Introduction

Yes, Serbia does happen to have quite a number of castles, but they are widely unknown and forgotten, even by Serbs. Serbian castles do not resemble typical castles, as those in Ireland or France, they are rather modest in size and not so sumptuous, but nevertheless have their own, subtle charm. So I suppose we should reffere to them more as mansions and palaces.

The problem is that many of them are abandoned over time and left to decay, and it is such a shame that we allowed these marvelous and unique pieces of architecture to wither away. Those ruins could be easily brought back to life, if only serbian public cared and was more aware of its heritage. We could show to people that not all architecture in Serbia is based solely on monasteries and churches, there are others things to cherish.

The King's Palace

History of serbian castles starts around the 19th century, when members of Obrenovic dynasty began building residences, but not as large and luxurious as those in central and western Europe. Milos Obrenovic built Konak in Topcider and Konak of Princess Ljubica, while latter Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic built The King's Palace and The White Palace.

The White Palace

Unlike the rest of Serbia, northern region Vojvodina was somewhat more specific because it was within the Habsburg monarchy, where long tradition of such construction was held. In Vojvodina also lived rich families like Dundjerski, Stratimirovic and others, who were responsible for building many of these castles. It is estimated that there are 67 castles only in this region of Serbia. Here I wrote only about few ones that stand out and could be representative for our country.