Belgrade Serbia Neighborhoods and Rosenberg Trio Gypsy Jazz Band

Savamala Neighborhood Belgrade – getyourguide.dk

Belgrade has been a wonderful surprise. I’m enjoying the experience! I moved from a studio in the Dorćol neighborhood to a loft in more central Palilua. It’s sunny, comfortable, and most importantly close to everything. The renovated building has high ceilings and an antique open-cage elevator!

Belgrade has festivals every week and many museums and galleries to explore. I’m slowly making my way through attractions of interest. The friendly apartment owner provided valuable info on special activities and performances.

Typical Belgrade Kafana – BTURN

After traveling since October, my brain is on overload again, liong-term trqavel does that to you. I’m taking downtime to explore Belgrade – no rushing. Have had simple, memorable experiences interacting with locals. There’s so much to learn and see! Serbia’s turbulent history is complicated, with interesting stories of its fascinating royal dynasties – Kardjordjević and Obrenović.

Zemun Neighborhood – StefanRTW

This post has brief descriptions of Belgrade neighborhoods. I’ve visited most of them and explore new areas every day. When you look beneath the surface, every building and street has its own unique history and a deeper meaning.

Belgrade Neighborhoods
Skadarlija Bohemian Borough Belgrade – Serbia Incoming™ DMC

Belgrade’s special atmosphere and way of life is a refreshing change from anything familiar. It’s good for the heart and soul to experience new places and cultures, but takes considerable effort and energy. This is my fifth new place, so far this trip.

Nebojša Tower Kalemegdan Park – Belgrade My Way
Dorćol

Dorćol is a laid-back neighborhood known for its cafés, restaurants, and pubs. The name supposedly means “crossroads”. The area is near the Sava and Danube Rivers and was “a busy trading point during Ottoman occupation”.

Dedinje Mansion – Mentor Real Estate
Skadarlija

Belgrade Bohemian district – Skadarlija – is within Dorćol. It’s best known for reasonably priced Serbian kafana restaurants with attentive waiters. I have a few favorites but am always trying new places. Traditional food is delicious and reasonably priced. Roving musicians play gypsy music while you dine.

Typical Kafana Restaurant Belgrade – Restoran Beograd
Kalemegdan Park – The Happy Hermit
Multicultural

Dorćol represents Belgrade’s multicultural history. In addition to Orthodox churches it’s home to the only surviving mosque – Bajrakli Mosque – and is the former center of Belgrade’s Jewish community. Each Orthodox church has a unique story!

Mural Savamala  Neighborhood – Wikipedia
Parks and Rivers

Dorćol has Belgrade’s largest park – Kalemegdan – near the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers. Known as the “symbol of Belgrade,” the beautiful park includes a two-thousand-year-old Roman Well, Belgrade Fortress, and Nebojša Tower.

Roman Well Entrance Kalemegdan – tipotravel.com

They say if you haven’t visited Kalemegdan, you can’t claim you’ve been to Belgrade. I’ve walked through the large park – it was raining that day – and will return. The views are magnificent. The mysterious Roman Well has fascinated many, including Alfred Hitchcock.

Savamala Neighborhood – mreast.dk
New Belgrade – Novi Beograd 

New Belgrade has “massive expanses of towering concrete building blocks in a world within itself”. It’s one of the “most populous parts of the city”. Established at the end of the 1940s, Novi Beograd “satiated Josip Broz Tito‘s desire for a huge capital city”.

Beograđanka Skyscraper – The Skyscraper Center

As in Sarajevo, the blocks with plain and ugly but functional communist-style concrete buildings – also known as Brutalist Architecture – are slightly overwhelming. Genex Tower is a prominent Novi Beograd landmark. In spite of the architecture, some describe Novi Beograd as one of the “most exciting parts of Belgrade”.

Brutalism – Soviet Architecture New Belgrade – ArchDaily
New Belgrade Neighborhood – Flickr
Vračar

Vračar is Belgrade’s smallest municipality and one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods. The iconic Church of St. Sava, National Library of Serbia (once a brothel), and Beograđanka Skyscraper are located in Vračar.

Bajrakli Mosque  Belgrade – Todayonline.
Kosančićev Venac 

West of central Belgrade, Kosančićev Venac was “built on the site of an ancient Roman necropolis”. The area was “damaged heavily during World War II” and is Belgrade’s oldest neighborhood. It has cobblestone streets and a “charming mix of architecture, tree-lined paths, and palaces”.

Orthodox Church of St. Sava Vračar Neighborhood – Mondo
Savamala

I ventured into Savamala neighborhood. It’s near the Sava River waterfront. Once considered Belgrade’s “cultural powerhouse,” Savamala became inhabited by drug dealers and pimps and was known as the “shabbiest part of the city”. Today, live music, bars, and art galleries have turned the neighborhood into a fun nightlife and cultural center.

Dorćol  Neighborhood – CityExpert
Dedinje

Magnificent villas and mansions are characteristic of Dedinje, Belgrade’s wealthiest neighborhood. It’s said that “strolling through Dedinje opens one’s eyes to the riches of diplomats and businessmen involved in questionable actions during the 1990s” Balkan Wars.

Kosančićev Venac Neighborhood – Wikimedia
Zemun

Practically the “dictionary definition of a town within a town,” Zemun hugs the banks of the Danube River. People from Zemun are “fiercely independent” and don’t consider themselves part of Belgrade. The neighborhood is known for its restaurants – especially for fish lovers – and lively bars, pubs, and nightclubs.

Dedinje Neighborhood – Nekretnine
Zvezdara

Zvezdara neighborhood is Belgrade’s forest haven. Its interesting “mass of greenery” is home to local fauna, including rare protected owls and hedgehogs. It’s the neighborhood for hiking, walking, and enjoying nature. Zvezdara forest produces fresh air, includes a “natural underground water reservoir,” and helps prevent pollution from the industrial city of Pančevo reaching the center of Belgrade. It’s known as the “left lung of the city”.

Dedinje Neighborhood Wikipedia
Palilula Neighborhood Belgrade – theculturetrip
Palilula

My neighborhood, Palilula, “occupies some of Belgrade’s prime real estate”. It’s close to the city centre but without the traffic and intensity. The neighborhood developed during the Habsburg occupation of Belgrade. It’s an active, desirable location with interesting landmarks, markets, restaurants, and shops.

Belgrade Genex Tower – The Bohemian Blog
Rosenberg Trio Gypsy Jazz Swing Band

Rosenberg Trio is a famous Gypsy Jazz Swing Band from the Netherlands. They’ve performed throughout Europe, at Carnegie Hall, and several times at Belgrade’s Jubilee Guitar Art Festival.

Inspired by French jazz guitarist Django Rinehart and considered the “essence of Gypsy Jazz Swing Music” the trio has performed together for over 25 years. It’s a family affair, and the concert features two brothers and an uncle.

Beograd Fortress – Wikipedia

Last night I saw them perform at Belgrade’s Kombank Hall as part of Belgrade’s Guitar Festival. The group consisted of founder and virtuoso Štochelo (Štoke) Rozenberg main guitar, Mozes Rozenberg rhythm guitar, and Noni Rozenberg bass guitar.

Stokelo Rosenberg Lead Guitar, Nusse Rosenberg Rhythm Guitar, Noni Rosenberg Bass Guitar – danas.rs
Rosenberg Trio

Štoke is considered one of the best guitarists of all time. He started playing guitar at age 10 and won Guitarist Magazine’s prestigious Golden Guitar Award.

The performance was sold out and the audience went wild for the trio! They performed two encores and ended with a toe-tapping Serbian / Hungarian piece that had the audience squealing with delight. They’re a lovely group with a wonderful vibe and have recorded 26 studio and concert albums. It was a fun, memorable evening.

Kombank Hall Belgrade – SEEbtm

Next week I have a ticket for an International Piano Competition! I’m enjoying walking tours and have tickets for March ballet and opera performances at the National Theatre.

Interior Subotica Synagogue – szecesszio.szegedvaros.hu

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