Smederevo Fortress

The Smederevo Fortress (Serbian: Cмeдepeвcκa твpђaвa / Smederevska tvrđava) is a medieval fortified city in Smederevo, Serbia, which was the temporary capital of Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was built between 1427 and 1430 on the order of Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate. It was further fortified by the Ottoman Empire, which had taken the city in 1459.

The fortress withstood several sieges by Ottomans, surviving relatively unscathed. During World War II it was heavily damaged by explosions and bombing, despite which the fortress remained "one of the rare preserved courts of medieval Serbian rulers."

Smederevo Fortress was declared a national Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979. In 2010, the fortress was placed on the tentative list for possible nomination as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).

Text adapted from “Smederevo Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Smederevo Fortress ranks #654 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #4 of the 26 mapped in Serbia. Founded 1427, it is older than 51% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 434 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 5,245 times in the last 60 days, more than 85% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Belgrade, 41 km away. See how Serbia compares in the castle statistics.

View on the interactive castle map →

Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗