Lighthouses of Serbia

The Republic of Serbia is the largest of the nations remaining from the former federation of Yugoslavia. Occupying the eastern half of the former federation, it has no coastline, but the Dunav (Danube) River crosses the northern third of the country from northwest to southeast. There are at least three historic lighthouses on the river. In recent years all three have been restored and two have been reactivated.

Serbia gained its independence from the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire through lengthy struggles in the 19th century; its independence was formally recognized in 1878. It was a part of Yugoslavia from 1918 until the collapse of that federation in 1991-92, and it continued in a federation with Montenegro until those two countries separated in 2006.

The Serbian language, a variety of Serbo-Croatian, is written in both Cyrillic and Latin characters. The Serbian word for a lighthouse is svetionik (светионик) and reka (река) is a river.

Aids to navigation in Serbia are maintained by the Department of Inland Navigation Services.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights.

General Sources
World of Lighthouses - Serbia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses of the Danube
This January 2013 English-language blog by Dániel Szávoszt-Vass has good information and photos on Danube lighthouses.
Seezeichen der Alpenregion auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse. Serbian lighthouses are near the bottom of the page.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart information for the Danube River.

Tisza River Light, Titel, June 2017
ex-Google Plus photo by Delivuk Loncarevic
Danube River Lighthouses
* Reka Tamiš Istok (Tamiš River East)
1909. Inactive. 6 m (20 ft) round brick tower with lantern, mounted on a broadly conical stone base. Zdenko Kanački's photo is at right, Dejan Pećanac has a 2021 photo, Boban Babovic has a closeup, Dusan Sevic has a 2018 photo of both lighthouses, Huelse has a historic postcard view of the two lighthouses, Lightphotos.net has a different postcard view of the two lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. The two lighthouses were restored in time for their centennial in 2009. Located on the east side of the mouth of the Tamiš River near Pančevo, about 15 km east of Belgrade. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SER-001.
* Reka Tamiš Zapad (Tamiš River West)
1909. Reactivated (charted by Navionics); focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); isophase white light. 6 m (20 ft) round brick tower with lantern, mounted on a broadly conical stone base. A closeup photo is available, Dusan Sevic has a photo, Nenad Kapunac has a 2022 photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view of the two lighthouses, Lightphotos.net has a different postcard view of the two lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. A small lamp is visible in a 2017 photo by Natalija Stojnić. Located on the west side of the mouth of the Tamiš River. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SER-002.
Reka Tisza (Tisza River, Titel)
1898 or earlier. Reactivated (charted by Navionics); focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); flashing green light. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) round strongly conical tower with gallery. Lighthouse painted with red, blue, white, and black horizontal bands. Delivuk Loncarevic's photo is at the top of this page, Daniel Szávoszt-Vass has a photo and a historic photo (second and first lighthouses on the page, respectively), Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a river view and a satellite view. This historic lighthouse marked the confluence of Tisza River with the Danube, an important river junction in Vojvodina province. The principal mouth of the Tisza has since moved a short distance east. The lighthouse was recently restored and painted in the colors of the Serbian flag. Located on the north bank of the Danube across from the village of Stari Slankamen, about 50 km (30 mi) downstream from Novi Sad. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed.

Tamis East Light
Tamiš River East Light, Pančevo, July 2009
ex-Panoramio photo copyright Zdenko Kanački; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Romania | Southeast: Bulgaria

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Created August 5, 2009. Checked and revised Septembr 19, 2023. Lighthouses: 3. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.