Since the New Cemetery of Belgrade is one of the rare, urban civillian cemeteries comprising five WWI Military Cemeteries, each November is marked with the series of commemorations devoted to all victims of the Great War.
On the occasion of the Italian Armed Forces Day and WWI Armistice Centenary, on November 2, 2018, the commemoration was held at the Italian Military Cemetery within the New Cemetery of Belgrade, for the purpose of remembering the Italian soldiers killed in the Great War, as well as all the casualties of the Great War, other armed conflicts and peace-keeping missions.
Another commemoration devoted to the victims of the Great War was held on November 10, 2018, at the Austro-Hungarian Military Cemetery. The ceremony of laying wreaths and paying respects was attended by high ranking state and church officials from Austria, Hungary and Serbia, representatives of the embassies and defense attaché offices accredited in Belgrade.
This series of
commemorations was finalized by the Central
State Ceremony, at the very day of the WWI
Armistice Centenary, November 11, 2018 at 10:00 hrs. The Central
Ceremony commenced at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, followed by the central
event in front of the Memorial Ossuary of Belgrade Defenders. The ceremony
continued by laying wreaths at the WWI Russian Ossuary, whereas the finale was
marked by commemoration at the WWI French Military Cemetery.
The Remembrance Day is commemorated each year on
November 11, as a token of remembrance of the WWI armistice
signed in the railway wagon in Compiegne (France) and the hostilities formally
ended on November 11, 1918 - "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th
month" In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, each
country was obligated to maintain the war cemeteries at their territories,
disregarding the fate or nationality. Based on the decision of the SHS Kingdom from 1919, the Municipality of
Belgrade secured the area for French, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian
military cemeteries. The cemeteries were constructed by their respective
countries in the period between 1928 and 1934. From their establishing until this
day, the foreign military cemeteries are treated as separate, ex-territorial
units, within the New Cemetery of Belgrade.
Like the Remembrance
Poppy – in Serbia the same symbolism is assigned to the Natealie’s
Ramonda (lat. “Ramonda
nathaliae”) – an endemic flower species, growing in Eastern parts of Serbia and Macedonia. The flower is considered a symbol of the Serbian Army's struggle
during WWI, due to its sturdiness (i.e. it can survive temperatures well
below zero degrees Celsius) and potential to recuperate after the most severe
weather conditions. The plant was first described in 1884 by the local
scientists and named after the Queen Natalija Obrenović of Serbia.  | |
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