Balkan trivia: Where to find Tito in Belgrade - Part 1.

Check out this hidden Belgrade spot

Continuing our Belgrade tales and Balkan trivia, allow me to take you to one, out of many, cool, hidden spots in Belgrade that will surely feed your imagination,teach you things you didn't know before and take you back in time. Today, we are going back to the time of Yugoslavia and famous Josip Broz Tito, a renowned political figure known worldwide. If you want to find out where this place is, and maybe some of the Balkan's top secrets, then keep scrolling.

Before we begin, in case you haven’t heard of Tito, especially if you are younger (don’t worry, I keep learning things about him constantly), let me give you a brief background. I will not bore you will all the dry historical facts that you can Google yourself. I will just tell you that he was the president of the Socialist Federation Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ) from 1953 to 1980. Referred to as Marshal Tito, his persona left a trademark in Balkan history. There are uncountable legends about his experiences, personality and virtues as well as conspiracy theories about his existence, about which you can learn in many documentaries. What is commonly known is that Josip Broz Tito was a man with a great sense of humor. He loved to laugh even on his account. Therefore, he often hosted parties inviting the most popular actors, who would tell jokes about Tito directly to him. He was a huge hedonist, who never gave up his Chivas and Cuban cigars. One out of many funny anecdotes that testify his personality was when the US journalist asked Tito:”Mr. President, what is the greatest positive result of Nixon’s visit to Yugoslavia?”. Tito responded laconically :” The fact that I'm in America today!”.

There is one hidden spot in Belgrade, dedicated to Tito and the past times and aimed for all the people who loved former Yugoslavia, called Kafana SFRJ. Even though this traditional café/restaurant is located in the city center, I have encountered it by accident, one warm summer day, with my friend. Not only that we really wanted to get into the air conditioned place, but we were genuinely attracted by the authentic design of the Kafana, with plenty of posters, Tito’s portraits, old images, books, authentic photographs, stamps, vintage objects and furniture. I remember when entering the Kafana that we were looking around for a while, wondering where we were exactly. The atmosphere of the Kafana is extremely enticing and evoking all your curiosity. Then the warm and welcoming staff greeted us kindly, which kind of woke us up from day-dreaming, and offered us a seat. This place has a unique harmony that will seduce you after the first visit.

The best thing is that Kafana SFRJ is open seven days a week, and it is a perfect spot if you want to make a relaxing coffee break, just like we did, or have the most exciting nightlife experience. Live music, smiley people and great atmosphere will surely make this place memorable for you. But don’t trust me, go and see it for yourself!