On the 15^th of February we celebrate the National Day of Serbia!

Join us below in discovering some interesting and fun facts about the country of Serbia.

Did you know that?

• Statehood Day or National Day is a holiday celebrated every 15 February in Serbia to commemorate the outbreak of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which evolved into the Serbian Revolution against Ottoman rule. The revolution ultimately resulted in the recognition of Serbia’s National by the Ottoman Empire (formally in 1817).
• It is believed that the red color on the Serbian flag represents the blood shed for the country, the blue represents freedom, while the white represents mother’s milk feeding strong Serbian children. Flag experts believe that the color symbolism is not specifically related to Serbia’s national experience, but that the meanings are universal. They offer an explanation according to which the blue color is a symbol of fidelity and loyalty, and the white color a symbol of purity and honesty.
• For most of the 20th century, Serbia was an integral part of Yugoslavia (meaning “Land of the South Slavs”), which included the modern countries of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro.
• On 25 June 1991, the declarations of independence of Slovenia and Croatia effectively ended the existence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). By April 1992, the further declarations of independence by two other republics, Macedonia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, left only Serbia and Montenegro within the Federation. These two remaining republics declared the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) on 27 April 1992. In 2003, FRY was reconstituted and re-named as a State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. This union effectively ended following Montenegro’s formal declaration of independence on 3 June 2006 and Serbia’s on 5 June 2006.
• Serbia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of raspberries, and in the year 2012, Serbia was responsible for almost 95% of the world’s raspberries.
• There are many monasteries throughout Serbia, some dating back to the 12^th century. If you’re asking ‘what is Serbia famous for?’, monasteries are certainly one thing!
• Serbia’s capital city, Belgrade, is one of the oldest cities in Europe, with at least 7000 years of history found through excavations.
• The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade is one of the world’s largest Orthodox churches, dating back to 1935. It is also a significant symbol of religion across the Balkans.
• Serbia is home to a mountain which is shaped like a pyramid – Mount Rtanj. Nobody is sure why it is this shape, but there are a few theories that it is an alien mothership that landed thousands of years in the past.
• Coffee is a big deal in Serbia. In fact, you will find most locals drink it in abundance.
• Passionate about nightlife? Head to Belgrade; Lonely Planet voted it as the city with the best nightlife on the planet!
• Gostusa is a village on Mount Stara Planina, and it has buildings made exclusively of natural materials, such as stone and mud. Yes, people do still live there!
• The territory around the river Uvac is considered “a nature’s masterpiece” and received the status of a “special nature reserve” thanks to the unique plant and animal species that can be encountered here. The most significant is the Griffon vulture, one of the 140 species of birds that live in the wild area of the natural reserve, making the symbol and brand of Uvac Canyon.
• “Devil’s town”(Đavolja Varoš) features 202 remarkable rock formations which were naturally created by erosion, with some standing as high as 66 feet tall. Most are topped with a mushroom-shaped chunk of rock. These tall stone formations of Devil’s Town were nominated for one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature and legend says they are actually a group of petrified wedding guests.
• For truly dramatic wilderness, visitors can explore the mountains and gorges of Tara National Park, where the Drina River forms a natural border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s also home to 53 species of mammals and 153 species of birds, while the bear, chamois and roe deer that inhabit the nature reserve park are protected by law.
• Nikola Tesla was Serbian-American. He is considered to be “the man who invented the 20th century” or “the Electric Jesus” and he is what people call one of the greatest minds in history, known for designing modern alternating current electricity supply systems. Some of his most famous discoveries and inventions are the first hydroelectric power plant, alternating current, induction motor, the system for the production and distribution of electricity, and over 700 other patents.
• Mihajlo Pupin was a Serbian physicist, physical chemist, and philanthropist based in the United States. Pupin is best known for his numerous patents, including a means of greatly extending the range of long-distance telephone communication by placing loading coils (of wire) at predetermined intervals along the transmitting wire (known as “pupinization”). Pupin was a founding member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which later became NASA, and he participated in founding the American Mathematical Society and American Physical Society.
• Mileva Einstein, Albert Einstein’s first wife, was a Serbian physicist and mathematician. Today, there’s still an active dispute over whether Mileva was helping Albert develop his theoretical concepts, and if yes, to which extent.
• Marina Abramović is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audience, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind. Being active for over four decades, Abramović refers to herself as the “grandmother of performance art”. She pioneered a new notion of identity by bringing in the participation of observers, focusing on “confronting pain, blood, and physical limits of the body”.
• Novak Djokovic is currently ranked world No. 1 tennis player in singles and has held the top position for a record total of 375 weeks. He finished the year-end as No. 1 seven times, which is an Open Era record. He has won a total of 93 singles titles on the ATP Tour, comprising a joint-record 22 major men’s singles titles, a record 10 Australian Open titles, a record 38 Masters titles, a joint-record 6 Tour Finals titles, and a record 66 Big Titles. Djokovic has completed a non-calendar year Grand Slam in singles, becoming the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of the four major tournaments at once across three different playing surfaces. He is also the first man in the Open Era to achieve a double Career Grand Slam in singles and the only player to complete the career Golden Masters in singles by winning all of the nine Masters tournaments, which he has done twice. He is very much loved in Serbia and, whenever he wins a title, the people welcome him home with a special illuminated message on the tallest building in Belgrade saying “Nole, you are Serbia’s pride”. 

Special thanks to our Nobel Country Ambassador from Serbia – Milica Kostic, for sharing with us these interesting facts about beautiful Serbia.