The larger part of the partnership of Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia was home to the capital city of the former Yugoslavia and is a country that still provokes memories of recent problems from the mere mention of its name. The varied geography of the country adds a great deal of wonderment to a country that is often overlooked by foreigners thanks to recent events in history, but the Serbia of today is a progressive, stable and open country full of friendly people and any number of wonderful experiences.

The history of the region of Serbia is a confused one, with many invading armies and conquering empires in the strategically important location. After the Slavs settled down in the region in the 4th century the Serbian Kingdom was an impressive one, stretching as far as Albania and Greece – this period of power did not last though, as the encroaching Ottoman Turks took the kingdom for themselves and enforced around 500 years of rule over the Serbs. The fall of the Ottoman Empire gave Serbia the chance to once again flex its muscles and the kingdom, and in the first Balkan War of 1912 involved itself in liberating Macedonia from the Turks – the following year in the second Balkan War Serbia again was on the winning side, this time forcing Bulgaria into submission and causing the Kosovo region to end up in Serb control. It was a Serb nationalist that assassinated Archduke Francis Ferdinand in 1914 which provoked the beginning of the First World War, at the end of which Serbia joined with Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia (as well as the regions of Vojvodina and Macedonia) to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes – renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. World War II saw the nation brutalised by Nazi Germany and their allies, with hundreds of thousands massacred by the Croatian puppet government – the resentment harboured from this dark point in history remained simmering for decades and was to have tragic consequences further down the line. After the Second World War Yugoslavia entered a period of relative quiet that lasted a few decades, under the Communist rule of Josip Broz Tito who purposefully distanced the country’s politics from those of Moscow and helped at least to keep a lid on the ethnic tensions that were bubbling under the surface of the Yugoslav people. When Tito died in 1980 the country hit a downward spiral with confused government and tensions beginning to boil over – the election of Slobodan Milosevic in 1987 brought tensions to a head when he began speaking of a ‘Greater Serbia’. This nationalist view pushed the Slovene and Croat people over the edge and hastened both countries drives for independence with Slovenia being the first of the nations to declare autonomy from Yugoslavia in 1991, with Croatia following soon after. Serbia’s reaction was to send in the troops to force compliance from the dissenting ranks, and whereas this simply did not work in Slovenia it lead to long-held ethnic tensions boiling over in Croatia, resulting in atrocities and bloodshed on a tragic scale. EU involvement in the region stepped up a gear and ceasefires were brokered along with sanctions being imposed on the Serbs – Slovenia and Croatia were recognised as independent nations, which lead to Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to air their demands for autonomy.

The dissolution of the former Yugoslavia saw the region left with only Serbia and Montenegro standing together, soon renamed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Milosevic’s rule was not over yet though, and his stripping Kosovo of its independence saw immense anger from the ethnic Albanians located in the region, which soon escalated into full scale repressive violence from the Yugoslav army. This time around, the world did not stand idly by and in 1999 NATO launched a military campaign against Milosevic’s ethnic cleansing mission, with bombs hitting targets in Serbia and Kosovo for a period of months. A peace deal was brokered between NATO and Yugoslavia, and soon enough (after attempted vote rigging and mass protests, no less) Milosevic was both out of power and arrested on charges of crimes against humanity. Serbia began rebuilding, the country was renamed Serbia and Montenegro and the nation that stands today, though still scarred by recent events, is a politically stable and forward thinking one with European-leaning policies. There is set to be a referendum this year (2006) to see whether the nations of Serbia and Montenegro wish to stay united or if they wish to split and go on as independent states.

The wars of the ‘90s saw Serbia’s tourist trade decimated, and the country has only begun to rebuild the market in recent years – nevertheless, it is rebuilding and the signs are getting better. International aid has been coming into the country and major towns and cities are structurally repaired in the majority, so unspoilt and new properties are not too difficult to find for the prospective off plan investor. Recent history should not be the only way Serbia is viewed by the world – the country is a beautiful one full of friendly people and a rich culture, and the government’s drive towards Europe is one that is bound to put the nation in good stead in the future.

Healthcare in Serbia is generally of a poor standard, as though there are a good number of well-trained doctors there are simply not enough facilities and hospitals tend to be under equipped. Health insurance is highly recommended and major illness or ailments should be treated elsewhere.

Mobile phone coverage stretches across major towns, but signal strength is poor at best in rural regions. Landlines are of a decent standard, though not exactly up-to-date technology wise. Internet cafes are available in major towns.

General banking hours in most areas are from 0700 to 1500 Mondays to Fridays and from 0800 to 1400 on Saturdays. Usual office hours are from 0700 or 0800 to 1500 or 1600, Mondays to Fridays. Shopping hours are normally from 0800 to 1200 then from 1700 to 2000, and on Saturdays from 0800 to 1500.

Though formal business etiquette is the norm in Serbia, people are generally laid back and casual in dealings. Unfortunately, bureaucracy can get in the way of a lot of dealings and things can slow down to a snails pace.

Tips of around ten percent are expected in hotels, restaurants and by taxi drivers.