New to Niš? If you’re just visiting Niš or have recently moved here, and you’re wondering where you’ve landed, you’ve come to a great place. Niš is positioned at the crossroads of Europe (take a look at a map of you don’t believe us!), and it’s the third-largest city in Serbia after Belgrade and Novi Sad. It’s also the largest city in the south of the country, with a state university and a number of private faculties, making it home to about 30,000 students.

Niš has a fascinating, and at times gruesome, history that has shaped it into the city we see today, with an eye-catching fortress in the centre of town that serves as a city park. The origins of the fortress date back to Roman times (1st century), but it was later built on by other civilisations, in particular the Ottomans, who occupied much of Serbia for almost 500 years. Other places you can visit that reveal some of Niš’s chequered history are Skull Tower, Crveni Krst concentration camp, and Mediana, which was one of the residences of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was, in fact, born in Niš (then called Naissus).

To relax, you can take a walk by the river, or if you’re hungry, there are lots of great places to eat – takeaway burgers (pljeskavice) are always good value for money. There are also cafes where you can sit and have a drink just about everywhere in the city centre – and they’re always busy, no matter what time of day it is!

Whatever your first impressions of the city are, make sure you give it a chance and take time to discover what it has to offer. And if you’re looking for opportunities to get to know students or local people, there are lots of activities that go on at our building, either through Good News Church or Good News NGO. We’d be delighted to tell you more.