Monuments
Monument of Gratitude to France
Belgrade · Belgrade
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Monuments
- COUNTRY
- Serbia
- REGION
- Belgrade · Belgrade
- DURATION
- 2–4 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
At the head of the Kalemegdan alley where the whole city promenades stands Meštrović’s monument to France: a bronze woman raising a sword toward the west, dedicated in 1930 to thank France for the alliance that carried Serbia through the Great War. French help was decisive in 1915–18 — and the monument, stripped of its label during one era and restored after another, remains the emotional heart of the French-Serbian connection. The Kalemegdan esplanade around it, laid out in the 1890s as the city’s finest promenade, is where Belgrade still comes to be seen: newlyweds, runners, chess players, the chess boards by the gate, and the row of benches facing the confluence.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The monument was raised by public subscription in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to thank France for the alliance of the Great War — the French army had received the broken Serbian forces on Corfu in 1916 and rebuilt them into the Salonika Front army that liberated the country in 1918. Meštrović designed it in 1930; the unveiling drew French marshal Franchet d’Espèrey himself, the front’s commander. The communists found the monument ideologically awkward and in 1954 planned to move it to the park’s edge; public affection kept it in place. In 2016, on the centenary of the Corfu transit, Serbia and France jointly restored the bronze.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The monument itself — Meštrović’s bronze at the head of the main alley.
The chess players’ corner by the Stambol Gate, a Belgrade institution.
The esplanade benches facing the confluence — the city’s open-air living room.
GOOD TO KNOW
Facts & Curiosities
The bronze woman is often mistaken for France herself; Meštrović called her “the mother carrying the sword of the fallen”.
Marshal Franchet d’Espèrey unveiled it in 1930 — the same marshal whose horse statue now stands across the river in Novi Beograd.
The monument’s plinth carries the names of the WWI battles where French and Serbian soldiers fought together.
Its esplanade was designed as the ceremonial gateway of the fortress — every state visit’s wreath is laid here.
MAP & LOCATION
Monument of Gratitude to France
Monument of Gratitude to France, Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
44.8200, 20.4480
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Belgrade
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Skadarlija’s kafanas (Tri šešira, Dva jelena) for the full bohemian ritual — grilled meat, tamburica and rakija
Zemun’s Danube quay for river fish and smoked carp at the fish-market stalls
Dorćol around Cetinjska for the new-wave restaurants and specialty coffee
The splav rafts on the Sava — food until late, music until later
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Dorćol for character, cafés and the river walk — the best all-round base
Around Knez Mihailova or Slavija for first-timer convenience
The Sava promenade hotels for river views
Zemun’s quay guesthouses for the quiet, local alternative
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
INTERESTS
Explore by what you love
PART OF
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