A town on the Danube, in the vicinity of Belgrade. As legend has it, Roman emperor Probus (3rd century) first planted the grape-wine cuttings he brought back from Asia to Smederevo. When despot Djuradj Brankovich built a fortress and made it his capital, Smederevo became one of the most important towns in Serbia.
The medieval fortress, built between 1428 and 1430, was the most significant and still is the largest castle on the Danube. It was a bastion separating the inner fortress from the outer walls bears a large brickwork cross, and an inscription giving the building date as 1430. Smederevo's medieval fortress exchanged hands several times during the Austro-Turkish wars of the 17th and 18th centuries. The fortress was the seat of the Turkish administrator for Serbia until when he moved to Belgrade. It was also the seat of the Legislative Council before the council was transferred to Belgrade.
