Unique in its geographical position and past, the city is a winner of the highest local and international awards.
“The sky above Belgrade is wide and high, unstable but always beautiful; even in winter serenities with their icy splendour; even in summer storms when the whole of it turns into a single gloomy cloud which driven by a mad wind carries the rain mixed with the dust of the Pannonian Plain; even in spring when it seems it also blooms, along with the ground; even in autumn when it grows heavy with the autumn stars in swarms. Always beautiful and rich, as a compensation to this strange town for everything that isn’t there and a consolation for everything that should not be there.
The greatest splendour of the sky above Belgrade is the sunsets. In autumn and summer, they are wide and bright like desert mirages, and in winter they are smothered with murky clouds and haze. Each season, very often there are days when the flame of the sun setting in the plain, among the rivers in Belgrade, gets reflected up in the high celestial dome, breaks and pours down as a red glitter over the scattered town. Then, for a moment, a reddish tint of the sun paints even the furthest corners of Belgrade and reflects into the windows and those houses that are usually poorly illuminated.”
About Belgrade: Ivo Andrić, Serbian Nobel Prize Laureate
Belgrade is the capital city at the junction of the roads between the east and the west.
Belgrade is located in South-Eastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It is situated at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, on the slope between alluvial plains. It is surrounded by two rivers from three sides. Therefore, since ancient times it has been the guardian of river passages. Due to its position, it is named ‘the gate’ of the Balkans and ‘the door’ to Central Europe. Along the ridge of the slope, from Kalemegdan, along Knez Mihailova Street, across Terazije to Slavija, stretches the main city traffic artery.
The coordinates of Belgrade are marked in Knez Mihailova Street:
44°49’14” of northern latitude
20°27’44” of eastern latitude
Altitude of 116.75 m
Belgrade is a junction of the roads of Eastern and Western Europe, leading through the Morava-Vardar valley and the Niš-Marica valley to the coast of the Aegean Sea, to Asia Minor and the Middle East. Belgrade lies on the River Danube, the navigable line connecting the Western and Central Europe countries with the countries of South-Eastern and Eastern Europe. With construction of an artificial lake and the Đerdap Power Plant, Belgrade has become a river and sea port. Many ships from the Black Sea sail to the Belgrade port. With opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, Belgrade was the centre of the most significant navigable line to Europe: the North Sea- ‒ the Atlantic-the Black Sea.
Belgrade is the only metropolis in Europe lying on the confluence of two large rivers.
Although it lies on two large rivers, Belgrade has not fully integrated the river banks yet. The river banks of Belgrade are 200 km long. There are 16 river islands in this area. The best known are Ada Ciganlija, Veliko ratno ostrvo (Great War Island) and Gročanska ada.
In view of its length (2,850 km) and ramified river basin (120 tributaries), the Danube is one of the longest rivers in the world and the second longest in Europe after the River Volga. The course of the Danube through Serbia is 588 km long, it is fully navigable and represents a natural connection to Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. The course of the Danube in Belgrade area is 60 km, from Stari Banovci to Grocka.
The River Sava is 945 km long. Its course through Belgrade area is 30 km long, from Obrenovac upstream to the confluence. All 207 km of the course through Serbia has a potential to get an international navigable line status of satisfactory category and thus connect Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Srpska and Serbia. The Sava and the Danube confluence under Kalemegdan is at latitude of 68 m above sea level.
Veliko ratno ostrvo (Great War Island)
It is located at the confluence of the Sava and the Danube and since ancient times it has represented a significant military-strategic point of invading and defending Belgrade. So, during the first siege of Belgrade in 1521, the Turks attacked the Belgrade Fortress from this island. In liberating Belgrade in 1806, insurgents led by Karađorđević, used this island for military purposes. A similar strategy was applied by the Austro-Hungarian soldiers during the attack on Belgrade in 1915.
Today, at Veliko ratno ostrvo there are cottage houses and gardens of nature lovers and on its upper tip is the famous Zemun beach called Lido. The island and the rivers are a home to numerous rare and endangered bird species, but it is also a landscape of exceptional morphological and geological creations.
The Old Votive Feast is the symbol of the city’s ascension from the ashes.
Religion historians and ethnologists agree that slava (feast) or krsno ime (baptismal name), is rather Serbian and national than a religious institution. It was introduced in the family life of the Serbs in the 13th century.
The city has been celebrating the Ascension Day as slava since Despot Stefan Lazarević gave Belgrade the status of the capital city in 1403. This old votive slava symbolically represents Belgrade’s uprising from the ashes and indestructible hope and faith in the future. It is a representation of spiritual and moral strength of the people hardened in the glorious past, steadfast in the present times and proudly looking into the future. Under the pressure of many enemies, celebration of the city feast was occasionally interrupted but continued, enduring the hardest test of values and time.
The Ascension Day or Spasovdan, is one of the ten holidays dedicated to Christ. It is a moving holiday, always falls on Thursday, forty days after Easter and ten days before Pentecost. According to Christian teaching, after Easter, Christ stayed in this world with his Apostles forty days, contacting them, teaching them, and especially strengthening their faith after Calvary and crucifixion. The very act of the ascension took place in Bethany, a village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives 2 km far from Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. That day, the Christ’s stay on earth ended for salvation and redemption of the human race. Christ blessed his Apostles and ascended to Heaven in front of them and sat on the right side of God. Subsequently, the Apostles regained their faith, joy and courage.
How important this holiday was for the Serbs, can be seen in the fact that the largest historical-legal document of the medieval Serbian state, the famous Dušan’s Law (Dušanov zakonik), was proclaimed on the Ascension Day in 1349 and also amended on the Ascension Day 1354. At the Ascension Day celebration in 1939, the city of Belgrade was awarded the highest war decoration of Karađorđe’s Star with Swords of IV degree. It is worth mentioning that the Ascension Church built in 1863, has maintained the original flag of the city of Belgrade. On one side of the flag made of red brocade, there is an icon of the Ascension of our Lord and inscription in gold: Municipality of the city of Belgrade in 1938. On the other side, there is an icon of St Petka and the message: The baptismal name helps the one who celebrates it ‒. This church, which keeps the city feast, was the starting point of the procession in 1992 led by His Hollines Patriarch Pavle.
The procession has an established route on the streets of Belgrade, symbolically closing a lap in the yard of the Ascension Church. The first stop to say prayers for good health of the citizens of Belgrade is at Terazije Founatin (instead of the mark which used to be in the spot of the Serbian Academy of Science). The second stop is near the Cathedral Church to say prayers to our Lord to save us from suffering, for peace and prosperity. The third stop to say prayers for peace of souls of the fallen heroes of Belgrade is in the yard of the Ascension Church in front of the granite cross. It is also interesting that the city has its patron saint, the Most Holy Mother of God, to whom Despot Stefan Lazarević dedicated Belgrade.
Belgrade signs represent the symbol of rich history of the city.
The first records of the Belgrade coat of arms originate from the time of Emperor Lazar’s son, Despot Stefan Lazarević when Belgrade became the capital city of the Serbian state for the first time in 1403. However, to this day it has not been established with certainty what it looked like. The next coat of arms dates back to the time of the Hungarian rule and is presented in heraldry register ‘Fugersko ogledalo časti’ of 1555. The Belgrade coat of arms tradition was interrupted under the Turkish occupation for the Turks were not familiar with this kind of symbols and it resumed again when the Austrians conquered Belgrade in the 18th century. At that time, upon the proposal of the royal governor Alexander of Württemerbg, the Royal War Council adopted a new seal in 1725. The literature also mentions a coat of arms from the Brockhaus Encyclopedia, a coat of arms from the Larousse Encyclopedia and a supposed ancient coat of arms of the town. It is important to say that all these coats of arms are known only for their prints on engravings or from the literature. Besides, they were mainly coats of arms assigned to Belgrade by non-Serbian government.
Mr Milan Nešić, the president of the municipality of Belgrade, initiated activities to determine the Belgrade coat of arms in 1931. An expanded committee was formed. It consisted of artists, heraldists, university professors, generals and state councilors. The expanded committee had many sessions and discussed the issue, so as to make the following conclusions at the first session of the regular committee on 19 May 1931:
1. The Belgrade coat of arms must be shield-shaped, slightly pointed to the bottom.
2. The coat of arms elements: national colours, river as the symbol of primordial power of Belgrade, Roman galley (trireme) - as the symbol of antiquity of Belgrade, white walls with a tower and an open gate. The wall represents a settlement, the tower represents a city, and the open gate represents free communication.
3. The ground between the rivers and under the walls is red, as the symbol of blood, eternal suffering of Belgrade; the rivers are white according to laws of heraldry; the walls and the tower are white, as the symbol of the ‘white city’; the sky is blue, as the symbol of hope and faith in better future.
The sketch of the Belgrade painter Đorđe Andrejević was a convincing winner at the open competition. Upon the suggestion of the jury, minor changes were made, so the rewarded and officially adopted sketch of the coat of arms was printed in colour in the ‘Beogradske opštinske novine’ (Belgrade municipal newspaper), No. 1/32.
After World War II, due to modified social circumstances, the city began to forget its coat of arms. Statutory solutions included from complete absence of the provisions of the coat of arms, through the use of the term ‘emblem’, with no blazon (description) of the coat of arms, to the provisions that give blazon of a stylised version with no supporting documents.
Having been faced with confusion of parallel use of coats of arms, the Assembly of the city of Belgrade formed a working group to find a solution to this problem in the beginning of 1991. The working group suggested they reestablish the legitimacy of the 1931 coat of arms, three minor corrections of the graphic display, blazon of the coat of arms and the flag. The Statute of the city of Belgrade of 1991, adopted the suggested solutions which legally confirmed significance and value of the coat of arms of 1931 and created new conditions for the adoption of the Decision on the use of the coat of arms and the flag of the city of Belgrade in 1995. Therefore, the Assembly of the city of Belgrade for the first time normatively regulated the matter of city signs. Some wanderings in search for better solutions and lack of comparative practice in the country led to several changes. The need to comply with the current legal regulations, as well as regulate the use of the name of the City led to adoption of the new Decision on the use of the name, the coat of arms and the flag of the city of Belgrade (Official Gazette of the city of Belgrade, No 37/16). Pursuant to this Decision, the use of the coat of arms of the city was regulated at three levels and were given blazons of the middle (medium) and great coat of arms according to conceptual solutions of the Serbian Heraldry Society ‘Beli orao’ (White eagle).
Legal regulation of the use of the coat of arms
The use of the coat of arms of the city is regulated by the following Statute, the Decision and the Instruction.
The Statute of the city of Belgrade (Official Gazette of the city of Belgrade, No. 39/08, 6/10, 23/13 and17/16 and Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 7/2016 (Decision of the Constitutional Court))
The Decision on the use of the name, the coat of arms and the flag of the city of Belgrade (Official Gazette of the city of Belgrade, No. 37/16).
The Instruction for the use of the coat of arms and the flag of the city of Belgrade (Official Gazette of the city of Belgrade, No. 35/03)
For the use of the basic coat of arms and the flag of the city as decorations, as part of unprotected sign or for commercial purposes, it is necessary to obtain a consent of the Assembly of the city of Belgrade, pursuant to the provisions of the Decision on the use of the name, the coat of arms and the flag of the city of Belgrade (Official Gazette of the city of Belgrade No. 37/16).
For the use of the coat of arms of the city, in other cases, the prior opinion of the Secretariat for information has to be obtained (even in case of the official use).
The use of the flag of the city, in other cases, is a matter of pride and does not require approval, however improper and inappropriate use insulting the dignity of Belgrade citizens is subject to penal provisions. Prior consultation is therefore recommended.
Non-compliance with the provisions of the Decision and the Instruction is subject to penal provisions.
Brief instruction for the use of the coat of arms and the flag
The coat of arms and the flag of Belgrade may be used only pursuant to the Decision and the Instruction.
The coat of arms in colour may only be used in the given colours and shape. The choice is personal and depends on graphic environment and the required size of coat of arms.
The coat of arms may not be altered in any way. It may only be proportionally increased or decreased. Nothing may be displayed over the coat of arms, only in the background. Monochrome version of the coat of arms, obtained by photocopying the coat of arms in colour, is inappropriate. The use may not be inappropriate.
The coat of arms of Belgrade has a priority in display over all other coats of arms and emblems, except coat of arms of higher political community. The priority place is on the right side of the centre or on the left side when looking at the composition.
A licence or opinion of the Secretariat for information (even in case of the official case) is needed. Pursuant to rules, compensation is needed for the use of the coat of arms in advertising purposes. Non-licenced use of the coat of arms or non-compliance to the Decision or the Instruction is subject to penal provisions. The procedure is conducted by the Communal Inspection.
The use of the flag of the city of Belgrade is a matter of pride and does not require approval, however improper or inappropriate use insulting the dignity of Belgrade citizens is subject to penal provisions. Prior consultation is therefore recommended.
Contact:
City Administration of Belgrade
Secretariat for information
1/XI Kraljice Marije Street, Belgrade 11 000
Phone: 0117157812, 0117157455
Email: [email protected]
Graphic standards book
In 2005, the Information Service issued the ‘Graphic standards book of the city of Belgrade’, containing basic elements of visual identity of the city of Belgrade and conceptual solutions to its application. It is a biding document for all those who use and apply visual features of the city in printed materials and electronic media. Non-compliance with graphic standards entails responsibility under the city and copyright regulations.
Logo of Belgrade is presented for the first time in Cyrillic and Latin version, with the official website www.beograd.rs below.
If you receive a positive opinion of the Secreteriat for Information for the use of the basic coat of arms of the city for promotional purposes, you may download it in EPS format (286 KB) or CDR 12 format (227 KB) in all versions of use (Cyrillic or latin, black and white, colour or negative), as shown in the photo below.
EPS format (286 KB)
CDR12 format (227 KB)
Approval for the use of the coat of arms:
Subjects seeking permission to use the coat of arms and the flag are obliged to submit a request containing:
1) Name and Surname of the Applicant;
2) Name of the responsible person and its function;
3) Special purpose for which the right to use the coat of arms/flag is sought;
4) Time for which the use of coat of arms and/or the flag is required;
5) Graphic display of the manner and place of use, as well as accompanying content with the coat of arms and/or the flag;
6) Title, subtitle and accompanying text to which the coat of arms and/or the flag will be applied;
7) In case of advertising: product circulation, place and the manner of sale;
8) Other information upon the request of the administrative body for granting the approval.
It is an event where prestigious awards for achievements in several fields are presented.
On 26 December 2002, the Assembly of the city of Belgrade decided to celebrate time between two significant events in the history of our city from 16 April to 19 April as ‘Days of Belgrade’. Slavic name Belgrade was for the first time mentioned on 16 April 878 in one written document - a letter of Pope John VIII to the Bulgarian Prince Boris, while on 19 April 1867, the last Turkish commander Ali-Riza Pasha symbolically finally handed over the keys to Prince Mihailo at Kalemegdan, nearly three-and-a half-century long occupation ceased and Belgrade again became a Serbian city.
In its long and turbulent history, Belgrade has frequently changed both its name and rulers. Since the third century, when the Celtic tribe, the Scordisci, founded the Singidunum stronghold at the confluence of the Save and the Danube, the city at ‘crossroads of the worlds’ has been invaded by the Byzantines, the Gepids, the Sarmatians, the Eastern Goths, the Slovenes, the Avars, the Francs, the Bulgarians, the Hungarians, the Turks, the Austrians, the Germans... each of the rulers gave it their own name from Singedon, Nandor, Fehervar, Nandor Alba, Alba Graeca, Griechisch Weissenburg, Alba Bulgarica, Taurunum, to Prinz Eugenburg, the name given by the Germans in 1941. However, its Slavic name has been lasting the longest - Belgrade. In the British Encyclopedia of cities is recorded that it is the city the most number of fights were fought, but also the city with most symbolic names such as the Hill of Fight and Glory, the Hill for Contemplation, the House of Wars, the Egypt of Rumelia, the House of Freedom, the Gateway of the East, the Gate of the West...
Belgrade was under the Ottoman rule for the longest period of time from 1521 to 19 April 1867. Firman on surrender оf the city - it is recorded in the history of Belgrade - was publicly proclaimed at Kalemegdan in the presence of Serbian dignitaries, representatives of great powers, the Serbian and Turkish armies and the entire Belgrade population. It was the most solemn day for Belgrade. It was decorated with flowers and flags, and in front of the current theatre, at Terazije, in Savamala and other places triumphal arches were erected. After Firman was read, the Prince rode through the Serbian and Turkish army and went to the town where the Commander of the Belgrade Fortress Ali-Riza Pasha symbolically handed over to him the keys to the Serbian towns (apart from Belgrade, he was also handed over the keys to Užice, Šabac, Smederevo, Kladovo and Soko Grad). At the Belgrade Fortress, next to the Turkish flag, the Serbian flag was displayed, while Turkish guard was replaced by the Serbian one. The last detachment of the Turkish garrison left the Fortress and Belgrade on 24 April 1867, while the last Turkish Commander Ali-Riza Pasha left the following day. Nine years later, in 1876, the last symbol of the former occupation – an Ottoman flag – was removed from the Fortress.
The City of Belgrade Award, the City of Belgrade Award for creativity of the youth and Svetislav Stojanović City of Belgrade Award are presented every year in April on the occasion of ‘Days of Belgrade’ from 16 April to 19 April.
The City of Belgrade Award is given to artists for the most valuable accomplishments in Belgrade in the following areas: art (literature and translations, theatre, film and radio-television, art and applied art, visual and expanded media, music and stage), science (social sciences and humanities, natural and technical sciences and invention), medicine, architecture and urbanism, agriculture, journalism, education, sport, heroic deeds, long-term work and lasting contribution to the city of Belgrade, as well as special recognition for exceptional contribution to realization of events of significance for the city of Belgrade.
The City of Belgrade Award for creativity is given to pupils and students for the most valuable achievements in science and art.
Svetislav Stojanović City of Belgrade Award is given to individuals and the Firefighting unit for outstanding results accomplished in the area of fire protection in the city of Belgrade.
The Award is given for work that became available to the public for the first time in the city of Belgrade form 1 January to 31 December of the year preceding the year the Award is given.