the day when it was restored. And it will be clear to everybody why this city has an important place on the map of European carnivals. And there are, of course, “Roštilјijada”, cultural-historical heritage, beautiful natural surroundings, confusing and irresistible beauty of dialect and the song. If you have tried, you will do it again. If you haven’t, don’t miss
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Text and ack in 1159, Manojlo Komnin from Numerous flattering epithets have been the city of Constantine gave to Stewritten along with the name of this city photographs: fan Nemanja separated “from his land through the past centuries. It used to be recMirolјub the area called Dubočica”. Data on the first ognized for its fairs. In the mid-19th century Radivojević mention of Leskovac from 1308 and 1348 is inscribed in the depths of history, when Emperor Dušan gave Leskovac as a gift to Hilandar. It was a caravan station of the Nemanjić dynasty with a big fortress on Hisar. Below it was a city with marketplace and shops made of logs and planks.
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it was a city of craftsmen (because of as many as 62 different crafts) and a “Little Manchester” (because of textile production). As much as 40 percent of wool products in the Kingdom were being produced here. It is recorded that at one moment it had 105 taverns, in which “tight crowd” of bohemians gathered
and had fun, with wine and rakia, with “Buretovi ćevapčiki” and jolly dialect. Formerly known as the city of fairs, from the 1960’s it has been also known as the city of cosmetics. The city of tradition and youth, in fertile Pomoravlјe, hometown of the great emperor Justinian (his nearby Empress City, Justiniana Prima, was the pride of the Byzantine). It is the city where the Orient and Europe merged, leaving traces in the spirit of the streets and lives of the people. FELLOW CITIZENS OF JUSTINIAN I 29 kilometers to the west from Leskovac, the Empress City is one of the most important archaeological sites in Serbia. It is assumed to have been founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, grateful to the area of his birth. Encircled by powerful bulwarks, the city was on a plateau on a surface area of 42,000 square meters, an important administrative, military and religious center. Well-known in that time for its perfect infrastructure, streets crossing at a right angle, circular square with the statue of Justinian, paved streets, the bishop’s palace with floor heating, several churches and basilicas, craft and trade shops... The life of the city was turbulent but short. Around 615, it was deserted by its population and life there came to an end.
In the center of Leskovac there is old Odža- Waterfall klija Church, built at the time of Karađorđe’s on Vučjanka Uprising. It is a single-nave building without a dome, buried in the ground so that it would not “Roštilјijada” irritate the local Turks with its size. The interior Barbeque is exceptionally acoustic, because terracotta Festival pots were embedded into the walls. It is unique because it has a chimney made of bricks, since The National the building was apparently built for a local Museum in priest. Next to the old church, the CongregaLeskovac tional Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1931. The interior of this charming building is covered with frescoes. King Aleksandar I Karađorđević was present at its consecration. Next to the Congregational Church is the house of Bora Dimitrijević Piksla, built in the first half of the 19th century. It used to be the seat of the Turkish pasha, and today it is a reconstruction of a town house from the late 19th century. It houses a part of the collection of the National Museum. Little has remained of the buildings from the formerly rich Leskovac – the city of crafts
Vučjanka Near the settlement of Vučje, 18 kilometers away from Leskovac, the small mountain river Vučjanka cuts through grooves and slopes of the mountain of Kukavica, making beautiful canals, cascades and cauldrons. In the very center of the gorge there is one of the oldest hydro power plants in the Balkans, built in 1903, and is still operational today.
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Monasteries of Jašunja 13 kilometers away from Leskovac, above the village of Jašunja, there are the only two monasteries in this area: the Monastery of the Holy Mother of God, built in 1499, and Monastery of St. John the Baptist, built by Andronik Kantakuzin in 1517, with painted frontal façade.
and merchants – with numerous buildings in Balkan style, recognizable for picturesque chimneys. The disastrous “bombing of the Allies” in 1944, then upsurge of modern and different ideologies, took their toll. Only ŠopĐokić House in the city center, from the mid19th century, and the residence in the village of Rudar, next to the Church of St. Paraskeva, probably the most beautiful example of profane city architecture of Balkan style in Serbia, have been preserved until today. About fifteen kilometers to the south from Leskovac, the ravine turns into a picturesque Grdelička Gorge, through which the South Morava River passes. At 25 kilometers there is Predejane, a beautiful mountain excursion place surrounded by a forest and beautiful hills. In this place, right next to the regional road connecting Central and Western Europe with Greece and the Near East, there is “Predejane” Motel. GAINING AND SPENDING ENERGY Monastery of St. John the The period between two world wars is Baptist in Jašunj, called the golden age of Leskovac. the crown 16th century of this turbulent social life was organization
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of several carnivals, in the 1930’s. Following this tradition, the Carnival of Leskovac was organized again ten years ago. meanwhile, it was officially registered on the map of European carnivals. It has become an important destination in the carnival family of Europe. The decade of the Carnival of Leskovac is marked by about 50,000 participants from about ten countries, from far-away Indonesia to neighboring Macedonia. The carnival parties lasted five days a week, three hours per day, at the average. The event is also marked by carnivals of the third age, children’s carnivals, carnivals of animals, of cheer-leaders, carnivals on water, eco-carnivals, costume balls, fire festivals, festivals of street entertainers, knightly tournaments, art colonies, tattoo, pierce, face & body paint... And, of course, numerous accompanying events. The tenth Carnival of Leskovac, the jubilee one, will take place from July 6 to 11, 2015. “Roštilјijada” is another important tourist brand of Leskovac. in early September, the main city street is turned into a huge line of barbeques. It is officially the biggest festival of barbeque in Southeast Europe. In one week, it is visited by more than half a million of gourmets, those who love barbeque, good fun, relaxed atmosphere... The masters of barbeque are competing, as well as the students (future barbeque chefs), and most attention is attracted by the attempt at making the biggest burger in the world. The number of foreign guests has been increasing in recent years.
ПРОГРАМИ Фитнес програм Индивидуални тренинзи на базену и у фитнес центру Слободно вежбање Рекреативно пливање Обука пливања за децу предшколског и раног школског узраста Рекреација за жене – аеробик у води, аквабик Сауна Тонус кафе Протеин бар Масаже
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EU PROCLAIMED KNJAŽEVAC AN EXCEPTIONAL TOURIST DESTINATION
Under Three Mountains, on Three Rivers You will see and taste here what you can’t find anywhere else. Feel a touch of difference. Depth of old faith and Christian enlightenment. The power of heritage and playfulness of modern culture. You can visit the “Prayer under Midžor” on Đurđevdan, the Festival of Youth Culture in July, Ilindan Fair in August. You can go to the mountain or in the old tavern, in the wine cellar or banjica, skiing or paragliding. Only take a turn from the roads you already know by heart By: Ljilјana Pavlović
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n search for remote destinations, in the corners of the old continent, the European Commission every year recommends less known places in tour guides. In cooperation with national tourist institutions, every year a theme will be defined on the basis of which the selection will be made. Srbija participated in the program European Destination of Excellence for the first time in 2014. Theme: “Tourism and Intangible Cultural Heritage”. The winner of the national competition in Serbia for Eden Destination, or “Exceptional Destination of Europe”, was Knjaževac. The Tourist Organization of Knjaževac Municipality participated in the competition with the ritual prayer on Đurđevdan (St. John’s Day), a tradition that is included in the List of intangible cultural heritage of Serbia and is the regional proposal for inclusion into the UNESCO’s List of World Heritage. At the foothill of the Old Mountain, in the village of Vrtovac, on Đurđevdan every year, the celebration entitled “Prayer under Midžor” takes place. Born on the foundations of pre-Christian ritual of collective sacrifice, the Prayer has one goal – to ritualistically transfer power to people, livestock and crops. And it has been happening since ancient times, until today. The ritual takes place in a little chapel dedicated to St. George, next to a stone cross, with carved image of Thracian Horseman, the ancient pre-Christian deity on a horse (pre-meaning of Christian St. George).
– In ancient times, cattlemen believed that the protector of their herd is purposefully collecting and driving away the clouds on the Old Mountain. In order to appease him, the shepherds would set aside the most beautiful lamb, decorate it with spring wreath and brought it on a stone altar as a sacrifice. The inhabitants of Budžak, a village beneath the Old Mountain, have preserved the original custom until today. The Tourist Organization of Knjaževac Municipality, without disturbing this balance between people and nature, only joined the celebration of Đurđevdan, wanting to make this custom known to those who visit these areas as tourist – says Boban Marković, Director of the Tourist Organi-
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Melodies and Delicacies – One can hear rare traditional melodies, see the artistry of old craftsmen, taste some of the delicacies of the national cuisine. From good quality cheeses, through lamp stew, to belmuž, trkanicae, madžun, bell peppers stuffed with leeks, various vegetarian and non-vegetarian pies – Boban Marković, Director of the Tourist Organization of Knjaževac Municipality says.
zation of Knjaževac Municipality. – This is how the event “Prayer under Midžor” was created, which also has its “second halftime”, in Balta Berilovac, another village beneath the mountain. Seven days after Đurđevdan, in the yard of the old village school, which is today the Museum of the Old Mountain, they organize this unique ethno-festival. THE TEMPER OF THE REGION, WINE AND PEOPLE
The Festival of Youth Culture in Knjaževac
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Knjaževac, of course, has a series of other interesting places and events. As a vine-growing region, Knjaževac has long been on the Serbian wine road. Here, where for centuries people have been growing vine with love and where the top quality wine is inseparable from history and tradition, the first mark of geographical origin “Knjaževac” has arrived for the wines that are registered in accordance with the new system of the European Union. The mark of geographical origin have so far been affixed on their bottles by Winery “Jović” from Potrkanj and Winery “Urošević” from Ravna, which has opened the way for many present and future wine makers from Knjaževac. – The manufacturers from Knjaževac have worked for more than a year on a study, with help from German organization GIZ and the Ministry. They have defined everything that is necessary in order to register a geographical origin. It is the first mark of geographical origin in accordance with the new system, which is a great advantage in the branding of this mark, Knjaževac and this region – says Darko Jakšić, head of the Group for Wine Making of the Ministry of Agriculture of Serbia. – Because of the very favorable cool night index, everything that is created inside the grapes during the day stays there. That is why wines here are aromatic, bubbly and fresh. National tradition, historical heritage and unspoiled nature are offered as on a palm of one’s hand to everyone who turns from the main roads into the town beneath SRBIJA SPECIJALNO IZDAWE 2015.
three mountains and on three rivers. And when they come, they can choose. They can opt for paragliding from one of the peaks of Tupižnic, skiing on the Old Mountain, quad or bicycle riding, hunting and fishing... They may prefer to take a bath in warm springs of Rgoška banja, or in the swimming pool which is supplied with thermal water from banja all year long, with constant temperature of 28 degrees. ENERGY OF YOUTH AND CULTURE In July, during the Festival of Youth Culture of Serbia, Knjaževac bathes in jolly artistic atmosphere. The city has been organizing this cultural event for more than a half a century. It has formed an important model of what the work on cultural promotion should look like. – The Festival of Youth Culture of Serbia, as the bastion of art and creativity, has survived and grown year after year. It has become one of the most important events in Serbia, overcoming the exceeding of the city where it was born – says Milan Đokić, President of Knjaževac Municipality. – The Festival is marking the road we should all follow, as a city, the people and the state. Technique allied with poor taste has turned to be a great enemy of culture and arts. The modern time is dominated by technical achievements, on one hand, and multitude of poor taste and kitsch, on the hand. True values are today facing more difficult challenges than ever before. That is why it is important that we use the cultural and artistic energy of young people so that it would as a locomotive, pull us forward into better days. In August, on St. Elias’ Day, one of the biggest fairs in Serbia takes place here. Music of five best trumpet ensembles from the Timok resonates in the entire town. The cauldrons of fish stew and venison goulash are simply irresistible. If you are a fan of healthy lifestyle and walking, you will go with the mountaineers to the ascent to Midžor, the highest peak of the Old Mountain. You may be attracted by a bohemian atmosphere in the taverns of Knjaževac, with jolly music until dawn. Whatever you choose, you will realize why European Union officially claims that this is an exceptional town, a town where people should go more often and discover it. A town where you will find something that cannot be found anywhere else.
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“CITY TALKING”, THE PROJECT OF “TELEKOM SRBIJA”, ENCOUNTER OF THE NEW MEDIA, TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
In Augmented
Reality
Applications “Belgrade Talking”, “Novi Sad Talking” and “Niš Talking” are modern guides though the heritage, culture and tourist offer of these cities. All you need to do is point your smartphone toward a building or a monument, and you will receive historical data on that site, old photographs, anecdotes and stories. On the basis of the place where you are located, you will be given suggestions as to where to continue walking and what you must see. You can have all this in Serbian, English and in audio version
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very city is a story in itself, and every institution, monument, local attraction are hiding numerous historical facts, as well as interesting information and anecdotes. Belgrade, Novi Sad with Sremski Karlovci and Niš shared their stories with users of applications “Belgrade Talking”, “Novi Sad Talking” and “Niš Talking”. In this way, they offered to their fellow citizens and tourists
answers to many questions, such as the one why “The Victor” is not on Terazije, where the first cannon that was sent to Karađorđe during the First Serbian Uprising had been made, when and where Great Prefect Stefan Nemanja and German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa met. The applications have been realized within the project “City Talking” of “Telekom Srbija” and are the result of efforts of this SERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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company to achieve long-term influence on improving the offer of local communities, but also a brand new experience of mobile communications of every user. Director of PR Department of “Telekom Srbija” Marija Bošković says that the need of the modern times is to permeate the new media, technology and creativity as much as possible in order to create added value for the users. – By launching the project “City Talking” we tried to, through innovative use of digital media, create a link between the improvement of the individual experience and improvement of the tourist offer of partners in the community in which we operate. “Telekom Srbija” is known for implementing projects that have multifold significance for the local community. Our goal was to, in an entertaining and unique manner, present our cities to all those who want to get to know them better, both foreigners and the citizens of
Excellent Response Since the project was launched in July 2013, the applications have been downloaded almost 42,000 times. The excellent response and positive ratings of application users, as they say in “Telekom Srbija”, will serve as a stimulus to supplement the existing “stories” in the upcoming period with new content and functions, as well as to initiate cooperation with local partners in the next city that would be added to the map of “City Talking”.
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Serbia, who often in a hurry do not pay attention to the beauty and historical significance of the buildings that surround them on a daily basis –Marija Bošković said. IN STEP WITH GLOBAL TRENDS Development of application involved including partners in local communities, primarily tourist organizations, which are naturally striving to present the city attractions in the manner that is more accessible to modern guests. – In the era of online communications, mobile phone applications are exceptionally important because they can reach a large number of users internationally – Miodrag Popović, Director of the Tourist Organization of Belgrade says. – Thanks to cooperation with company “Telekom Srbija”, in case of application “Belgrade Talking”, we are not only following the global trends, but are walking in step with them. The used technology, the service it provides, as well as the content it offers, has made Belgrade available through its stories, easy to get to know and get around, and interesting and fun during a stay in it, which is the most important in tourism. Branislav Knežević, Director of the Tourist Organization of Novi Sad, says that it is his great pleasure and honor that the organization was able to help in the
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development of this exceptionally useful application, thus contributing to the promotion of its city: – We are glad that the visitors in our city will now be able to get to know all the tourist attractions they encounter on their pedestrian route. Development of smartphone applications is in great expansion, and according to forecasts, in the next two years accessing internet through smartphones will exceed the use of computers. After Belgrade and Novi Sad, and associated units of Avala and Petrovaradin, which were uploaded in Google play and App Store in the first phase of the project, they also realized application “Niš Talking”, and the Novi Sad guide has been supplemented with a special route – “Sremski Karlovci”. In this way, 65 new locations in two cities have been added onto the map of the project “City Talking”, offering to the visitors a completely new experience of local attractions, through basic historical data, photographs
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from previous periods, audio narration, anecdotes and less known historical facts. – We have been continuously working on improvement and promotion of tourist offers of this city, with a goal to extend the stay of the tourists here by at least a few more days. Thanks to the cooperation with company “Telekom Srbija”, Niš is offering to its guests, through smartphones, a completely new experience of getting to know the third biggest city in Serbia –Uroš Parlić, Director of the Tourist Organization of Niš sais, at the promotion of the Niš application. – I am certain that the application “Niš Talking” will help many tourists learn more about our city and that this will inspire them to also visit those places they would otherwise miss. In addition to the possibility to observe the given location through old photographs or short anecdotes, special functionality of the augmented reality makes these application stand out among the similar ones intended for the promotion of tourist offer of the cities. By recognizing the current location of the visitor, the application offers a tour around the nearby attraction. All the visitors need to do is to turn their smartphones toward the buildings that surround them, and on the screen, by means of the augmented reality, will show icons that contain the data on the direction in which the building is located and on what distance. All applications that have been developed within the project “City Talking” are available in Serbian and English.
BASTION I Stari grad 517, Kotor +382 32 322 116
Fish restaurant “Bastion I� was opened in 1996 in the old town of Kotor.
BASTION II Braće Ribnikar 40, Beograd +381 11 344 7711
Restaurant “Bastion II� also the restaurant, seafood, ope ned in Belgrade in 2007 and the restaurant “Bastion III� opened its doors in December 2011, which offers a natio nal specialties.
BASTION III Tabačiba bb, Kotor +382 32 335 330
Restaurants “Bastion� can offer you great discount for groups and events. www.bastion123.com
K n o w l e d g e
PROF. SLOBODAN ČEROVIĆ, DEAN OF THE FACULTY FOR TOURIST AND HOTEL MANAGEMENT OF “SINGIDUNUM” UNIVERSITY
Practice as a Standard Lectures are always accompanied by numerous examples from practice. The applicable knowledge is an important comparative advantage here. It is recognized by everybody, from clients to employers, local and foreign
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or young people it is important that they choose a faculty where they would gain knowledge that they can apply in future careers. Students who enroll at the Faculty for Tourist and Hotel Management of “Singidunum” University will learn already on the first year all the possibilities of working in tourist industry. Lectures are always accompanied by numerous examples from practice, and specific and practical projects are prepared as the graduation thesis. – Employers today are looking at what an employee knows how to do. If students do well during practical work, they will be offered a job. Our students have knowledge and competences, they are creative, responsible, and it is not surprising that they often find employment in organizations where they do their mandatory professional internship – professor Slobodan Čerović, the Dean of this Faculty, says. – The main competitive advantage of “Singidunum” graduates includes gained theoretical and practical knowledge in the area of tourism and hotel management, informatics and fluency in two foreign languages. That is why or former students are getting even the most responsible jobs in tourism, in both local and foreign companies. Our diploma means a lot. We also have an increasing number of foreign students, at regular, graduate and doctoral studies.
Text and photos: Rozana their Sazdić
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Professor Čerović has worked in the economy for a long time and held numerous public offices. From 2008, he has been teaching at “Singidunum”, and since recently he has been performing the duties of the Dean of the Faculty for Tourist and Hotel Management. – In addition to these new obligations, I will continue to perform my duties as a professor with the same enthusiasm. Transferring knowledge to young people is a noble mission. Our task is to create experts who will contribute to the progress of the economy, profession and science. I am happy to be a part of this team comprised of renowned professors and scientists – he says. – In the past fifteen years, the University has developed into a prestigious scientific and educational institution. In contemporary business, the prerequisite for success is continuous improvement, life-long learning. Continuous increase of personal competence, and therefore the competence of the University, is our obligation. Students are here certainly in the center, Dean Čerović adds. – We are continuously improving our curriculum and quality: for example, marketing or management, information systems or accounting, cannot be studied from books written 20 or 30 years ago, right? At “Singidunum”, one edition can be used for a maximum of three years.
nOVi SaD | BELgraDE | niŠ
call For adMission to
accredited undergraduate acadeMic studies for the academic year 2015/2016.
Faculty oF Business in Belgrade study programme: BuSinESS ECOnOMiCS Modules: accounting and auditing Finance and Banking Marketing and ManageMent HuMan resources ManageMent (Hr)
singidunuM university & iMc university kreMs austrian studies in serbia Joint BBa studies in english
study programme: tourisM and leisure ManageMent 32 Danijelova Street, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 30 93 209, 3093 219 www.singidunum.ac.rs
study programme: TOuriSM anD HOSPiTaLiTY Options: tourisM Hospitality gastronoMy 32 Danijelova Street, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 30 94 094 www.singidunum.ac.rs
study programme: inFOrMaTiCS anD COMPuTing study programme: inFOrMaTiOn TECHnOLOgY 32 Danijelova Street, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 30 94 094 www.singidunum.ac.rs
32 Danijelova Street, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 30 94 094 www.singidunum.ac.rs
Faculty oF tourisM and Hospitality ManageMent
Faculty oF inForMatics and coMputing
Faculty oF tecHnical sciences study programme:
Faculty oF pHysical education and sports ManageMent study programme: pHysical education and sport
study programme: sports ManageMent 32 Danijelova Street, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 30 94 094 www.singidunum.ac.rs
ELECTriCaL EnginEEring anD COMPuTing
Options: electronic coMMunications soFtWare engineering energy eFFiciency 32 Danijelova Street, Belgrade Phone: +381 11 30 94 094 www.singidunum.ac.rs
singidunum High school is a well-equipped, modern institution boasting outstanding facilities and expert teaching staff. it has been established with the aim to provide students with high-quality general secondary education and live to the expectations of students and their respective parents. our mission is to provide students with the opportunity to study in the environment that encourages learning and creativity and provides a greater depth to the educational and co-curricular activities. annual tuition fee is 2900 eur (it could be paid in 10 equal monthly installments). the following items are included in the tuition fee: regular, additional and remedial classes, snacks, course books, foreign language courses and preparation for obtaining international language certificates within singidunum university center for Foreign languages. there is a special family discount as well as the discount for the candidates who enroll upon recommendation of singidunum university students. admissions are underway for the 2015 – 2016 school year. For more information on the admission process and tuition fee, please visit our official web site.
Dušana Popovića 7, 11050 Zvezdara, Serbia Phone: 011/30 93 269; 30 93 260; Mob: 065/30 93 269 E-mail: gimnazija@singidunum.ac.rs
www.giMnaZijaSingiDunuM.rS
Oi n t m e n t s
“MERKUR” IN THE NEW TOURIST SEASON
Serbian Spa Resort, World Class Services
Medical package is supplemented with numerous balneology and sub-specialized services. The Center of Medical Esthetics has opened areas of brand new possibilities. Another novelty is the first personalized all-inclusive board “Selfie”
A
t this year’s Tourism Fair in Belgrade, Special Hospital “Merkur” will present a unique offer: the richest medical packages (for those coming for health), CME packages (for those coming for beauty) and “Selfie” package (for those who want to create an all-inclusive stay by themselves).
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MEDICAL PACKAGE Taking into account pleasure and health of its guests, which trust has been continuously growing, “Merkur” has extended its service packages. They are now even more diverse and with more content, tailored to the needs of the users. In a shortest pos-
sible time, guests will get a complete insight into their health condition and appropriate therapy. In addition to standard medical packages, including all wellness programs (bath tubs, enemy, drinking, inhalation), as well as some sub-specialist services, another novelty in the medical offer is Cardio Life Package. It is intended for all those who want to check their heart and blood vessels. Regardless of whether it is diabetes, skeletal-joint system diseases, gastroenterological-hepatological or gynecological disorders, quick health check-up, or simply rest and relaxation, “Merkur” is the right place for a complete health service. Medicinal mineral waters, peloid, contemporary diagnostic methods, a team of 40 doctors specialists and sub-specialists, the most contemporary equipment, everything in one place, under one roof, at affordable prices, makes “Merkur” AWAKEN HEALTH!
The price includes everything: from subspecialist medicine and wellness, esthetics, excursions and entertainment, to free of charge transportation from Belgrade by a special “Merkur’s” vehicle. Guests may begin one of the packages, then continue through wellness package, spend few more days in the Centre of Medical Esthetics, and then transfer again to the sub-specialist medicine. In this, they will have unlimited drinks in “Merkur’s” buffets. Superb medical service, relax programs for relaxation, comfortable accommodation, personal trainer, personal therapist, learning about important sites of Vrnjačka Banja and its surroundings, sports-recreational programs, folklore and dance schools... “Selfie” vacation, without a wallet, an escape from all obligations, tie to collect positive energy for new challenges!
“SELFIE” PACKAGE
OFFER OF THE CENTRE FOR MEDICAL ESTHETICS
“Selfie” package is the first à la carte package in Serbia. The best choice for all those who want to spend their vacation carefree, dedicated to themselves and people they love. By selecting this all-inclusive offer of “Merkur”, the guests themselves define the goals of their stay.
Opening of the Center of Medical Esthetics (CME) in “Merkur”, in June 2014, was great refreshment in the tourist wellness and spa market of Serbia. Since then, the entire Serbia has been adequately informed about the significance of esthetics and healthy habits for everyday life. Guests SERBIA SPECIAL EDITION 2015
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Booking and payment from home Fast lifestyle and daily obligations are the main reasons why most people don’t have time to take care of their health. Not to mention going to a travel agent to ask about offers for treatment, rehabilitation or rest. “Merkur” has enabled that all this can be done from the comfort of one’s home, online. In just a few clicks, via the dialogue list on website www.vrnjcispa. rs, guests will book their escape into this oasis of health. There is also an option to make payments online by payment cards.
from the country and abroad are coming to Vrnjačka Banja to become more beautiful, more handsome, healthier. They are welcomed by a team of doctors and therapists who are creating for every guest their personal program of therapies, diet, trainings, walks, relaxation and wellness treatment. CME offer also includes bodily weight balancing programs (treatment of obesity or malnourishment), reshaping of the body, anti-cellulite and relax programs. Since recently, the guests can also receive services of skin rejuvenation (anti-aging), esthetic surgery and esthetic dentistry. Cavitation. The only non-surgical, non-invasive procedure that literally destroys fat on the abdomen, thighs, hips and arms. In only one treatment, one can lose 3-6 centimeters in circumference on the most critical places. Lymph draining. An indispensable therapeutic procedure for stimulating circulation of lymph, improvement of vein circulation and detoxification. The treatment that stimulates degradation of cellulite, reduces volume and stimulates tissue blood flow. Radio frequency. It is a method of face lifting and treatment of cellulite without surgical procedure. It is painless, non-surgical and effective, for all skin types. The result is visible immediately after the first treatment. One can choose tightening of face lift, neck, cleavage, chin, abdomen, thighs, arms. CME is a true example of how one should organize medical and non-medical resources for the purpose of good quality esthetics. The treatments must be performed professionally, under supervision of medical professionals. Doctors of the CME are supported by the “Merkur’s” team of 40 doctors specialists and sub-specialists. A personalized menu for patients is created by sub-specialist of nutrition, and personalized training program by a professional trainer, under supervision of personal therapist.
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ROUND TRIPS: Romantic Srem Karadjordje and wine Impressive Decebal The land of Despot The Drina and west Serbia Roman Danube and Wine The Magic Danube Delta
29 € 29 € 70 € 39 € 59 € 59 € 479 €
From Pannonia mainland, through the wild Iron Gate till the colorful Delta, Danube is the most attractive part for exploring around. Traveling by boat and bus, you will enjoy the folklore, hospitality and way of living from the local people. You will visit Roman sites, old villages, protected nature, wild beauties, taste wine and traditional kitchen, sing, dance and feel folklore music.
BEOGRADSKA 29, BEOGRAD 011 - 334 67 76 / 334 61 62 WWW.ROBINSON.RS
Convention Centre Zlatibor, Villa “Romanija”
within resort complex “Ratko Mitrović“, with 314 beds InstItutIon of students vacatIon belgrade business unit “Ratko Mitrović”, Zlatibor +381 31 841 369 +381 31 841 791
> High quality programs, in accordance with all requirements of modern congress tourism > The most advanced audio and video equipment > Two conference halls, one with 240 congress seats, and the other with 240 congress and 60 conference seats > Comfortable rooms, from single to quadruple rooms > Organize in the best way your congresses, symposia and professional meetings Call us, and we will take care of the rest!