The Stambol Gate
The best preserved way in.
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Niš Fortress is a large Ottoman stronghold in the heart of Niš in southern Serbia, on the right bank of the Nišava River. It ranks among the best preserved fortifications of its kind in the Balkans and today works as a broad park where locals come to walk, steps from the old bazaar quarter and the main shopping street. The present fortress went up between 1719 and 1723 on the site of earlier Roman, Byzantine and medieval forts, on ground settled for about two thousand years. It has been a protected cultural site since 1948, and since 1966 its grounds have hosted the Niš Film Festival. The fortress spreads over 22 hectares in a polygonal plan with eight bastion terraces and four gates. Its walls run for about 2,100 m, standing 8 m high and averaging 3 m thick. The southern Stambol Gate and the western Belgrade Gate survive best, and part of the moat can still be seen on the north side. Inside are tree-lined paths, cafes and old Ottoman buildings, among them a mosque now used as an exhibition space. Enter by the Stambol Gate near the bridge, walk the ramparts for views of the river and town, and allow about an hour. The Roman site of Mediana lies 4.5 km east in a straight line, so the two fit into a half day. Spring and autumn are the nicest for walking, while summer festivals bring evening crowds.
The best preserved way in.
Views of the river and town.
A surviving part of the defences.
Right bank of the Nišava, central Niš
Guides say the grounds are open with no fee, though some exhibitions inside may charge.
About an hour covers the walls and gates, longer with an exhibition or a cafe stop.