Viminacium

About this place

Viminacium is an archaeological park on the site of a great Roman city and military camp, once the capital of the province of Moesia Superior, near the town of Kostolac in eastern Serbia. The site covers 450 hectares, and as of 2018 only 3 to 4 percent of it had been explored. The city dates to the 1st century AD and may have reached 40,000 people at its peak, making it one of the largest in the Balkans at the time, on the Roman road known as the Via Militaris. It hosted the camp of Legio VII Claudia and an amphitheatre for about 12,000 spectators. The Huns devastated it in the 5th century, Justinian rebuilt it, and it ended for good in the 6th century. More than 16,000 graves have been found. Visitors enter a large timber-arched hall covering a mausoleum and Roman graves, then see sections of baths and walls, an amphitheatre partly rebuilt in wood, and a museum founded in 2019. The star is the mammoth skeleton «Vika», found in 2009 and more than 4 m tall. Some areas display human skeletons, which is worth knowing if you have children with you. It is 62 km in a straight line from Belgrade, and a car or tour is easiest. It pairs well with Smederevo Fortress or Golubac Fortress. Visits usually run as guided tours, so ask about the last tour of the day before setting out, since it changes between summer and winter.