Happenings in Niš

Wednesday 7/11
Bata and I spent a great afternoon traipsing around some poignant places in Niš.

One of which was Skull Tower, or Ćele Kula in Serbian. This monument is a reminder of the heroic actions of the 19th Century Serbian insurrectionists, after suffering their greatest defeat in the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire (1804-1813). 


On May 31, 1809, a battle took place on Čegar Hill, just a few kilometers northeast of Niš. The Serbian insurrectionists were attempting to advance on Niš and take it, but they were overpowered by the superior Turkish forces. Serbian commander Stevan Sinđelić, upon seeing that victory was futile, fired his pistol at his troops' gunpowder depot rather than surrender, thus ending the battle. Though he and his men were all killed, he took many a Turk with him. After this, the Turkish commander at Niš ordered that the heads of the Serbian rebels be placed in a tower so as to warn any would-be opposition to the Ottoman Empire.

The tower stood out in open air until Niš was liberated in 1878. In 1892, a chapel was constructed to enclose what remains of it...where it stands today with 58 of the original 952 skulls.

"My eyes and my heart greeted the remains of those brave men whose cut off heads made the corner stone of the independence of their homeland. May the Serbs keep this monument! It will always teach their children the value of the independence of a people, showing them the real price their fathers had to pay for it."

-Alphonse de Lamartine, French poet who visited the wall in 1833

The chapel enclosing the remaining wall

The grisly reminder....and inspiration for Serbian patriotism

What? Are you...happy that they were slaughtered?? Wipe that grin off your face you sick sociopath!! ;)

Well...................good shot.

A bust of Stevan Sinđelić, the brave Serbian commander

What is with this guy? He keeps smiling at somber things! Does he even care??!

 We then drove from Skull Tower to Čegar Hill, the site of the actual battle. No one was there, and it was almost eerie standing in the midst of the history that occurred...no voices but the gentle brush of wind. About 3,000 Serbs and twice as many Turks died here.

The Čegar Hill monument

Sinđelić faces Niš symbolizing defiance of the Turks and courage

Ok that's just downright offensive....someone get this quack outta here!

Bata and I also enjoyed a kingly feast and a local joint downtown. It was there that I had my largest pljeskavica to date...

Look at that: the thing's like a pancake!!

 Friday 7/13

Spent a fun afternoon at a local outdoor pool with Marko and a couple of his buddies. We had a splendid ol' time swimming, talking, playing tennis, meeting more friends, and getting sunburned. ;) 

(L-R) Marko, Pedja (studying environmental science), Stefan (studying electrical engineering), and.....the American

  

It's been fun to observe how relational the youth are here--friendship is everything. Bored? Call up the crew, meet at the pool, hang out for hours on end. I love these guys.