Belgrade and Zemun as a historical mobility space between two empires, 1739-1878

• Applicants: Dr. Florian Riedler; Privatdozent Dr. Nenad Stefanov
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 523904723

The project examines the development and interaction between historical mobility and immobility and their connected actors and (infra)structures. As an example it chose the micro-region at the confluence of Sava and Danube centring on the twin cities Zemun and Belgrade that formed a historical space of interaction shaped by mobility flows and borders. In the period between 1739 and 1878, Zemun and Belgrade were the border cities of the Habsburg and the Ottoman Empires characterised by their border demarcations, fortifications and quarantine stations. At the same time they were hubs of traffic and trade located on the land route from Istanbul to Vienna and on the waterways of Sava and Danube. It is the basic assumption of this project that mobility flows and their associated infrastructures had an impact that is as big as the material barriers of the territorial states that mark this region as a border region. The specific organisation of the Habsburg Military Border at Zemun cannot be grasped without taking into account the transcontinental land route that passed it. The same is true for Belgrade as a fortress and trade city: it was simultaneously characterised by border and traffic infrastructures. One focus of the project is on the entanglement of local and translocal mobility as shown by the trade networks active in the micro-region in question. Another focus is the border region as a space of communication, which is an expression of the interdependence of mobility and borders. Local authorities of the Habsburg and Ottoman side were in constant close conversation to coordinate the economic exchange across the border and to supervise groups who habitually crossed the border such as ferry- and fishermen as well as local traders. A third focus will be on the reconstruction of the historical geography of mobility infrastructure. This does not only concern the road network itself, but also caravanserais, guest and warehouses that particularly shaped the urban environment. These different elements will be analysed separately to gain an understanding of the interaction between local and translocal mobility on the one hand and barriers and borders on the other hand. However, only in viewing them together as well as adding to a disciplinary perspective of Southeast European History that of Ottoman History the full picture of the mobility space Belgrad/Zemun will emerge.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants