Sremski Karlovci: an open-air museum

Sremski Karlovci and the memory of the White emigration

What can I say — the weather is so good it's practically a crime to stay at home!

So here's a reminder — this Sunday we're off to soak up Sremski Karlovci. And there are still seats left on our cosy little bus!

We'll start the way our predecessors would have — with coffee and cake on the main square. And then we'll go for a walk — through famous and little-known places where the memory of the White émigrés still lives on.

History is a strange thing: it comes back.
Exactly a hundred years ago, Russians here were trying to start over in just the same way — opening schools, hospitals, kindergartens. Learning to live from scratch, from the wreckage of the past, piecing themselves back together.
An army without a country was stationed here under the command of Pyotr Wrangel.
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia moved here.
And even here the shadow of Soviet power caught up with them.
And yet — back then, just like now, the Serbs simply gave the Russians the chance to live their own way.

This won't be a tour in the usual sense.
Not dry facts and dates, but living stories — the kind passed down within families, in whispers, so they wouldn't be lost.

And then there'll be a taste that's also about memory.
Bermet — a dessert wine made with twenty herbs, from a secret recipe guarded like a relic. It was served to first-class passengers on the Titanic. In Yugoslav times it disappeared — as if along with an entire era.
And only recently has it been brought back to life here, in Karlovci. And we'll definitely try it.

Joining us is Natalia Vuletić, a local insider in Sremski Karlovci who has been living these stories for more than twenty years.

We're going with a wonderful crowd of the channel's "old-timers" — and new people are always welcome.
So if something inside you stirred even a little — come with us.
Sundays like this don't happen twice

Trip details and sign-up here

Published 16 April 2026 · Open post in Telegram ↗

📸 19 April — photo walk in Sremski Karlovci

In the footsteps of the Russian emigration

A hundred years ago this quiet baroque town suddenly became
the centre of the Russian diaspora. Thousands of people came here — officers, princes, priests, families with suitcases and the hope of "waiting it out". A familiar story, isn't it.

For several years, that very pre-revolutionary Russia lived here — with its habit of drinking tea with pastries, speaking French and missing home.
They say one of the town's main hotels came about thanks to Russian young ladies — they paid for their desserts with family jewels. It sounds like a legend, but in Karlovci stories like this are everywhere you turn.

The Black Baron Pyotr Wrangel also lived here — and it was from here that a new chapter of the Russian emigration began:
Paris, Belgrade, Europe…
Some left.
And some stayed — and their stories still live on in this town.

And we'll be walking right inside this story. Joining us is Natalia Vuletić — someone who has lived in Serbia for 20 years and collects stories from local people.
Not dry facts, but living accounts — how it all really was.

What's in store?
✨ The old centre and baroque streets — chasing the perfect light
✨ A look at Baron Wrangel's House
✨ A climb to the viewpoint (a bit of cardio, but the view is worth it)
✨ A giant plane tree and an ancient mulberry — witnesses of an era
✨ A cemetery with Russian surnames
✨ The legendary Chapel of Peace

And somewhere along the way we may well meet descendants of those very Russians —
Cossacks, officers, princes. Stories like that are not rare here

🍷 We'll finish the trip at a local restaurant and will definitely try bermet — the legendary wine made only here.
It's not just wine, it's a whole ritual:
red wine + more than 20 herbs and spices (cinnamon, cardamom, anise, citrus…)
The recipe is kept secret, and the taste is the very one people come here specially for.

💰 Price:
60 euros — transfer, guide.
Not included: dinner and souvenirs.
Sign up in the comments; departure from Belgrade

This isn't just a trip.
It's a day when history suddenly becomes very personal.
And yes…
this is the Balkans, baby!

Published 6 April 2026 · Open post in Telegram ↗

Photo exchange. Sremski Karlovci — an open-air museum. 19 April 2026

We just went for a stroll around a small town, supposedly… and our legs are buzzing like after a good hike🙈

I think today we covered Sremski Karlovci up and down, inside and out. We walked around the centre and had a drink while admiring the Four Lions fountain, the gingerbread-like gymnasium building and St Nicholas Cathedral.

The sun was blazing mercilessly, but we heroically made it to the viewpoint, and then to the Orthodox cemetery.
We also hugged a plane tree.
It's 150 years old, huge and very beautiful. It took eight of us to hug it
(Anastasia, we're waiting for the video)

And we found a squirrel in an abandoned building)

We listened to stories about the Russians who lived here a hundred years ago.
The kind that make something tighten inside. Oh, they stirred up our emigrant souls.

We stood in the courtyard of Pyotr Wrangel's house. And at his father's grave.

And wherever we went, it was wineries, wineries and more wineries.
In search of "that" Bermet, we dropped into several cellars, tried everything we could, and took a few bottles home with us. We approve of Bermet)))

We finished the day with dinner at a fancy restaurant, and then, happy and a little tired, headed back to Belgrade.

And here's what I think: Serbia's "small" towns aren't small at all.
So much history, such architecture — sometimes you just stand there wondering how it all fits in here. We've got so much more travelling to do!

Thank you to everyone who came today, newcomers and old-timers alike — it was so warm and heartfelt (and not just because of the wine😂)) 🫶🏻
Special thanks to Natasha — for this day and for the stories that make you want to read, watch and learn more.🤗

Film titles on the topic, recommended by Natasha:
"Before the Court of History".
"Operation Trust"

Share your photos and impressions in the comments, and vidimo se!!

Published 19 April 2026 · Open post in Telegram ↗

Sremski Karlovci in one day

There's plenty to see near Belgrade!
For example, Sremski Karlovci is one of the easiest towns to get to by transport. You can get there by car or by commuter train, or even by bike.

And there you'll find an amazing history very close to our own, beautiful buildings — literally an open-air museum — endless wineries and restaurants where the food is delicious! And of course, you have to try bermet there.
We covered it up and down, inside and out, in a single day. If you need a guide, let me know)

And see Sremski Karlovci through the eyes of Asta @asyanes

Published 20 May 2026 · Open post in Telegram ↗