Bulgaria

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Serbia is a Balkan country at the crossroads of European history and is therefore a mixture of cultures, ethnicities and religions. Although less touristically developed than neighboring Croatia, it has much to offer the visitor, from plains, mountains, lakes and national parks, to beautiful towns and villages. Belgrade is considered one of the rising capitals of Europe. Serbia has many options for leisure and gastronomy to offer, while its people are among the most hospitable.

The longest stretch of the Danube River, longer than any other European country, is in Serbia.

During summer, tourists spend their time in Belgrade and national parks, in winter, they are warmly welcomed in mountain resorts and ski resorts. There are also many

spa resorts.

Yugoslavia hides many more beauties that mass tourism has not yet discovered.

The first Serbian state was formed in the late 8th century and expanded in the 14th century into an empire that included most of the Balkans. Serbia was finally conquered by the Ottomans in 1459.

The Serbian Revolt led to independence in 1837.

The Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by a Serb triggered the first World War. The victorious Serbia united all the South Slavic countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro) into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The country’s name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. The invasion and occupation by Germany and Italy in 1941 during World War II was met with strong resistance by communist insurgents. The Partisans, led by Marshal Josip Broz Tito, emerged victorious and formed a provisional government that abolished the monarchy and declared a republic in 1946 after a dubious referendum.

The government of J.B. Tito prevailed for the next four decades and more.

In the early 1990s, the union of Yugoslavia collapsed and bloody civil wars broke out in Croatia and Bosnia. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro proclaimed a new “Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” (FRY) in 1992 with Slobodan Milosevic as president.

In the late 1990s, the conflict with the Albanian separatist movement in Kosovo led to a NATO bombing campaign and immediate intervention, which left Kosovo under UN administration.

The country proceeded with accession procedures to the European Union, which set as a prerequisite the recognition and independence of Kosovo.

In 2003, the republics of Serbia and Montenegro united into “Serbia and Montenegro”, but they dissolved in 2006 after a referendum on Montenegrin independence. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. However, this declaration remains unrecognized by Serbia and many other countries.