Nebojša Tower (Serbian: Кула Небојша, romanized: Kula Nebojša; Greek: Πύργος Νεμπόισα) is the only surviving mediaeval tower of the Belgrade Fortress. Built in the 15th century, it was the major defensive tower of the fortress for centuries. Later it served as a dungeon and in 2010 it was adapted into a museum. The tower is located near the confluence of the Sava into the Danube.
History
Name The name of the tower, nebojša, means "fearless" in Serbian. In medieval Serbia it was a common name of the tower which was most forward from the fortress. The custom of naming the towers this way can be found among other Slavic people, like Slovaks. In modern Serbia, Nebojša became a common male name, so people began to occasionally call it Nebojša's Tower (Serbian: Небојшина кула, romanized: Nebojšina kula), as if it's being named after someone named Nebojša, which is incorrect. As a common noun, nebojša is sometimes used as a Serbian translation for the daredevil. The tower was originally called the "White tower" (Serbian: Бела кула, romanized: Bela kula) and is mentioned under this name in 1572. Later, it was named "Timișoara Tower" (Serbian: Темишварска кула, romanized: Temišvarska kula) and after the original Nebojša Tower was destroyed in 1690, the name was transferred to the present tower.
Predecessor
The tower originally called Nebojša Tower was built in the early 15th century, during the reign of despot Stefan Lazarević, who ruled Belgrade from 1403 and made it the capital of Serbia. It functioned as the keep of the fortress and most likely resembled the "Despot's Tower", the keep of the fortress which surrounds the Manasija monastery, which was also founded by Stefan Lazarević. That tower was destroyed during the Siege of Belgrade in 1690, when Ottomans regained control over Belgrade from the Austrians. The siege lasted 8–14 October 1690 and was finished when the Ottomans', during the shelling of the fortress, hit the Austrian main powder magazine. The explosion destroyed the large part of the Little Town section of the fortress (area between the "Defterdar Gate" and the modern Pobednik monument), including the tower itself. In 1948, after the Informbiro resolution and the ensuing Tito–Stalin split, a construction of the defensive bunker began on the fortress. In the process, the 5 m (16 ft) thick rampart of the original Nebojša Tower was discovered. It was destroyed and by 1949 the bunker which covers 200 m2 (2,200 sq ft) was finished. The tallest point of the bunker is the cannon dome which was used for the artillery and military units. Abandoned later, it was adapted for the tourists and opened in December 2012. It has parts of the authentic inventory from the 1950s: safety doors, beds, ventilation, water tanks, etc.
Origin The present Nebojša Tower was built c.1460 by the Hungarians, who ruled Belgrade at the time. When it was built, it was located at the entrance into the city's "Danube port", in the Lower Town of the fortress and was part of the defense system which was protecting Belgrade from the Ottoman invasion after the Siege of Belgrade in 1456. During the 1521 Siege of Belgrade, cannons from the tower successfully defended the city from July to August, until the Ottomans managed to set the tower on fire. Only then did they manage to conquer the city. One chronicler of the siege wrote: "In the lower fortification of Belgrade on the Danube towards Mustafa–pasha position there was a tower. That tower was used as a stronghold by the faithless (Christians). It prevented assault. When assault was made yesterday many of them were killed by canons from the tower. After destruction that tower was put on fire today by a vanquisher. The faithless were beaten up and gave in. From the position of Mustafa-pasha an opportunity for assault was thus created." The sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered for the tower to be rebuilt.
18th century After Austrians reconquered Belgrade as part of their rule of northern Serbia 1718-39, they began a massive reconstruction of the fortress as they envisioned Belgrade as the typical fortified baroque city of the day and the foothold of their further military operations against the Ottomans. Belgrade Fortress was reconstructed and the new bastion fortifications were built. In that period, the Nebojša Tower was also reconstructed. The old, upper part of the tower was lowered and a new floor with the vault was built. Old embrasures were walled up and the new, larger ones were opened to fit the modern, bigger cannons. At that time, the inner, war port, which was protected by the tower, still existed. In c.1725 Austrians built an arsenal at the base of the tower. It was used for cannon casting by the Serbian rebels 1807-1813, headed by Karađorđe, during the First Serbian Uprising.
Dungeon
After regaining Belgrade in 1739, the Ottomans closed and covered the port with earth so the tower lost its military importance and was turned into a dungeon. Due to the terrible conditions and the practice of strangling the prisoners and throwing them through the openings of the tower into the river, the Nebojša Tower became one of Belgrade’s darkest symbols. The most famous captive was the Greek revolutionary and poet Rigas Feraios, who was strangled in 1798. Methodius, Metropolitan of Belgrade was also killed in the tower in 1801.
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