ZEMUN FORTRESS

One Fortress – One Hundred Masters

The Zemun fortress is located in the Belgrade municipality of the same name, on the edge of the prominent loess plateau Gardoš, offering an excellent view of the Danube, Great War Island, and the fertile Banat plain. This strategically significant site, facing the Belgrade fortress and the confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers, has witnessed numerous battles and a succession of various invaders, peoples, and cultures throughout history. The Celts built the first fortifications here, followed by the Romans, while the present-day remnants of walls date back to the Middle Ages. Only the quadrangular citadel remains from a former, larger fortification. In its centre, the Millennium Tower, also known as the Tower of Sibinjanin Janko, was built in 1896.

Based on archaeological explorations, it has been established that the area of Gardoš was inhabited as early as prehistoric times. In the oldest layer, from the Neolithic period, remnants of the Starčevo and Vinča cultures were discovered, followed by the Eneolithic Baden culture and, ultimately, the Iron Age culture, attributed to the Celts. It was the Celts who built the first fortification here. It has been proven that the settlement of the Celtic Scordisci tribe was situated on the southeastern part of the loess plateau, facing the river. This settlement was shielded by an earthen defensive structure—an oppidum. Later, a smaller Roman stronghold named Taurunum was built on the same site, existing from the 1st to the 6th century. Over time, Taurunum developed into a minor town with a river harbour and a castellum as the settlement expanded down the slopes, forming part of the defensive system of the Danube limes.

ABOVE: Map of the site

Zemun Fortress

ABOVE: Zemun Fortress with the Millennium Tower

The fortification is first documented as the Malevilla castellum in the 9th century and then again in 1096, after being destroyed by soldiers of the First Crusade. The toponym Zemun, which means “settlement of semi-dugout houses”, was adopted after the establishment of the Slavic settlement. It was found in written sources from the 12th century, during the period of constant battles between Byzantium and Hungary along the Sava and Danube. The fiercest clashes occurred in the vicinity of Zemun and Belgrade, which frequently changed hands between conquerors. Stones from the Belgrade Fortress were often used to reinforce Zemun’s defences and vice versa. According to John Kinnamos, a Byzantium chronicler, the Hungarians seized control of the Belgrade Fortress in 1127 and used its stones to erect the town of Zemun. A few decades later, in 1151, when the Byzantine Emperor Manoilo I Komnin conquered and destroyed Zemun, its stones were transported across the Sava River to rebuild Belgrade. That event reoccurred in 1165, and by the end of the 12th century, Zemun came under Hungarian control as Castrum Zemlen.

View from Gardoš
Church of St. Nicholas in Zemun

ABOVE: LEFT: Lower Town and the Danube from Gardoš. RIGHT: The Nikolajevska Church

The Ottomans initially demolished Zemun in 1397, along with the nearby Belgrade Fortress. In the early 15th century, Zemun was rebuilt, along with numerous other fortifications on the southern borders of Hungary, including Slankamen and Kupinik. In 1411, the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxembourg handed over Zemun to Serbian despot Stefan Lazarević. In 1440, the fortified Zemun played a significant role in Belgrade’s defence. Afterwards, it was given to the Đurađ Branković. In 1521, during the siege of Belgrade, Zemun was also attacked. It was defended by the Shaykashs (famous river flotilla) led by the Skobalić brothers. Under the pressure of superior forces, the entire garrison of Zemun perished, and the final resistance likely took place on Gardoš. Nearly a century later, a miniature from 1608 shows the castle still intact and roofed, while panoramas from the 18th century already depict it in ruins.

Zemun Fortress on Gardoš

ABOVE: View of the Millennium Tower from the perspective of the Zemun Fortress

Today, the only preserved part of the former fortification is a square Gothic-style citadel at the edge of a large loess plateau that rises sharply above the Danube. The earliest surviving remnants of the mediaeval Zemun are believed to be the existing walls, which date back to the 14th or 15th century. In each of the citadel’s four corners, aligned with the cardinal directions, lie the remains of large circular towers, each with an average diameter of 10 meters. The approximate length of its sides, including the towers, is about 45 meters. Broken stone walls up to two meters high are insulated with brick in lime mortar. In 1948, the Zemun Fortress was declared a monument of culture.

List of References

The Millennium Tower on Gardoš
Zemun Fortress

ABOVE: LEFT AND RIGHT: The Millennial Tower, a former symbol of power, today is Zemun’s main tourist attraction

Belgrade Siege and Death of the Janoš Hunyadi

The Siege of Belgrade in 1456 was the Ottomans’ second major attack on this town, the most significant Hungarian bastion on the kingdom’s southern border. During the siege, the Ottomans chained their ships together on the Danube, directly below Zemun Fortress, to prevent Hungarian reinforcements from arriving from the north. John Hunyadi (a.k.a. Sibinjanin Janko) managed to break the blockade with his army, defeat the Ottomans, and secure the greatest Christian victory over the Ottomans in the 15th century. In honour of his great success, processions were held, and church bells rang throughout the Christian world. Within three weeks after the battle ended, as celebrations of triumph continued, Hunjadi died of the plague in one of the Gardoš fortified towers.

Zemun Fortress on Gardoš

ABOVE: Night at the plateau of the Zemun Fortress

The Millennium Tower

The Millennium Tower is one of four identical monuments erected by Hungary to highlight its millennial statehood. Throughout history, it has been an embodiment of power, a watchtower, and a lookout. Today, it is one of the most well-known tourist attractions in Zemun and all of Belgrade. Among locals, it is better known as the Kula Sibinjanin Janka (John Hunyadi), the Hungarian nobleman and valiant fighter against Ottomans, celebrated in Serbian folk songs. The tower was designed by Hungarian architects and constructed from stone and brick in a variety of architectural styles. It stands 36 meters high and has multiple levels. Many mysterious tales have been told about its basement. One of them speaks of a secret tunnel that, allegedly, leads beneath the Danube all the way to the Belgrade Fortress.

Translation: Marija Stamenković

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