Belgrade, the capital of the Republic of Serbia, is located in South-East Europe, at the beautiful confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers. After Istanbul and Athens, Belgrade is the third largest city in South-eastern Europe. Belgrade has around 1.6 million residents and presents the financial and economy center of Serbia. In the field of traffic and transport, it is a city of great importance for South-East Europe, as a road and railway center, as a port for river and air traffic, and as a telecommunication center.
Belgrade’s history lasts full 7,000 years. Many cultures and tribes left their mark in its long and turbulent history: Thraco-Dacians, Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Slavs, Ottomans, Austro-Hungarians, have all shaped Belgrade one of the most diverse and interesting cities of South-East Europe. The official language is Serbian, while visitors from abroad can use English to communicate.
Belgrade is the capital of Serbian culture, education and science with many institutions of national importance in the field of science and art. There is the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, established in 1886 as the Serbian Royal Academy; the National Library of Serbia, established in 1832; the National Museum, established in 1841 and the National Theatre, established in 1869. The city is also the seat of the Belgrade University, founded in 1808 as the Great School, and the seat of the University of Art. Throughout the year Belgrade offers numerous concerts, festivals and cultural events. Some of the best-known festivals and events are: International Film Festival – FEST, Belgrade Summer Festival – BELEF, Belgrade Music Festivities – BEMUS and Belgrade International Theatre Festival – BITEF.
The city is home to Serbia's two biggest and most successful sport clubs, Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade. Red Star won the UEFA Champions League (European Cup) in football (1991), and Partizan won the EuroLeague in basketball (1992). Besides that, Belgrade has been host to many important sport events in its history. Some of them include: European Football Cup Final (1973), European Football Championship (1976), EuroBasket (2005), Summer Universiade (2009), European Athletics Indoor Championships (2017), EuroLeague Final Four (2018). In 2022, Belgrade is host to EuroLeague Final Four in basketball and World Athletics Indoor Championships. The list of sporting events in Belgrade could be found here.
Belgrade has a sister city or twin city agreement established with Coventry (UK), Chicago (USA), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Skopje (North Macedonia), Shanghai (China) and Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), as well as an extensive list of cultural relationships with other cities around the world.
