In the Footsteps of Greatness at Hotel Moskva.

Hotel Moskva. Belgrade, Serbia.

January 2021 & January 2024.

Sladja and I were starting to feel more than a touch claustrophobic in our little apartment in New Belgrade. With the pandemic still very much in full swing, we had done very little exploring in the three months we’d been back in Serbia. Aside, that is, from our local neighbourhood and my daily jogs through the Park of Friendship.

Thus we hatched a plan for an overnight stay somewhere in the city centre. A fancy hotel perhaps to pamper ourselves a bit and shake off some of winter’s cobwebs. As we began browsing our options, a clear frontrunner emerged. Step forward, Hotel Moskva.

I had walked past this majestic building many times throughout my two stays in the Serbian capital. Loaded with fascinating history, we quickly decided this was the place for us. Located on a former market square, the building dates back to 1908 when the Serbian King Peter I opened the place with a grand ceremony.

It had been named Palace Rossi after the Russian-owned Rossiya Insurance Company. In fact, it was they who’d funded its construction as a base for their new Serbian headquarters.

But their business interests went way beyond insurance. Constructed as a multi-purpose complex, the building also housed Hotel Moskva, then a more modest affair with just 36 rooms. Moreover, there were a dozen exclusive apartments for rent, a swanky French-Serbian restaurant and a kafana (traditional Yugoslavian bistro). Later, the Serbian Olympic Club took up residence.

In the Footsteps of Greatness at Hotel Moskva.

At the end of the First World War Belgrade had been reduced to a ravaged hellhole with major electricity and water problems. And yet somehow Palace Rossi still stood relatively unscathed.

Soon after, in late 1919, a group of prominent Serbian writers, painters and musicians began holding weekly meetings in the kafana. Basically to discuss how they could provide their beloved city with a cultural and artistic rejuvenation. These future Serbian icons were led by Miloš Crnjanski, the famed writer, poet and diplomat. 

In 1938 The National Bank of Yugoslavia became the palace’s main tenant. Following Nazi Germany’s invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941 the gestapo actually moved into Hotel Moskva, which they turned into their Belgrade headquarters!

Having survived another war, Hotel Moskva flourished, gradually taking over the entire building. The cream of Serbian society ate at its restaurant, while everyday people flocked to experience coffee and cake at the terrace cafe.

What’s more, when foreign dignitaries and celebrities came to Belgrade, they chose Hotel Moskva as their Serbian home from home. No wonder local and international artists and photographers started capturing the famous building as part of their portfolios. 

Exploring the Serbian Capital.

Naturally the hotel itself is full of art too. On the day of our stay we entered the lobby through the main entrance. The first thing we saw was this colossal painting by the prolific Serbian realist painter Paja Jovanovic. Created in 1906, it is called Parsifal’s Dream and depicts a moment from the second act of the Richard Wagner opera Parsifal.

Check-in was swift and painless due to the low number of guests that day. As a result, we found ourselves entering our double room within minutes. The verdict? It was ok… spotlessly clean and comfortable enough but pretty standard. Nothing in terms of a wow factor.

Our window looked out onto Terazije, one of central Belgrade’s most happening streets.

Having absorbed our sleeping quarters and freshened up, we decided to head back downstairs for brunch. The hotel’s eatery is called Tsaichovksy and is split into two parts: a cafe that stretches out onto the street and a fancy, indoor only à la carte restaurant.

We decided to hit the cafe for our brunch. As we picked out a table it was impossible to ignore the dessert counter and its numerous French, Russian and Balkan delights. Choices, choices.

In the Footsteps of Greatness at Hotel Moskva.

Taking our seats, we speculated over which cakes we should order. However, we then changed our minds altogether after glancing through the main menu.

You see, we couldn’t get past the words American pancakes with mixed berries, vanilla butter and maple syrup. Hence we ordered some, along with a cappuccino and latte.

The pancakes themselves  arrived shortly after. Beautifully presented, they were every bit as fluffy as I’d hoped, while the fruit was fresh and they clearly had a decent brand of maple syrup. A solid win all round.

With empty plates and cups left in our wake we headed back upstair to our room to lounge for a bit. We killed an hour watching an episode of The Tiger King in bed. And then it was time, we declared, to chill out down at the hotel’s spa where there was a sauna and a heated pool. Unfortunately, this is where yours truly got pissed off.

In the Footsteps of Greatness at Hotel Moskva.

Before booking our stay I took a look at their spa facilities and speculated: Hm, will it really be open to guests with all the covid restrictions? Not wanting to be disappointed, I fired off an email to check. Happily, they responded by saying not to worry because the spa was open.

But that afternoon we were met with a sign saying the pool was closed due to covid. I was not impressed. So we simply took a sauna before cooling off on the tiled benches so that I could figure out exactly how I was going to formulate my complaint.

The girl at reception didn’t have a clue how to deal with me, so advised that I put a written complaint in to the manager by email. I did so immediately but didn’t expect much to happen as customer service is a concept that’s still in its infancy across large swathes of Serbia.

But then I found myself pleasantly surprised when he called to apologise. Taking full responsibility, he offered us both complimentary one-hour massages back down at the spa. We accepted.

The massage was… meh. One of those super soft affairs that some people love. But in all honesty for me it felt like little to nothing was happening. I think I’ve been spoilt by all those amazing muscle-unknotting sessions I had across Cambodia, China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Back up in the room we watched another Tiger King. Then I dragged myself out of bed to run a bubbly bath, which I lowered myself into with a cold beer.

Bubbly and Hot.

Late afternoon had begun to morph into early evening when Sladja and I decided to take a stroll along the hotel’s various floors. We were keen to check out their famous walls of fame that stand in tribute to Moskva’s many renowned guests.

This turned out to be tremendous fun! Combing the floors, we picked out plenty of Serbia’s biggest names. Including President Josip Broz Tito, the writer Momo Kapor, the inventor Nikola Tesla and the Hollywood director Peter Bogdanovic.

Speaking of Hollywood, some of the greatest talents of cinematic history have bedded down in ol’ Moskva. Take Alfred Hitchcock, Kirk Douglas, Orson Welles and Robert De Niro, for example. And Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Peter Ustinov, Roman Polanski, Geraldine Chaplin and Brad Pitt to name just a few more.

There were some equally impressive folk from the world of music. Which got me thinking of all the fabulous stories these walls could tell if they could only talk.

What would such walls reveal, I wonder, about the likes of Tricky Dicky and Yasser Arafat?

Belgrade’s Famous Guests.

For the most part the hotel neglects to supply info on who stayed in which room. Nor indeed are there any details about the date or length of stay. Still, here and there we came across some delightful surprises. Like the suite Einstein slept in, which presumably one can ask for if it’s available. Pretty cool.

Eventually it was our own rumbling stomachs that brought our self-guided tour to an end. Back in the room we got changed, made ourselves presentable and took a look out the window across Terazjie before heading downstairs.

For dinner we returned to Tchaikovsky, this time their white cloth section. It was deliciously quiet, just us and another couple sat at the opposite end of the floor. Light classical music played as we perused the menu and drank our beers. Mmm, not bad.

The food was absolutely fantastic, far exceeding my admittedly cautious expectations. Sladja went for the slow-cooked duck with cherry sauce and sour cream.

In the Footsteps of Greatness at Hotel Moskva.

I opted for the pork belly with sautéed peppers and rucola.

Overall, our Hotel Moskva experience was a success, even with the balls up at the spa. It had been a great way to break up the drudgery of winter and every time we walked past the hotel in the years that followed we’d always exchange a smile and remember our stay.

During our latest spell in Serbia, in January 2023, Sladja and I found ourselves in Belgrade taking care of some tedious admin chores at various public institutions. To reward ourselves after what had been a crappy, frustrating day, we spontaneously decided to grab dinner at Moskva on the way home. Just for old times’ sake.

It was nice (and a bit weird) to see the hotel back to its busy self in post-covid times. Settling into a table at Tchaikovsky, we watched the hordes of people come and go, while the classical music we once listened to had been replaced by an in-house pianist.

Return to Tchaikovsky.

With our diets much changed these days, we were delighted to see a couple of vegan dishes on the menu. So we ordered them both (though I did cheat by taking an additional bowl of pheasant soup). My main was the wonderfully crispy vegetable spring rolls with pistachio cashew cream and barbecue sauce.

Sladja meanwhile enjoyed the veggie broth with gyoza and edamame. While the dishes were both on the light side, the meals were rounded off nicely with a basket of hot, freshly baked bread and cheese breadsticks.

It was a meaningful way to bid our latest farewell to the Serbian capital before heading off on a new adventure. Somehow, I feel certain that we’ll return to Moskva again someday. Until then.

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