Niš beyond the fortress: Bubanj, a synagogue and a church that changed faith with each new ruler
A memorial park with three raised fists, a former synagogue turned gallery, and a church that was both temple and mosque — three addresses the six main sights leave out.
- Bubanj Memorial Park
- Free to enter
- Church of St Nicholas
- From the 13th century to 1879
- Synagogue Gallery
- Built 1924–1925
Niš's six main sights are the fortress, the Skull Tower, Mediana, the Crveni Krst camp, Kazandžijsko sokače and Niška Banja. Off that list are three places with their own, heavier stories: a memorial park on a site of mass execution, a synagogue turned exhibition space, and a church that changed faith with each new ruler.
Bubanj Memorial Park — a killing site and three fists
On Bubanj hill, three kilometres from the centre, German occupying forces shot more than ten thousand residents of Niš and south-eastern Serbia during the Second World War. The monument known as the Three Fists, raised in 1963 by the sculptor Ivan Sabolić, shows three hands — a man's, a woman's and a child's — between thirteen and sixteen metres tall; the shape comes from a prisoner who raised his fist before the firing squad. The site has been a cultural monument of exceptional importance since 1979, and a glass chapel was added in 2004. Entry is free.
Church of St Nicholas — six changes of faith
At Mokranjčeva 1 stood, from the early 13th century, a church dedicated to Saint Procopius; the Ottomans tore it down after their conquest in 1386, and a new building went up on the same spot at the end of the 17th century, soon converted into the Fetija mosque. The minaret fell more than once, and over the following centuries the building changed hands several times more — it was last reconsecrated as an Orthodox church in 1879, on the feast of St Constantine and St Helena, after Niš was liberated.
Synagogue Gallery — a former house of prayer
The old Niš synagogue burned down in a major fire on 15 August 1879; the present building, in what was then the Jewish quarter, went up in 1924–1925, with the foundation stone laid on 18 May 1924. It has been a cultural monument of great significance since 1986, and since a 2009 restoration it has held a permanent exhibition gallery of the National Museum of Niš.
An order that makes sense
The Church of St Nicholas and the Synagogue Gallery both sit in the wider centre, an add-on to a day already spent in town; Bubanj stands apart, three kilometres further out, and is worth its own trip — by taxi or a longer walk.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is Bubanj Memorial Park free to visit?
Yes, entry is free and the park is open to visitors throughout the day.
Is the Synagogue Gallery still an active house of prayer?
No — since a 2009 restoration the building has held a permanent exhibition gallery of the National Museum of Niš.
Why did the Church of St Nicholas change faith?
Because the city changed hands: it became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1386, and was returned to the Orthodox community after Niš was liberated in 1879.
Ready for Niš?
Where to next
What to eat in Niš
→Burek for breakfast, čorba for lunch, the grill in the evening — Niš is eaten by the time of day, not by one…
Sokobanja · 36 km
→The spa town where Prince Miloš officially sent his first patient in 1837
How well does Niš suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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