page_title: Smederevo Fortress
section_title: Current condition
hierarchical_section_title: Smederevo Fortress / Architecture / Current condition
caption_attribution_description: Heavily damaged southwest wall of the big town of Smederevo Fortress.
context_page_description: The Smederevo Fortress is a medieval fortified city in Smederevo, Serbia, which was temporary capital of Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was built between 1427 and 1430 on the order of Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate. It was further fortified by the Ottoman Empire, which had taken the city in 1459.
  The fortress withstood several sieges by Ottomans and Serbs, surviving relatively unscathed. During World War II it was heavily damaged, by explosions and bombing. As of 2009 it is in the midst of extensive restoration and conservation work, despite which the fortress remains "one of the rare preserved courts of medieval Serbian rulers."
  Smederevo Fortress was declared a national Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979. In 2010, the fortress was placed on the tentative list for possible nomination as a World Heritage Site.
context_section_description: The state of deterioration of the fortress ranges widely, from krstata kula which is still well preserved, to sections of the walls which have seen no repair work and have collapsed in some places.
  The first, and most severe, damage happened during World War II.  On June 5, 1941, ammunition stored in the fortress exploded, destroying not only a large part of the southern wall, but also decimating most of Smederevo.  Further damage was caused by the Allies' bombing in 1944.
  A dam in the Iron Gate, completed in 1972, raised the water level of the lower Danube basin and caused significant flooding.  Between 1970 and 1980, a system was built to protect the fortress and surrounding city from future high water, however there was once again major flooding in 2006, a result of heavy rainfall and melting snow.
  The fortress has been the focus of restoration and conservation efforts, followed by archaeological and architectural research, since at least 1970.  The majority of work so far was done between 1970 and 1995.  While some parts were at least partially repaired, others only received conservation work and are still in bad condition.
  In the inner city, the foundation is the only part of the palace which remains standing, and the audience hall has only an outline where the base was.  What remains has been partially restored and is now stable, though issues of vegetation growth and permanent maintenance remain.  The surrounding towers also still need work, as many have collapsed.  The town's restoration was followed in 1994–1995 with an archaeological investigation.
  The fortified suburb is still in very bad condition.  Parts of the wall are missing and several towers are leaning or partially collapsed.  The corner tower behind the Turkish inscription tower, and the stretch of wall along the Danube have seen conservation efforts, and the southern wall, which has been restored several times as part of a levee, is stable, but the conservation work is of poor quality.  Much of the time has instead been spent on archaeological excavations and research, especially of the remains of the sacral complex and Turkish bath.
  The escarpment along the Danube, which had partially collapsed several times, has seen restoration work, and is now in good condition.  On the other sides, much of the escarpment is gone or underground, and the overall condition is unknown.
  The ambiance and setting are also threatened, though they remain the best along the Danube.  The other two sides are surrounded by modern development, such as a marina on the eastern side, a railway to the south, and a variety of other urban structures.
  The planned final result of the work is for full rehabilitation of both Smederevo Fortress and its immediate surroundings, including relocating the railroad, though estimations of cost vary widely.  Between 2003 and 2004, the cost for just the conservation work was estimated to be €10,600,000, while the total rehabilitation cost, including conservation, restoration, and research, reached as high as €22,000,000.  In 2005, the combined cost for basic conservation and research dropped to €4,000,000.
caption: The southwestern wall of the fortified suburb
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "COOLPIX L1", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "COOLPIX L1 V1.2", "Image DateTime": "2007:04:07 15:21:33", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "284", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "4084", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3453", "EXIF ExposureTime": "10/9123", "EXIF FNumber": "29/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:04:07 15:21:33", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:04:07 15:21:33", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "2", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "63/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2816", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2112", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1054", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "38", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}