Historical population of Belgrade

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[edit] Ancient times

Belgrade, formerly known as Celtic Singidunum, was founded in 3rd century B.C., near the site of a prehistoric settlement of Vinča (Vinča culture), which ranks the city among the oldest ones in Europe and the world[1]. There are some evidence that might show that the city was also a Greek colony in the ancient times although this has not been scientifically verified. What we know for sure is that the settlement was mentioned under its ancient name- Singidunum for the first time in 279 B.C., which some consider to be a founding year of the city[2].

During the Celtic period it was a small town of several hundred, up to a thousand people, so it was more of a fishing village than a real town, even though it was fortified (which can still be seen today in Karaburma, a suburb of Belgrade). On the eve of a new era the city was taken over by the Romans and refortified; in Roman period the importance of the city as a border- and riverport spot will grow, and so would its population. In 86 A.D. Singidunum became a Roman colony under Legio IV Flavia Felix, and a golden era of the city has begun; by the middle of the 2nd century, when the city has evolved into a municipium, the city has numbered some 10,000 people, roughly 6,000 of them serving for the Roman Imerial Army, and the rest being civilians. Its fort grew stronger and bigger due to continuous clashes with the Dacians. The city at that time has had its theatres, suage system, temples and was touched by Christian movement at a very early stage. At one time it has abolished its status to Rome and became an independent colony.

3rd century brought turmoil to the Empire, as it was a subject to invasions from the East, by the Goths; the city also crumbled both in population and importance, being a strategic town and suffering numerous invasions. It continued throughout 4th and 5th centuries as well, when the city was included into the Eastern Roman Empire as a guardian of its northern border; it was repeatedly sacked by Huns- under Attila himself-, Ostrogoths, Avars, Gepides, Sarmatians and Serbs. Justinian has retaken the city and guarded it for some 50 years, but the ancient glory was never restored. The name of the city has also been erased from the records by its new conquerors- Serbs, who have renamed it Beograd (the white city]], marking the beginning of a new chapter of its history.

[edit] Medieval times

During the entire course of early-medieval times, Belgrade hasn't had an opportunity to evolve, as it was a subject of rivalry between the Bulgarian Empire, Byzantine Empire and Magyars. Serbs at that time have had no interest in the North, as most of their states were in the South: Zeta, Raska, Travunija, Zahumlje, Paganija, Bosna etc; it wasn't until King Dragutin in 13th century that Belgrade has been included into the Serbian Kingdom and shaped its Orthodox rather than Magyar Catholic character. Its population gradually started to increase at that time, numbering over 10,000 by the end of the century, and 20,000 by the end of the 14th century. When Serbian Empire collapsed in 1389, more and more refugees from the south sought refuge in Belgrade. In 1403 it became the capital of Serbian Despotovina, evolving into a Christian Mecca in Turkish- occupied Balkans. Under Despot Stefan Lazarevic, who has a true European knight, poet and artist, Belgrade was a seat of a free Christian state that regulated trade between East and West. Its ancient walls and castles were reconstructed and refortified, its churches raised, its culture experienced a boom due to proximity of Oriental and Western influences, and its population exploded. By 1430 Belgrade was second to Constantinople in population, by the end of the century reaching 100,000 people. In 1430 it became part of Royal Hungary, and in 1456 it was victorious against Turks, when Christian Europe has united in this city to put an end to the Siege of Belgrade. The golden age of the city continued into the 16th century, however in 1521 the Turks have conquered it; the population slowly started to decrease, as more and more collonists from Turkey have poured into Belgrade, and its culture became a danger for the Porte. Serbian migrations have begun, at first slowly, but than more and more. in 1594, after a Banat rebellion, many have moved to the North and West, especially after the burning of St Sava's bones in the centre of Belgrade by the Ottomans. Wars in today's northern Serbia, Hungary, Bosnia and Croatia have encouraged many to start moving into those areas which were depopulated; also that meant that Turkish joke was not as hard in those areas. In the following century Habsburg Empire has taken over most of these areas (except Bosnia), and the migration waves have become a Serbian reality, reaching its peak in 1690 and 1737, when hundreds of thousands of Serbs from Kosovo and South Serbia have left their lands in hands of Muslims, moving across Belgrade in ships and boats on the other side of Danube, into Christian Austria. The results of these migrations are still evident to this day, as Serbs became a majority in Vojvodina, so called "Republic of Serbian Krajina", Bosnia but also became a minority in Kosovo and Metohija and Sandzak. Belgrade was considered a Serbian capital during Ottoman rule, but its sad appearance and a population of only a couple thousand said a different story. Novi Sad would resume the title of the Serbian capital of culture and liberty in following centuries, thriving in Austria while Belgrade entirely deteriorated under Turkey. Zemun (today's northern suburb of Belgrade) became home to hundreds of refugees from today's South Belgrade.

[edit] Modern Times

The city was the seat of a revolutionary government, when First Serbian Uprising escalated against Turks, after almost 3 centuries of slavery. It became the seat of education when the Great School was founded, the oldest educational facility in the Balkans that would evolve into Belgrade University. National Assembly was formed also. At that time, between 1804 and 1813, on its 400th anniversary as a Serbian capital, Belgrade was a seat of the independent Serbian Principality, one of only 10 independent European countries. Its population started to grow as the trade with Zemun and Austria were established; Karadjordje was supported by the Russians and even Napoleon, who came dangerously close to the country. Unfortunately Turks have retaken this rebelled province with lots of bloodshed, but a year later Second Serbian Uprising surprised them and Serbia was finally semi-independent from Turkey.

In 1817 the autonomy was proclaimed and Obrenovic dynasty started its 90-year reign in Serbia. Belgrade was reelected the capital in 1839, as its importance again grew big, being the Orthodox Christian buffer-zone between Catholic Austria and Muslim Turkey. As the feudalism was abolished the city grew rapidly in economy and in population; by 1848 it had some 40,000 residents, and by its independence in 1878 some 50,000, which is considered little but was a great improvement. The city was entirely westernized and rebuilt with nearby Vienna and Budapest being its architectural rolemodels (during the 3 Austrian occupations in the past the Baroque buildings were demolished by Muslims). It also became a cultural and educational hub for the neighboring nations that were under foreign domination: Bosnia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia etc. However the economy of Kingdom of Serbia was very weak and the nation was still divided, now living in 3 states. Serbia lived out of livestock and agriculture, although Belgrade as a city was increasingly modern, getting a train rail in 1882, its trams, electricity and even cinema at the end of the 19th century, becoming thus the most developed city in the Balkans. By 1900 the city reached 70,000 people, which means that it still hasn't reached its medieval population-level, but by the outbreak of World War I, due to rapid growth, the city has finally reached 100,000 residents, again ranking third only behind Constantinople but also Romanian Bucharest.

World War I has left this Allied country devastated (check Entente forces), having lost 33% of its entire population. Belgrade, being unprotected and opened to Austria with its 2 rivers, has also been largely demolished. During the war the population fell down to only about 20,000, but soon after the war ended and Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed, the city gained a large influx of population, largely Serbs from devastated areas but also Western Serbs. It was the first time in history that these 2 cities, one against another Belgrade and Zemun, have had a chance to unite. This occurred in 1929 and the combined population was 240,000 people; a decade later it reached 350,000 and by the outbreak of World War II Belgrade had 400,000 people. World War II saw a big destruction in Belgrade; thousands have died in Luftwaffe airrades, and tens of thousands in concentration camps on Staro Sajmiste, Banjica, Jajinci and so on. However Belgrade has recovered quite quickly after the war, as a capital of Yugoslavia, becoming an industrial hub of the nation while its cultural values were set aside in advantage to Zagreb, second largest city. The population growth was huge; between 1950 and 1972 the city grew from 500,000 to over 1,000,000; 1972 to 1985 saw increase to 1,500,000, in 1991 it reached its peak at 1,850,000. The '90ies saw wars, UN sanctions, embargo and crime; hundreds of thousands have left the country, especially young people, while on the other hand, more than 700,000 Serb refugees have found shelter in Serbia and Belgrade. The official statistic says that Belgrade's current population is 1,711,863 residents, but due to lack of information about the refugees and the displaced persons, most counts put the number to about 2,000,000 people.