17 Oct /16

Serbia – Christianity, Inventions, Aliens and Weird Locations

Serbia
Serbia – Christianity, Inventions, Aliens and Weird Locations – EVS Translations

When we think of the Roman Empire, we typically think of, well, Italy; however, during the 5-century-long Imperial period, 18 Roman emperors were born in what is present-day Serbia, accounting for approximately 20% of all emperors. Most notable among these is Constantine the Great, who legalised Christianity in the Empire and who was born in Naissus (modern Nis) in 272AD.

Ask a watch connoisseur and they will likely say that the best clocks are made in Switzerland, but this was not always the case. The Serbian Orthodox monk, called Lazar the Serb, is credited with inventing as well as building the first known public mechanical clock in Russia in 1404, meaning that the Serbs had a knowledge of mechanical clock-making 200 years before the Swiss, whose first clock-making guild was established in 1601.

Serbians are resourceful. A fine example of this is the village of Gostuša, which can be found on the slope of Mt. Stara Planina (Old Mountain) in eastern Serbia. The entire village has been built from local stone, mud, and other natural materials from the surrounding area.

There is no doubting that the space race during the late 1950s and early 1960s was dominated by the United States and the Soviet Union, but, when the first TV transmission from Europe to the United States occurred in 1963, it was not anything overtly Soviet- it featured footage of the White Angel fresco, from the Mileševa monastery in Serbia.

It is impossible to discuss Serbia without mentioning Serbia’s most notable inventor, Nikola Tesla. While never winning the Nobel Prize, Tesla was truly a scientific pioneer, holding over 300 patents worldwide, inventing the alternating current induction motor and transformer, and being among the first to theorize wireless communication and wireless devices.

Though surrounded by water, islands are typically pretty static (i.e. they don’t float away), except in Serbia. In 2 Serbian lakes, the Semeteš and the Vlasina, there are islands that actually float on the water and move around the lake. Due to the lake beds being peat bogs, occasionally a small section of peat will rise to the surface; though is it light enough to float on the water, it is dense enough that it will support the growth of grasses, flowers, and even birch trees.

Aside from floating lakes, Serbia is also home to some other locations that are, well, weird. For example, because of its pyramidal shape, Mt. Rtanj is said by some to contain an alien mothership thousands of years old. Equally interesting are the Povlen globes: whether they were created by aliens, carved by man, or the natural result of volcanic activity long ago, the stones are said to emit an energy and possess healing properties. Fact or fiction, you will have to travel to Serbia to truly find out.

Whether you plan a trip to Serbia or are interested to find out other interesting facts about the country itself or the Serbian language, our in-house Serbian translators are here to help. -> Click here to contact our Serbian translation department.