Belgrade'

Belgrade' (Serb Bjelgorod, 'white town'), an important fortified and commercial city, the capital of the kingdom of Servia, lies opposite Semlin, at the confluence of the Save and Danube, 215 miles SSE. of Pesth, and 234 miles NNW. of Vranja, by rail. The walls have disappeared since 1862; the last and finest of the five gates was demolished in 1868; and the citadel is hardly up to the requirements of modern warfare. Year by year the town is losing its old Turkish aspect, becoming more modern, more European. Only one mosque is left for the tiny remnant of Mohammedans, whilst there are seven churches and two synagogues. The royal palace, the residence of the metropolitan, the national theatre (1871), and the public offices, are the principal buildings. Opposite the theatre is a bronze monument (1882) to the murdered Prince Michael III. Belgrade has but trifling manufactures of arms, cutlery, saddlery, silk goods, carpets, &c. It is, however, the entrepôt of the trade between Turkey and Austria. Pop. (1872) 26,674; (1890) 54,249. Belgrade is the Singidunum of Ptolemy. Its position has made it the chief point of communication between Constantinople and Vienna, and the key to Hungary on the south-east. It has consequently been the scene of many hard-fought contests. The Greeks held it until 1073, when it was captured by the Hungarian king, Salomon. After this, it passed through the hands of Greeks, Bulgarians, Bosnians, and Servians, and these last proprietors sold it in 1426 to the Emperor Sigismund. In 1440 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the Turks, with a large and vain outlay of time and money; and when stormed (1456), was retaken from the Turks by the heroism of Hunyadi and Capistrano. In 1522 it was carried by the Sultan Soliman II. In 1688 it was stormed and taken by Maximilian, Elector of Bavaria; but in 1690 was recaptured by the Turks, when the Christian garrison had been reduced to 500 men. In 1692 Belgrade was vainly besieged by the Duke of Croy; and in 1717 the citadel surrendered to Prince Eugene, after he had defeated an army of 200,000 Turks, with a loss to them of 20,000 men. But in 1739 Belgrade again changed owners, the Turks obtaining it without a shot. In conformity with the treaty then signed, the fortifications were demolished. In 1789 it was again taken by the Austrians under General Landon; but by the treaty of peace (1791), was restored to the Turks. From 1806 to 1812 it was in the possession of the insurgent Servians; and in 1862, after a wanton bombardment from the citadel, it was made the capital of the principality of Servia, though the citadel remained in the hands of the Turks till 1867.