Underground Belgrade. Dark land or Wonderland?

By Mirjana Mihajlovic

Experienced ecologist from Belgrade often made fun by saying "Do you know of a European city that has two rivers, one lake, two mountains, and that is not in Switzerland?".
Many do not know, but now you probably guessed already. It's Belgrade.
Belgrade has more than these two mountains, rivers and a lake. Below there are more than 20 underground rivers, a large number of dungeons and underground roads. Numerous, even unknown underground structures, whose origins are very diverse, often linked to countless wars and warriors who have come and gone in this area since Roman times, but also had an economic purpose.
"Dar al-Jihad", or House of War, as the Turks called Belgrade, has become the gateway and the borders of the conflicting worlds, especially in Ottoman era.

But, this is a city that is growing through peace and tragedies ... still - growing! On the one hand we have a city that lies on the plains, slopes and hills, which provide views that are fascinating and breathtaking.
A city where you can do anything you imagine, just one little thought leads all the way up to an incredible dream come true. A city full of vantage that you can see over its parks, urban terraces and boulevards, streets that call and attract life stream.
A city with that special spark of enthusiasm, which you can really feel from the bright and warm view of Kalemegdan fortress. And on the other hand, we have this underground world, some call it Belgrade below Belgrade.
Underworld is awakening the imagination of people when they are standing on the ground. Underground was fed nightmares and nightmares of many generations in the past. Huge caves, very long Roman water system, the well with scary stories, prisons, warehouses, walled up roads, dungeons, basements, underground rivers, strange German's passages, secret graves, underground "buildings" under very important buildings, mysterious stories and rumors... The dark side of the city, as in the past, but also today, people say.

Which side will prevail, we can only assume....

Mirjana is an active member of Free Belgrade Walking Tours