When it comes to places of interest, the first thing people often think of is their rich history and beautiful natural landscapes. However, in fact, although some places are "ugly" or "terrifying", they are admired by future generations because of their particularity.
Niš, the largest industrial city in southern Serbia, Yugoslavia, has such a "special" place to visit, which bears witness to the blood and tears of the Serbian nation and has become an important symbol of the city.
In this 1,000-square-meter courtyard, surrounded by greenery and grass. The only building in the courtyard is a small Orthodox building with a cream-colored dome.
At first glance, the environment is quiet and unusual. However, when you approach the small building, you will notice that there are small sculptures of skeletons on the small doors on all sides, and there is an aura of horror.
This is the famous "Skull Tower", the only tower in the world built from real human bones. So, what kind of mysterious story is hidden behind this "skull tower"?
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Serbian people suffered from the brutal rule of the Turks and repeated armed uprisings. Among them, a decisive battle in 1809 was particularly fierce.
Sinjelich, a leader of the rebel army, led 160,000 Serbian rebels fought to the death against 40,000 Turkish soldiers. Despite the fact that the rebel army was inferior to the Turkish army in ** and combat effectiveness, both sides paid a huge price in the decisive battle.
The rebels have already lost 4,000 people, while the Turkish soldiers have lost 10,000 killed. Knowing that defeat was assured, Singelic was reluctant to become a prisoner of war or spare the Turkish soldiers.
So, he shot and set fire to the ammunition depot and died with the enemy. This decisive battle was a heroic sacrifice and a resolute resistance to Turkey.
The enraged leader of the Turkish army ordered the heads of the Serbian rebels to be cut off, some to return to Turkey as trophies, and the other to terrorize the Serbian people.
The heads were transported back to Niš, and part of them was used to build a tower made of sand and lime, known as the "Skull Tower". The original "skull tower" had no covering, was exposed to wind and rain for a long time, and some family members of the fallen soldiers secretly removed the skulls from under the tower, so that the number of skeletons on the tower gradually decreased.
Originally, there were 14 rows of small earth pits on the four walls of the tower, each row could put 17 heads, and the tower was about 35 meters. In other words, when the "Skull Tower" was built, a total of 952 skulls were placed.
However, by the time Serbia was completely liberated in 1878, only 58 skulls remained on the tower.
The Serbian people for protection"Skull Tower", a church-like building was erected on the tower, and the skull of Singelic was placed separately, which makes us see now"Skull Tower"Imprinted with history.
Although more than two hundred years have passed, the tragic fate of the owner of the skull is still clearly visible. The shattered teeth and the marks of the knife all reveal the inhumane treatment they suffered during their lifetime or after death.
However, these skulls also symbolize the indomitable spirit of the Serbian nation.