At the beginning of the 18th century, in the period from 1717 to 1731, the Austrians, after recapturing the Kalemegdan fortress from the Ottomans, reconstructed the fortress, and then, for the needs of their army, they entered into the project of building a well in order to have constant fresh water.
The model on which they built the well was the Italian The Posso di San Partizio from Orvieto.
By digging a well in the portage for the source of water, they reached a depth of over 50m, well below the level of the nearby Sava river, but they did not come across the source, but a hard rock that prevented them from digging further into the depth.
Nevertheless, by building such an object below the level of the Upper Town on Kalemegdan, they provided themselves with drinking water, which flowed into this well, or rather a cistern, from the plateau of the Upper Town through the loose earth.
The well, 3.4m wide, with a double spiral staircase, over 50m deep, was used for many years after it was dug.
The staircase is designed so that one direction is used for going down to the water and the other for bringing the water up.
On the narrow stairs, every few steps, niches were made, for air circulation but also for placing torches for lighting.
When you walk from the plateau below the "Pobednik" monument through the "King's Gate" towards the upper town, you will come across the "Roman Well" on the right.
A wide metal door, a staircase and a long corridor lead to a dome with openings for light and air, under which there is a grate at the top of the well shaft.
This building, popularly called the "Roman" well (because in the people everything old is called Roman, even though it has nothing to do with the Romans), for centuries represented something mystical and mysterious for the people, probably because they did not have access to it.
Today, that mysticism and secrecy is gone, because every day it is possible to buy a ticket and enter the well.
The only thing that is not possible is going down to the bottom.
My father told me, when he was young, that he went down to the bottom of the well, that the water that accumulated in the well was very clean and clear.
And that clear water often changes its level, precisely because it does not have its source, but because it accumulates from the surface of the upper town, so sometimes in a dry period, the well is full of water, and when it rains, there is hardly any water at the bottom of the well.
There is a legend that at the beginning of the 19th century, the Ottomans dug tunnels at the bottom of the well that go under the Sava river all the way to the Gardoš tower in Zemun, however, by examining the bottom of the well, a two-meter long tunnel was found, so that legend is not true.
The mysticism and secrecy of this well, along with the legends that surround it, were used for filming several films, the most famous of which is "Labyrinth".
For me there are no secrets in Kalemegdan. As a kid I often entered some forbidden tunnels with my friends, I explored the walls and towers, but even today I like to absorb a little of that mysticism, inhale a little stale air from the corridor tunnels, or sit on the ramparts fortresses and enjoy the view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube.
Thank you for stopping by my post and I hope you enjoyed the photos and the story I shared with you
All photos are my property, taken with a mobile phone Samsung S23+
