Nebojša Kula
The Nebojša Tower (Serbian: Nebojša Kula ) is one of the most famous fortification towers of Belgrade's Kalemegdan Fortress . It is located in the lower town at the entrance of the former Danube port. The Greek freedom fighter Rigas Velestinlis died in the Nebojša tower during the Ottoman rule .
Name and legend
The tower bears his name Fear Nothing after the Serbian name Nebojša . According to legend, the original Nebojša Kula was the keep in the castle of the Upper Town during the Serbian despotate under Stefan Lazarević , which was built on the model of the donjon in the Manasija Monastery . The legend goes on to say that when the Turks took almost the entire fortress during a siege, the tower rose into the air and flew into the lower town where it is today, where it still bears witness to its inflexibility and impregnability.
The first names of the tower were White Tower or Timisoara Tower . It only got its current name in the 17th century. At that time, the upper town with the castle between the Deferarever Gate and today's statue of victory was blown up by a gunpowder explosion, which also destroyed the former donjon, the original Nebojša tower. Then the name changed to the tower at the Donauhafen.
building
The Nebojša Tower is an octagonal building with mighty walls. It has four floors (five floors) and a total height of 22 m. There is an opening for a cannon on each side of the octagon on each floor. This allowed the tower to be defended on every side. Once upon a time, the top floor was also intended as a defense platform with battlements. In the 18th century, during the great restoration of the medieval fortress, which was designed only for edged weapons by the Turkish wars at the end of the 17th / beginning of the 18th century, the Austrians roofed over the obsolete top floor as it is has received until today. The shape of the tower is typical of defensive works of the 15th century.
history
The Nebojša tower was built by the Magyars around 1460. The capture of the Belgrade Fortress by the Turks in 1521 took place only after they were able to kill the Nebojša tower with artillery fire. In addition to the Mlinarica tower, the Nebojša tower was the strongest bulwark of the lower town and therefore a main target of artillery bombardment at every siege. It had to be rebuilt several times.
The Nebojša tower as a prison
After the Danube port had lost its importance, and especially after the Danube water arm was filled in, the Nebojša Tower became the most famous torture site and the most important prison in the Belgrade fortress. Therefore, the Nebojša Tower is a monument to the dark ages of Belgrade's history to this day.
The most important prisoner, the Greek freedom fighter Rigas Velestinlis , was executed here on June 24, 1798. In addition, Metropolitan Methodius died here in 1800, who was condemned by Hadi Mustafa Pascha .
The Nebojša tower today
The tower was restored in 1964. Another restoration, mainly with funds from the Greek government, took place between 2009 and 2011. On April 29, 2011, the building was inaugurated by the Greek President Karolos Papoulias and his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadić . It now houses a museum on the Greek and Serbian struggle for freedom against the Ottomans and on the life and work of Rigas Velestinlis.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Otvaranje u septembru. ( Opening September. ) Blic Online, June 5, 2010
- ↑ Тадић и Папуљас отвoрили Кулу Небојшу. ( Tadić and Papoulias opened the Nebojša Kula. ) Press release on the Belgrade Fortress website, April 29, 2011 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 44 ° 49 ′ 38.2 " N , 20 ° 26 ′ 52.4" E