Žrnov
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Žrnov ( sr-cyr, Жрнов) or Žrnovan (Жрнован) was a medieval fortress on the highest top of the
Avala Avala ( sr-cyr, Авала, ) is a List of mountains in Serbia, mountain in Serbia, overlooking Belgrade. It is situated in the south-eastern corner of the city and provides a great panoramic view of Belgrade, Vojvodina and Šumadija, as the sur ...
Mountain, at , in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. The
Ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...
had built an outpost there, and later the Serbs expanded it into a fortress. It was completely demolished in 1934 to make the way for the
Monument to the Unknown Hero The Monument to the Unknown Hero ( sr-Cyrl, Споменик Незнаном јунаку, Spomenik Neznanom junaku) is a World War I memorial located atop Mount Avala, south-east of Belgrade, Serbia, and designed by the sculptor Ivan Meštrovi ...
.


History


Ancient period

The Avala had deposits of
ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...
s, most notably
lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
and mercury's ore of
cinnabarite Cinnabar (; ), or cinnabarite (), also known as ''mercurblende'' is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and is t ...
but mining activities which can be traced to the pre-
Antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...
times. Archeologist
Miloje Vasić Miloje Vasić ( sr-Cyrl, Милоје Васић; 16 September 1869 – 4 November 1956) was a Serbian archaeologist, regarded as one of the most distinguished representatives of the humanistic studies in Serbia.Inscription below his picture in ...
believed that the vast mines of cinnabarite (mercury-sulfide) on Avala were crucial for the development of the
Vinča culture The Vinča culture , also known as Turdaș culture, Turdaș–Vinča culture or Vinča-Turdaș culture, is a Neolithic archaeological culture of Southeast Europe, dated to the period 5400–4500 BC. It is named for its type site, Vinča-Belo B ...
, on the banks of the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
circa 5700 BC. Settlers of Vinča apparently melted cinnabarite and used it in metallurgy. The first miners on Avala recorded in history were the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
tribe of
Scordisci The Scordisci (; ) were an Iron Age cultural group who emerged after the Celtic settlement of Southeast Europe, and who were centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava), Margus (Morav ...
and it is believed that they built the first outpost on the top of the mountain.


Roman period

The top of Avala proved to be suitable for building, so the Romans built a fortified outpost, probably on the foundations of the older Celtic one. Apart from guarding and controlling the access roads to
Singidunum Singidunum ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Сингидунум, Singidunum) was an ancient city which later evolved into modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The name is of Celtic origin, going back to the time when the Celtic tribe Scordisci settled the a ...
, predecessor of Belgrade, the outpost was also important for the protection of the mines on the mountain, which were exploited by the Romans. The outpost was some below the top of the mountain. After the second explosion during the demolition of the fortress in 1934, a layer from the Roman period was discovered. It consisted of a
cistern A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...
for drinking water and an oven for baking bread.


Medieval period

There are no records which confirm that the Byzantines used the fort. In the first half of the 15th century, during the reign of Serbian despot
Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall (), was a Serbian ruler as prince (1389–1402) and Despot (court title), despot (1402–1427). He was also a diplomat, legislat ...
, it was expanded into a proper fortress. The data on the fort is scarce. When German naturalist and traveler
Felix Philipp Kanitz Felix Philipp Kanitz (. 2 August 1829 – 8 January 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, painter and author of travel notes, of Jewish heritage. Biography Kanitz was born in Pest to a rich Jewish fa ...
visited the area in the second half of the 19th century, he made several drawings of Žrnov and wrote that "Serbian emperors" built the fort on the foundations of the Roman outpost on the top of the mountain, without specifying which "emperors" or when. During the Middle Ages, the cinnabarite was used for the
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
paintings and was exported to Greece. The expanded fortress became known as ''Žrnov Grad'' ("Žrnov Town"). It is believed that it got its name because of the large grinding stones for crushing the ores, which are called ''žrvanj'' in Serbian. The mountain Avala itself was called Žrnovica in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. The Ottomans conquered the fort in 1442 and further fortified and strengthened the eastern and southern ramparts, on the orders of the
Hadım Şehabeddin Hadım Şehabeddin Pasha (Old Turkish: Şihābüddīn; 1436–53), also called Kula Şahin Pasha, was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman general and governor that served Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1444–46; 1451–81). Brought to the Ottoman court at a young ...
, a eunuch
beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...
of
Rumelia Eyalet The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia (), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or ''eyalet'') of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans ("Rumelia"). For most of its history ...
. By the
Peace of Szeged The Treaty of Edirne and the Peace of Szeged were two halves of a peace treaty between Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire and King Władysław III of Poland, Vladislaus of the Kingdom of Hungary. Despotes, Despot Đurađ Branković of the Ser ...
, the Serbian despotate was restored and the Ottomans had to withdraw from the fortified towns:
Golubac Golubac ( sr-Cyrl, Голубац, ; ) is a village and municipality located in the Braničevo District of eastern Serbia. Situated on the right side of the Danube river, it is bordered by Romania to the east, Veliko Gradište to the west and ...
,
Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...
,
Novo Brdo Novo Brdo ( sr-Cyrl, Ново Брдо) or Novobërda and Artanë ( Albanian indefinite form: ''Novobërdë'' or ''Artanë''), is a town and municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a populati ...
and Žrnov.


Ottoman period

After both the Hungarian military commander
John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...
and the Serbian despot
Đurađ Branković Đurađ Vuković Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ Вуковић Бранковић, ; 1377 – 24 December 1456) served as the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456, making him one of the final rulers of medieval Serbia. In 1429, Branković was form ...
died in 1456, the Ottomans attacked Serbia again, capturing the fort in 1458 and the whole of Serbia in 1459, but they failed to take Belgrade, which was held by the Hungarians. Hadım Şehabeddin again expanded and strengthened it in preparation for the attack on Belgrade. With expansion of the walls and ramparts and the building of the dry moat, they effectively turned it into the starting point of the constant harassment of the Hungarian defenders of Belgrade. The Ottomans began calling the fort ''havala'', which means obstacle, and that gave the name to the entire Avala mountain. One of the surviving Serbian sources say that "from the ruins of the medieval little town of Žrnov, which was named Avala, the Turks built a proper marauders' tower, roofed with
lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
. From there, they ruled the Belgrade surroundings, which became almost completely desolate". Using artillery, the Hungarians attempted to retake Žrnov in 1515 but were decisively defeated, losing all their heavy artillery. Another Serbian inscription from 6 May 1515 mentions the battle and the fort, now already called Avala: разби Балиль бегь Јаноша хердељскога војеводу подь Хаваломь (" Bali-beg defeated John of Erdely under vala"). The Ottomans were unsuccessful in conquering Belgrade in the next six decades. They finally took Belgrade in 1521 and after that, the fort lost its strategic importance. Still, the Ottoman traveler
Evliya Çelebi Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
, who visited the region in the 1660s, described Žrnov as one of the six most important forts in Serbia. It is not known for sure when the fort was abandoned, but the last garrison left it probably in the 18th century when the maintenance of the edifice also stopped. Porča of Avala, a mythical figure celebrated in folks songs, dwelt in the town according to legend.


World War I

On the night of 13/14 October 1915, the combined squad of Belgrade's Defense held the line of Avala- Zuce, against the joint Austro-Hungarian and German offensive. Austro-Hungarian 9th Hill brigade of the 59th Division took the front rim of Avala on 16 October, with an assignment to push Serbian forces from the mountain. The Austro-Hungarians were reinforced with one German half-battalion. However, one Serbian battalion successfully defended the top of Avala against the Austro-Hungarian battalions of the 49th and 84th regiments, aided by the 204th German reserve infantry regiment. On the same day, the command of the Belgrade's Defense ordered a retreat to the new positions so on 17 October occupational forces reached the southern section of Avala, conquering the entire mountain. Their soldiers then buried Serbian combatants who were
killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...
. In the valley, below Žrnov, on the grave of one of them, they placed a wooden cross with the inscription in German: "One unknown Serbian soldier".


Characteristics

Žrnov consisted of two sections: Gornji Grad or Mali Grad (Upper or Small Town) and Donji Grad (Lower Town). Upper Town consisted of the old Serbian fortress, with some Ottoman expansions from 1442. In 1458 a dry moat was dug the separate it from the Lower Town. It had the base in the shape of regular
pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...
, aligned in the northwest-southeast direction. It occupied the area where the Monument to the Unknown Hero is today. Lower Town mostly occupied the ramparts, which followed the outline of the mountain slope. It was a direct continuation of the Upper Town. The entire northwestern rampart was actually a strong, fortified tower, in the shape of an irregular semi-circle. It served as a major protective shield as it faced down the ridge, watching over the easiest access road to the fortress. On that location today are stairs which connect the flag pole with the monument. From the fortified tower, the ramparts spread a bit towards the peak, where two semi-circled towers were built, opposite to each other. From there, the walls narrowed towards the flat southeast section of the ramparts. In the center of this flat area there was another semi-circled tower, while on the southern tip of the pentagram there was a squared tower-gate. The rampart which encircled the Lower Town, effectively forming it, began at the fortified tower on the southwest, making a semi-circled turn to the south where it additionally extended to the southeast following the slope. After that spot, the wall went in almost the straight line to the northwest until it reconnected with the wall of the Upper Town. There was another dry moat encircling the entire fortress, which closely followed the shape of the outer walls. The entry gate into the fortress was located in the most southwestern point of the ramparts, on the central position of the semi-circled section.


Development

The oldest part of the complex was Upper (Little) Town, without two towers on the southeast rampart. It was built in
Medieval Serbia The medieval period in the history of Serbia began in the 6th century with the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe, and lasted until the Ottoman Serbia, Ottoman conquest of Serbian lands in the second half of the 15th century. The period i ...
, but the exact date is not known. In 1442 Ottomans strengthened the eastern wall, from the semi-circled tower to the southeastern rampart, also adding the other semi-circled tower in the middle section of the southeastern rampart and square tower-gate on the rampart's southern end. Last phase was the addition of the outer rampart and digging of the dry moat around it after 1458. The complete area occupied by the fort complex covered .


Monument to the unknown soldier


Origin

In the late 1920, a popular news topic in Serbia was the burial of the French "unknown soldier" in
Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...
. Existing commemorative cross from 1915 was known only locally and to the Avala visitors. In the first half of 1921 the initiative to build a more dignified commemorative mark gained momentum. On 24 June 1921, president of the Constitutional Assembly,
Ivan Ribar Ivan Ribar ( sr-cyr, Иван Рибар, ; 21 January 1881 – 2 February 1968) was a Croatian politician who served in several governments of various forms in Yugoslavia. Ideologically a Yugoslavism, Yugoslavist and Communism, communist, he w ...
, summoned state dignitaries to the meeting with the agenda of constructing the monument and it was decided that the future monument will be "dignified...but humble". The first step was to determine whether it was indeed a Serbian soldier in the grave under the wooden cross. An exhumation was conducted by the commission on 23 November 1921. Parts of the grenade are found under the skull, almost as a pillow, while the skeleton had the blown left side of the chest, so it is estimated that he was killed by an Austro-Hungarian
howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
while he was watching from the lookout. He was apparently buried in the crater formed by the explosion of the very grenade that killed him, just below Žrnov. The soldier had no identity badge which suggests that he was either member of the Third Call regiments (with soldiers over 38 years old) or was drafted immediately prior to the battle which is probably correct as the skeletal remains indicated a very young male, no older than 19–20 years. It was said that his skull was "small, like of a boy" and that skeleton was petite, of a boyish, thin stature. Some sources actually claim he was only 15. Based on the other findings in the grave, the commission concluded that the remains do belong to the Serbian soldier and reburied him, with the grenade parts, while his personal belongings were taken to the cabinet of the president of the assembly for safekeeping. The monument was built near the place where an earlier cross dedicated to the unknown soldier was built. The monument was built from 1 April 1922 to 1 June 1922. The base was a two-leveled square pedestal with a regular, four-sided pyramid made of the roughly dressed stone. The base of the pyramid was and it was tall. Four jardinières were leaned on each side of the pyramid, with the seedlings of the
common box ''Buxus sempervirens'', the common box, European box, or boxwood, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Buxus'', native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia, from southern England south to northern Morocco ...
. They were
hexagonal In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A regular hexagon is d ...
ly shaped and also made of the roughly dressed stone. On top of the pyramid a six-armed cross was placed. On the eastern side of the pedestal a plate was placed with the inscription: "To the fallen heroes in the wars for liberation and unification 1912-1918, this monument is erected by the thankful people of the
Vračar Vračar ( sr-Cyrl, Врачар, ) is an affluent urban area and Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade known as the location of many embassies and museums. According to the 2022 census results, the municipality has a popul ...
District. Consecrated on 1 June 1922". On the other three side the inscriptions simply said "cross (made) of
Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...
". On the western side of the horizontal arm of the cross another inscription read: "Unknown Serbian soldier confirmed by the commission on 29 November 1921". The monument was encircled by 16 short stone pillars, 4 on each side, connected with chains. Remains of the unknown soldier were placed in the metal coffin and walled in the monument, together with the small wooden case in the colors of the Serbian flag containing the grenade parts, and remains of another three unidentified soldiers which were discovered in the foothills of Avala. On 28 June 1938, when the new monument was finished, the remains of the unknown soldier were taken from the old coffin, washed in white wine, wrapped in white linen and placed in the new metal coffin which was moved to the crypt inside the new monument. Remains of the other three soldiers were placed in the memorial ossuary in
Belgrade Fortress The Belgrade Fortress ( sr-Cyrl, Београдска тврђава, Beogradska tvrđava, Hungarian: Nándorfehérvár), consists of the old citadel (Upper and Lower Town) and Kalemegdan Park (Large and Little Kalemegdan) on the confluence of th ...
. Personal belongings of the soldier were handed over to the Military Museum, also on the Fortress, but they disappeared later. The old monument was completely demolished, except for the six-armed cross which was moved to the
churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...
of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Beli Potok, on the foothills of Avala, where it is still located.


New monument

The construction of the new monument was ordered by King Alexander to commemorate the victims of the
Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
(1912–1913) and the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(1914-1918). The monument was designed by Croatian sculptor
Ivan Meštrović Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pa ...
, and the main engineer was Stevan Živanović. King Alexander I of Yugoslavia laid the
foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
for the new monument on 28 June 1934.


Demolition

The remains of the fortifications were demolished by dynamite in 1934, in order to clear the site for the construction of the new monument, that is, an entire complex of the mausoleum. The building of the new monument wasn't without controversy. The public was against the demolition of the old Žrnov Town, while the author
Branislav Nušić Branislav Nušić ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Нушић, ;  – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of Modern Rhetoric, modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil ...
was especially vocal. He also protested that the monument is so distant from Belgrade, which would prevent the citizens to pay their respect. Nušić wrote: "to Avala go only the wealthy men who have cars, bringing their mistresses with them". However, King Alexander was adamant that the monument had to be built on Avala, stating "either there or nowhere", while Nušić proposed one of the central city squares, Republic Square, close to the modern ''Staklenac'' shopping center. Ironically, on that section of the square, today known as the Plateau of Zoran Đinđić, actually the monument to Branislav Nušić was erected. The demolition began on 18 April 1934 and lasted for two days, in three series of explosions, as the fortress was sturdy, massive and well preserved. Nothing survived of the entire edifice. Historiography cannot explain why King Alexander was so insistent on destroying both the old monument and the Žrnov and building the new monument on the same spot. The king was assassinated in Marseilles on 9 October 1934, three and a half months after he laid the foundation stone for the new monument, which was finished on 28 June 1938. No visible remains of Žrnov exist today.


See also

*
Tourism in Serbia Tourism in Serbia is officially recognized as a primary area for economic and social growth. The hotel and catering sector accounted for approximately 2.2% of GDP in 2015. Tourism in Serbia employs some 120 000 people, about 4.5% of the countr ...
*
Monument to the Unknown Hero The Monument to the Unknown Hero ( sr-Cyrl, Споменик Незнаном јунаку, Spomenik Neznanom junaku) is a World War I memorial located atop Mount Avala, south-east of Belgrade, Serbia, and designed by the sculptor Ivan Meštrovi ...
*
List of fortresses in Serbia This is a list of fortifications in Serbia. The list includes remains (ruins) of military constructions; fortresses (''tvrđave''), castles (''zamci''), towers (''kule''), etc. There are over 30 preserved forts in Serbia, and more than hundreds ...


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

{{coord, 44.6887, N, 20.5158, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:RS, display=title Buildings and structures in Belgrade Demolished buildings and structures in Serbia Forts in Serbia Roman fortifications in Serbia