Nis

About

One of the oldest cities in Europe, Niš was founded by the Romans in 279 BC. Over the centuries, the city was also ruled by the Ottomans, and during WWII, the Nazis. Today, visitors can still find Roman ruins in the 18th century Ottoman. The Ottomans also left behind the gruesome Skull Tower, a structure filled with the skulls of Serbian rebels. More chilling however is the Red Cross concentration camp, which held over 35,000 people. It was the site of the first successful breakout from a concentration camp, which resulted in the execution of 1,100 prisoners. Today, prisoners barracks has been turned into a museum. A tour the second floor shows where important political prisoners were held, complete with engravings on to the walls, and the original barbed wire lined floors that inmates were forced to sleep on as a form of punishment.