NIŠ CASTLE
Serbia
The Fortress of Niš stands guard over the crossing of the Nišava River in Southern Serbia. This was one of the most frequently used southern routes across the Balkans and was first fortified by the Romans for whom this was a frontier town for many centuries.
The Byzantines refortified and traces of both these early civilisations can be found on the Fortresses 22 hectare site today.
The main part of the Castle which remains now dates to 1719-1723 when the Ottoman Turks were in control of Serbia. The Castle is most made up of curtain walls interspersed with towers and gateways. The most impressive today is the Stambol Gate which faces the River and is immediately across the main road bridge from the centre of Niš.
At the opposite end of the Castle site the fortifications are more modern in their design (although almost as old) being made up of stone-faced earth bastions and moats.
Today the surviving buildings inside the Castle are an eclectic mixture of cafes and museums and part of the wall is still available to walk along.
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Andrew J. Müller
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2019
