Another family walk, but this time a little different. We decided not to go to our usual places, but to take the children on a real adventure, like in the Indiana Jones movie. Of course, our walk is not as spectacular as the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for example, but it was certainly exciting and very interesting to visit this abandoned place, which was once a favorite place of the citizens of Smederevo and very visited. This used to be a large terrace and viewpoint, with a beautiful view of the Danube.
This place is located behind the Hotel Smederevo, which, like this abandoned terrace, overgrown with ivy and moss, has a similar fate.The way to it was a real adventure, with crooked and damp stairs, which are covered with moss. But it was exciting to overcome the obstacles.
Of course, we are all witnesses to how the city in which we live and where we were born is changing. And that is normal. But it’s kind of sad when something really valuable and beautiful ends up like this terrace. Older citizens of Smederevo remember this place and they are very nostalgic when this lookout is mentioned. But what actually happened?
The Balkans underwent many changes, wars and social systems during the twentieth century. This terrace was built at the beginning of the 20th century, while Serbia was a kingdom. A family of rich merchants built it on their property. After the Second World War, everything changed and when the new era of communism came, this terrace was nationalized. Over time, it became part of the everyday life of the citizens of Smederevo who came to enjoy the view of the Danube. The place was very romantic. My colleague told me that weddings were even organized on this terrace.
However, in the seventies of the last century, a landslide took away the lower part of the terrace, which looked like a bridge, but the upper part remained. Later, the mentioned hotel was built in front of the terrace. Tito died, communism came to an end, Yugoslavia fell apart, and what was confiscated and nationalized was sold again, but no one cared about the old values anymore. So this terrace, little by little fell into oblivion, overgrown with weeds, ivy, covered with moss it became just a memory.
It was beautiful for us, it was very interesting for the children and it is really an amazing feeling to be in this once cult place of Smederevo. The place is ruined, forgotten, but still magical and mystical. We really felt like we were in an adventure movie and like we discovered a lost city in the middle of a forest.
Even so ruined, this place is wonderful. I can imagine what it was like while it was popular ...
Through the vegetation and trees that have grown in the meantime, one can see the grandiose Danube, so I can imagine what the view used to be like.
This walk was fantastic and we had a wonderful time, we returned to a forgotten and abandoned place and I hope I managed to give it a little life and serenity. Although abandoned and forgotten, it is still beautiful ... I hope that someone will remember and restore this terrace and return it to the splendor and glory it had and deserves.
I have always loved old stories from my city, which has a long and very interesting history, so visiting this terrace was like a small time machine, which took me back 120 years.
I hope you enjoyed this story too.🙂
This is my story for the #wednesdaywalk and #makemesmile competition.❤️