Smederevo Fortress
The Smederevo Fortress (Serbian: Cмeдepeвcκa твpђaвa / Smederevska tvrđava) is a medieval fortified city in Smederevo, Serbia, which was the temporary capital of Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was built between 1427 and 1430 on the order of Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate. It was further fortified by the Ottoman Empire, which had taken the city in 1459.
| Smederevo Fortress | |
|---|---|
The inner city | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Serbo-Byzantine fortification |
| Town or city | Smederevo |
| Country | Serbia |
| Construction started | 1428 |
| Completed | 1430 (inner city) 1439 (fortified suburb) 1480s (outer defenses) early-18th-century (trenches) |
| Client | Đurađ Branković |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 11.3 hectares (28 acres) |
| Type | Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance |
| Designated | 8 October 1946 |
| Reference no. | SK 538 |
The fortress withstood several sieges by Ottomans and Serbs, surviving relatively unscathed. During World War II it was heavily damaged, by explosions and bombing. As of 2009 it is in the midst of extensive restoration and conservation work, despite which the fortress remains "one of the rare preserved courts of medieval Serbian rulers."
Smederevo Fortress was declared a national Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979. In 2010, the fortress was placed on the tentative list for possible nomination as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).