I have visited Belgrade, and what I remember most is that there are several
bridges built over the Danube, and they are unforgettable bridges.
A city has a river running through it, giving the city an aura; there is a river and then there are bridges, bridges
are the connecting locks for people traveling to and from the city. Two thousand eight hundred kilometers of the Danube River, the vast and mighty through
Austria to Budapest, Hungary, and then steeply to the south of a turn, straight to Belgrade
Leiden, and the Sava River embrace, and then flow east. There are countless bridges over that river, countless
connecting bridges.
"Bridges, that's what they are, connecting people on both sides of the Danube." Mr. Scepan, who accompanied us on the
tour, described.
Belgrade means "white city" in Serbian, and it is the bridges that connect the city's
new and old neighborhoods. The Old Town, located at one end of the Sava River, is a microcosm of the thousand-year-old
city, with narrow streets, undulating terrain, and a variety of old buildings in ancient
colors. With Tito Street as the main artery, you can walk out of the pedestrian street to the northeast, and just a stone's throw away is the famous Skadarlija Cultural Street, where the old Serbian-style houses, cobblestone floors, colorful frescoes painted on the walls, as well as galleries and hotels, are all still in their original state. This was the place where Yugoslav writers and artists
used to gather to fight against foreign invaders, and where every
article, painting and song was produced to inspire the nation's confidence and courage to fight back against foreign
invasion. Between the two world wars, many writers, journalists and
artists were active in various forms of anti-war activities. Crossing the bridge over the Sapa
Wa River from the Old District, you enter the New District, which has only been built in recent decades. There are many high-rise residences here, but few buildings of note, and the tone is white and gray, with bright red buildings interspersed between the gray and white, giving the area a sense of jumping and surprise.
The old fortress of Kalemegdan stands on the banks of the Danube by a bridge and is now a
park with a military museum. On a high hill in the park is the 1928
Dolian column, also known as the Victory Monument, which is 14 meters high and topped
with a bronze statue of a warrior holding a dove of peace in his left hand and a sword in his right, looking out over the Danube, the symbol of Belgrade.
Belgrade is an indomitable city. In its two thousand three hundred years of history,
it has been invaded and plundered by foreigners on countless occasions, thirty-seven of which have been destructive to the city. In the two world wars of this
era, and especially in World War II, Belgrade suffered heavy losses during a furious bombing on April 6, 1941
, when several bridges were destroyed
in the process.
"These bridges, left over from the war, symbolize the city's indomitable
spirit. Whenever there is a festival, we always want to come to the bridges to talk, sing and dance.
"We stood on one of the Danube bridges and listened to Mr. Szczepan.
"Yesterday, today, the war rages on, and the people who feel the gloom of war firsthand
how they long for peace. Look at the doves flying on both sides of this bridge, isn't it a symbol of peace
?" Scepter said fondly.
The years passed. A few years passed, Yugoslavia experienced the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and after several
efforts, finally showed the dawn of peace. However, the instability of Kosovo, the recent
NATO's indiscriminate bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, led by the United States, so that the haze of war is once again over
the sky of Yugoslavia. When I saw the newspaper report that NATO bombed the bridge, the Yugoslav people protected the bridge,
wore bull's-eye badges and held an anti-war concert, which made me recall the bridges I saw in those years, and recalled Scepcian and those who loved peace. I wish for peace
to come soon, when we will meet again on that unyielding bridge!
The author ostensibly writes about bridges, but actually represents peace