Zvečan Fortress

Fortress of Zvečan
Kosovska Mitrovica
300px Overview of the Zvečan fortress
Type	Fortification
Construction materials	Stone

The Fortress of Zvečan, located in the north-west of the city of Kosovska Mitrovica, in Kosovo, is an enormous Serbian old castle and one of the oldest fortresses in South Eastern Europe. It was built on the top of the extinct volcano vent, overlooking the Ibar river.

Zvečan Fortress was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.

History

It represents one of the oldest Balkan medieval fortresses, although its exact date of original construction is unknown. The underlying construction dates from Classical antiquity, and it is not unlikely that the location was fortified in prehistoric times. As a border fort of the Raška state, the site gained in importance in 1093, when the Serbian ruler Vukan Vukanović, launched his conquest of Kosovo (then part of the Byzantine Empire) from there.

Part of the fortress was designated as one of the courts of the Serbian House of Nemanjić, and Zvečan was the place where Stefan Uroš III died in 1331. In 1389, it was captured by the Ottoman Turks after the Battle of Kosovo, and it remained an active military site well into the 18th century, after which it was abandoned.

See also

• Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
• Tourism in Serbia
• List of castles in Kosovo
• List of fortresses in Serbia

Notes

a.

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The Assembly of Kosovo declared its independence on 17 February 2008, while Serbia claims it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo is recognised by 69 of the 192 UN member states.