turies. The Ottomans set out on the path of its valley to make their conquest of Europe. It also played a key role in connecting the industrial centres of Europe during the time of the Industrial Revolution. At the time, most of the course of the river was controlled by the Austrians.Many battles took place on theDanube during both world wars, and the histories of various nations are linked to the Danube Valley, as this river has always linked the destinies of the nations of Europe. And the Danube has retained that role to this day. Or, as French emperor Napoleon would say, the Danube is the emperor among rivers - as eternal as the Tiber, as fertile as the Nile, as magnificent as theMississippi, as loved as the Volga, as spirited as the Rhine … The Danube enters Serbia at the 1,433rd kilometre of its course, at the point of the three-way border betweenHungary, Croatia and Serbia, thenflows through the country for 588 kilometres. The first major settlement on this stretch of the river is Apatin, while not far away is Sombor, Vojvodina’s greenest city. The course of the great river leads us on towards Fruška Gora, the lonely mountain in the Pannonian Sea, which sprawls proudly over the plain, protectingnumerousmonasteries, the National Park, the Wine Route etc. The Danube’s entrance to Novi Sad is guarded by Petrovaradin Fortress, one of themost beautiful fortifications on the Danube, while Novi Sad is a city that you must visit, FETISLAM When you leave the centre of the town of Kladovo and head towards the Đerdap hydroelectric power plant, you will be awaited by a winding, stone road that’s become overgrown withmoss over time, and if you were to follow its route you’d soon reach the fortress of Fetislam. The proper name of this fortification, which was built during the time of Suleiman the Magnificent as the last line of Ottoman defence, is actually Fethislamor “the gate of Islam”, while it can also be found in literature under the name “the gate of peace”... It is also interesting that this fortress, composed of the Smaller andGreater towns, was nicknamed “Svetislav” by the Serbs, in their spirit. For almost five centuries, this “sleeping old lady” has recalled the smell of gunpowder, the stamping of horses, the clatter of heavy knight’s armour, sabres andmaces. SMEDEREVO FORTRESS Surrounded by the rivers of the Danube and the Jezava, standing as amarvel of medieval Serbian architecture is the magnificent Smederevo Fortress - once theminiature embodiment of the glorious city of Constantinople. If the legend is to be believed, this “watery city” was created at the behest of Jerina the Cursed, Byzantine princess Irina Kantakuzin who was the wife of Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković. The people believed that a “demonic force” radiated from it. The city of Smederevo was built with the purpose of becoming the new Serbian capital and the fortified court of Despot Đurađ that would be able to resist Turkish attacks, while today it remains as a testament to this Serbian ruler. 29. jun jeMeđunarodni dan Dunava i obeležava se u 14 evropskih podunavskih zemalja potpisnicaMeđunarodne konvencije o zaštiti Dunava, kako bi se podigla svest za očuvanje reke i apelovalo na racionalnu upotrebu vodnih resursa / International Danube Day is commemorated on 29th June in the 14 Danubian countries of Europe that are signatories to the international Danube River Protection Convention, which is aimed at raising awareness of the need to preserve this river and represents an appeal for the rational use of water resources Dunavski ulaz u Novi Sad čuva Petrovaradinska tvrđava, jedna od najlepših na Dunavu The Danube’s entrance to Novi Sad is guarded by Petrovaradin Fortress, one of the most beautiful on the Danube Danube » Dunav | 87
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