Kalemegdan Park 3: St. Petka's Church, Jaksic Tower and the Old Turkish Bath

Back to the main body of the Kalemegdan and immediately opposite Ruzica Church is St. Petka's Church. It is perhaps not as old as Ruzica Church but St. Petka's is considered to have magical powers having been built upon a spring which is rumoured to have seen several miracles. You may see many people come to wash their face at the spring to take advantage of the spring's healing properties. Why not try the water yourself and see what benefits it brings?

The church was constructed in the mid-1930s and is considered important for the modern Serbian Church due to the bones of WW1 Serbian soldiers being found there as it was constructed.

The inside of the church is decorated with a beautiful and intricate mosaic making the church a charming place to visit.

Immediately to the right of St. Petka's Church is the Jaksic Tower which originates from the 12th century but has been reconstructed many times over the centuries. Due to the many reconstructions of the tower it is impossible to guess its original look, however the eight-sided defensive structure would have been necessary due to its strategic importance for Belgrade in general.

If we turn around and head back in the direction of the Metropolitan court we will see on our right the Old Turkish Bath. The Turkish Bath or Hamam marks the start of the lower town of old Belgrade and originates from the 18th Century.

The Haman is another example of the mixed usage of buildings in the fortress as original building was supposedly a gunpowder magazine. After this exploded in the 1600s the Turks built a Hamam to replace it.

Today its role has changed again and it is used as a planetarium. From an Austrain fortification to a Turkish bath to a modern day planetarium the building is a great example of the diversity of Belgrade.

The Old Turkish Bath offers itself onto the main Kalemegdan Park which is suitable for wandering around, enjoying the park scenery and relaxing on a bench or the grass. There are usually many cultural events, traders or exhibitions going on in the park which are well worth viewing if they are on.

When you are ready though head north along the fortified wall until we reach our next destinations.

Photo Kalemegdan - Sveta Petka church (by Pudelek) by  Pudelek is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0