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Rudolf Müller (66) from Zurich is one of around 3,100 Swiss people currently emigrating to Serbia. Because of his love, the retiree retreated to the city of Valjevo, about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital Belgrade. But Müller is also attracted by hospitality and low real estate prices. Serbia was not previously considered an immigrant hotspot, but the number of Swiss people in the country is growing rapidly. Blick presents facts and figures about the home that more and more Swiss are adopting.
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Inland region with many natural treasures
Like Switzerland, Serbia is a landlocked country. Unlike other Balkan hotspots like Croatia or Albania, holidaying on the beach is not possible. There are plenty of attractions to admire in five national parks, 20 nature parks and approximately 590 nature reserves. There is enough space for this: While the country is about twice the size of Switzerland, only 6.9 million people live in Serbia. Almost a quarter of them are in the capital Belgrade.
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Serbian is the national language, but…
According to the Serbian government, the official national language is Serbian, written in Cyrillic. However, in many places it is written with the Latin alphabet. The language is based on the same dialect as the national languages of neighboring Bosnia and Croatia.
In some provinces, other official languages such as Hungarian and Slovak are also used. Albanian is also spoken frequently in the south, on the Kosovo border.
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From empire to republic
It was a long road to what is now the Republic of Serbia. Serbia was a principality, a Balkan empire, and for a long time part of the Ottoman Empire. Nazi Germany existed during World War II before becoming the founding republic of Yugoslavia in 1945. occupied the state during World War II.
The empire collapsed with the Yugoslav War in the 1990s. Serbia was in a state union with Montenegro until 2006. Since the secession of Montenegro, Serbia has become an independent republic again.
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Great cultural heritage
Despite the trials and tribulations of its history, Serbia is home to numerous cultural treasures, including the medieval Studenica Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Golubac Castle on the Danube River.
The first, like many other churches and monasteries, bears witness to Serbia’s deep-rooted religious history. More than 80 percent of the population consists of Serbian Orthodox Christians.
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Russia’s right-wing conservative friend
The government of Serbia consists of a unicameral parliament as the legislative body and a prime minister as the executive body. The right-wing conservative Progress Party has held a majority since 2012. The people also elect the president every five years. Since 2017 that name has been Aleksander Vucic (53). There are elections this weekend.
Serbia is seen as Russia’s and President Vladimir Putin’s (71) biggest ally in Europe. President Vucic refuses to impose sanctions on Russia, even though the country is keen to join the EU. In turn, Moscow continues to act as Serbia’s main ally in the fight against the independence of the former province of Kosovo.
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Cheap country with a stuttering economy
Although the Serbian economy is growing, there are many construction sites. The unemployment rate in 2022 was 9.4 percent. Youth unemployment is much higher. In addition, the fact that the number of retirees in Serbia is almost as high as the number of employees creates a great burden on the pension system. The average monthly income in Serbia in 2022 was just under 840 francs gross.
The cost of living is about two-thirds lower than in Switzerland. Rents are only a quarter of what they are in this country. This is also reflected in the exchange rate: One Swiss franc is equivalent to approximately 122 Serbian dinars.
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sports lover
Serbs are crazy about sports. Basketball, football and tennis are particularly popular. Although it is not a great success in football, our national basketball team has been world champion twice before and won the silver medal for the second time this year. The most well-known athlete by far – and probably the most well-known Serbian personality in general – comes from tennis: world number one Novak Djokovic (36).
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Serbian cuisine with Greek and Turkish influences
Like other cultural treasures, Serbian cuisine bears both Slavic and Ottoman influences. Its most famous dishes include the traditional minced meat pastry Hangicici, Ajvar with pepper and walnut paste, or Burek, a stuffed phyllo pastry. Pita flatbread, moussaka and the sweet dish baklava are also part of Serbian cuisine.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
