Nis: A City With a Big Heart and a Deep Soul

Wed 09.10.2019
Blog

Niš is the third-largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. The town was named after the Nišava River, which flows through the city. It was first named Navissos by Celtic tribes in the 3rd century BC. From this term comes the Latin Naissus, the Greek Nysos and the Slavic Niš.

A City With a Glorious History

Niš has long been a crossroads between East and West. Founded by the Celtic Scordisci in 279 BC, the city would serve as the birthplace of three Roman emperors: Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor and the founder of Constantinople; Constantius III; and Justin I. Later playing a prominent role in the history of the Byzantine Empire, the city's past would earn it the nickname The Emperor's City.


Niš Fortress 
The main fortress is actually a complex and important cultural and historical monument. It rises on the right bank of the Nišava River, overlooking the area inhabited for longer than two millennia. It was protected by law in May 1948 as it was declared a cultural site of great significance. The current condition of the fortress lists it as one of the best-preserved fortifications of this kind in Serbia as well as on the Balkan Peninsula.



After about 400 years of Ottoman rule, the city was liberated in 1878 and became part of the Principality of Serbia, though not without great bloodshed—remnants of which can be found throughout the city. Today, Niš is one of the most important economic centers in Serbia, especially in the electronics, mechanical engineering, textile, and tobacco industries.
Constantine the Great Airport is Niš's international airport.

In 2013, the city was host to the celebration of 1700 years of Constantine's Edict of Milan.




If you want to visit this city, feel its southern soul and taste the most delicious food, book one of the numerous tours which can be found on the Serbian Adventures website.

Knowing that an image speaks more than a thousand words, visit our YouTube Channel and watch videos about different areas in Serbia. You just need to click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGMRKURx5SEfbkjWB7nifWA?view_as=subscriber