Niš: the birthplace of Constantine the Great

Serbia's third-largest city and birthplace of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, Niš preserves Roman remains and a well-preserved Ottoman fortress.

The center, birthplace of Emperor Constantine the Great, is comfortably explored on foot.

The Fortress of Niš, of Roman origin and rebuilt by the Ottomans in the eighteenth century, remains the best-preserved monument of the old city.

Just nearby, the archaeological site of Mediana, an imperial Roman residence built at the behest of Constantine himself, preserves floor mosaics and remains of baths.

Continuing, you visit the Tower of Skulls, a monument erected by the Ottomans with the skulls of Serbian rebels who fell in battle in 1809, today a national memorial.

As evening falls, the pedestrian district of the center enlivens cafés and restaurants in the city's main plaza.

Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, was born in Niš in 272 CE, a connection the city still celebrates today with statues and references scattered throughout downtown.

The Skull Tower, constructed by the Ottomans as a warning against future rebellions, eventually became a symbol of Serbian national resistance, today protected as a memorial monument and covered by a small commemorative chapel.