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12 interesting facts about Serbia

Serbia is a country of scientists, agriculture, music, and food. Due to the mixture of cultural influences, this Balkan country is so unique and magnificent. Here are 12 interesting facts about Serbia that you may not have known.

1. Serbia has red gold.

Serbia is the world’s largest exporter of raspberries. About 100,000 tonnes of raspberries are hand-picked annually from family orchards and exported worldwide. The Serbian city Arilje is the world capital of raspberries.

2. Vampire is the only Serbian word used internationally.

One of the most interesting facts about Serbia is regarding the most famous Serbian vampire Sava Savanovic, and the first Serbian vampire Petar Blagojevic, a resident of the village of Kisiljevo. Two months after his funeral in 1725, the tomb was opened and his body did not begin to rot, while traces of fresh blood were on his lips. The locals drove a stake through his heart and burned the remains. After that, many people from this village suddenly died. Serbs believe that garlic braids will protect them from vampires. If you would like to explore more about Serbian vampires and hear historical and love stories from the past, book the Cemetery tour in Belgrade

3. 17 Roman emperors were born here.

One of them was Constantine the Great, the greatest emperor of the late Roman Empire who was credited for proclaiming religious equality in 313. He was born in the Serbian city of Nis.

4. Serbian women are gorgeous.

The combination of Slavic and Mediterranean genes, different cultural influences, healthy food, and active life are the reasons why the fourth interesting fact about Serbia is connected to Serbian beauty. Serbian women are considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. Foreigners often say that when they walk down a street in Serbia, they feel like they have come to a fashion show.

5. The Serbs have two official alphabets.

The official alphabets in Serbia are Cyrillic and Latin. The Cyrillic alphabet is more common for East European countries, while it is more exotic for the Western ones. In Serbia, both are in use and each has 30 letters.

Interesting fact: people from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Croatia perfectly understand each other. All in all, we can say that these nations speak the same language, which is called differently in each country.

6. Mysterious mountain as an ancient pyramid is situated here.

There is a mountain Rtanj in Eastern Serbia with a perfect pyramidal shape. It has the same angle of inclination as the Pyramid of the Moon in Mexico and the same angles as the Pyramid of Cheops. There are many mysterious alien stories and legends about this area that are catching the attention of an increasing number of visitors. Furthermore, It is scientifically proven that Rtanj emits energy that has a positive effect on the human body and health.

7. Eastern Serbia is the center of Vlach magic.

Yes, you heard right. An ethnic minority of Romanian descent, the Vlachs, are credited for magic in Serbia. In the surroundings of the aforementioned mysterious mountain, many women practice black or white magic, cast spells, predict destiny and make magic potions. The magic focuses primarily on healing and fortune-telling.

8. Many world-famous scientists are Serbs.

Here are just a few examples: Nikola Tesla – an engineer and scientist known for designing the alternating-current (AC) electric system, the most used in the world today. Milutin Milanković was a mathematician, astronomer, climatologist, geophysicist, civil engineer and popularizer of science. NASA ranked him among the 15 greatest minds of all time. Mihailo Pupin was a founding member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became NASA. Pupin is best known for extending the range of long-distance telephone communication.

9. Belgrade has been destroyed and renovated over 40 times.

Okay, this interesting fact about Serbia is not so bright. Belgrade has always been the place of wars and conflicts. It attracted the attention of the conquerors, due to its ideal geographical position on the Sava and Danube rivers, at the junction point of the Pannonian Plain and the Šumadija mountains. Because of the many different influences, Belgrade has a very diverse architectural style today. If you are interested in Serbian history and various cultural influences from the past, check out our History & culture tour.

10. Vrbas is a town with 26 different nationalities.

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is the most ethnically diverse area in Serbia. The city of Vrbas is home to 26 different nations. Some of them are Ruthenians, Hungarians, Montenegrins, Ukrainians, Croats, Slovaks, Roma, Macedonians, Germans, Slovenes, Russians and Bunjevci. They all live in harmony and respect each other’s customs.

11. Only Serbs celebrate SLAVA.

This is one of our favorite interesting facts about Serbia. Slava is Saint Patron’s day that is celebrated every year on the same date.  A rich meal is being prepared on this day and relatives and friends are coming. Serbs respect this holiday and its customs a lot. There is a tradition that as soon as a guest enters the house, the host serves him wine and wheat pudding. The symbolism of this food is related to Orthodox Christianity and Jesus Christ. The slava that most Serbs celebrate is St. Nicholas on December 19th. Join our Traditional taste of Belgrade tour or Sweet taste of Belgrade tour to learn more about this Serbian holiday and its unique traditional customs. 

interesting facts Serbia

12. An extended family is the most common form of family in Serbia.

Due to insufficient financial resources, but also an overstated emotional connection and closeness of family members, parents live in the same house with their children, grandparents, and sometimes aunts and uncles.

This is common in Serbia because cultural norms do not require the separation of parents and children after they are 18 years old. Parents in Serbia are overprotective and their children live with them until marriage, and sometimes even after that.

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