Above water: Savsko Jezero: On the Belgrade Sea

It is milky green. The plants sway gently, red leaf tips float towards me. I dive down to touch it, but the delicate little fingers are deeper than expected. Like a dense forest, a sea of ​​stems spreads out a few meters below me. Green arms grow on their trunks, colored red at the top. I leave them, surface, wave to my friend on the bank and crawl back.

Belgrade at the end of May. The city has switched to summer, parks, streets and riversides are full of people. Honking convoys of cars drive to churches, all the cafes are full. More than three football games will take place this Saturday, the Red Star will be champions again and will celebrate extensively. There is music, marriage and rejoicing.

Above water

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Anne Hahn is an author of novels and non-fiction books and swims the waters of the world for “nd”.

For me, Belgrade’s beauty lies in the hills of the city, which allow for wide views and the two rivers that lie at the foot of the Festung Kalemegdan unite. For a moment you feel like you’re at the sea. The mighty Danube pushes its turquoise green far into the Sava, which spans several bridges and connects New Belgrade with the old town. It’s nice to see when Belgrade lights up in the evening and the young people gather at the castle to dangle their legs from the walls. Opposite, a band throws lights into the sky and sings “… risen from ruins.«

Since my last visit four years ago, prices have increased, especially for overnight stays. About a hundred thousand Migrants from Russia live in the city, at the same time slums are disappearing. Today, luxury apartments and high-rise buildings are growing where a central one spread out Waterfront from the former train station district. You can now stroll along the Sava or shop in Europe’s largest shopping mall. Should be in three years the gigantic new buildingproject be completed.

Heading south, trails lead past anglers, highway interchanges, and crumbling piers. Here, disco boats exhale their intoxication, joggers cruise, families cycle out of town. Tourists have a barbecue, a police officer dozes in front of the floating police station, and ducks raise their offspring in a half-sunken boat labeled “Cartel.” Turtles sit on dilapidated docks.

The water becomes darker and smells strong, Belgrade does not have a sewage treatment system. We rush on, then suddenly the save ends. A rampart leads gently upwards and the view opens onto a huge lake, Savsko Jezero. One arm of the Sava, the one big Island in the river was cut and cleaned in the 1970s – the people of Belgrade already had one seven kilometer long lake, which can accommodate hundreds of thousands of bathers. With free use of the pebble beaches! At the lake there is fishing, rowing, a dog’s bottom washed, children splashing around in an iron gate. There are ice cream, cafes, grills, stalls, sports areas, picnic areas and (poor) toilets. Climbing tower, ski simulator and a rusted bungee jumping crane.

The sun is shining this Sunday afternoon and we walked five kilometers. I drop everything on the gravel, put on my swimsuit and swimming goggles and dive into the “Belgrade Sea”.

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