So much Serbia in Munich: Balkan Days, champion makers and a tennis star

Serbia visits Munich for two European Championship matches

Dobrodošli u Minhen! - A warm welcome to Munich for all Serbs!

Serbia will be the only nation to play in Munich twice during the group stage of UEFA EURO 2024. On Thursday, June 20, Serbia will face Slovenia at 3 p.m. in the Munich Arena. Five days later, on Tuesday, June 25, Serbia will play its final group match of the European Championship against Denmark at 9 p.m.

Thousands of Serbian fans are expected in Munich. But the Serbian colors are not only present in Munich during the European Championships. Discover Serbia with us in the heart of Munich!

Serbian culture: Be amazed at the Munich Balkan Days

Almost 15,000 Serbian nationals live in Munich and contribute to Munich's colorful cultural scene.

You can experience one of the cultural highlights in Munich since March 1: The Balkan Days, where you can discover theater, literature, film and music from the region until July 6. And, of course, Serbia will also be taking part:

• Serbian author and activist Marija Ratković, for example, was a guest at the Literature Day in Hall X of the Gasteig HP8 on March 9.
• On March 14, the film "Lost Country" by Serbian director Vladimir Perisic was shown in Hall E of the Gasteig HP8 as part of the Balkan Film Days.

You can also discover Serbian culture at the Bavarian State Library. The Serbian Psalter, the main work of medieval book illumination in Serbia, can be found there.

Serbian tradition: also at home at the Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest costume means lederhosen and dirndl? Not at all! Serbian traditional costume is also part of the world's biggest folk festival. The Serbian cultural association Kud Soko München e.V. proudly wears the colorful Serbian folk costume in the traditional costume parade through Munich's old town.

The Serbian Orthodox Church also has a home in Munich: in Neuperlach, the doors of the Church of St. Jovan Vladimir (Putzbrunner Straße 49) are open to you if you want to find out more about the Orthodox faith or Serbian culture.

Serbian delicacies: Pljeskavica and Ćevapčići in Munich style

Do you want to enjoy some classic Serbian cuisine before Serbia's European Championship matches? No problem: you can find national dishes like pljeskavica with grilled minced meat and side dishes such as onions, ajvar or chips in numerous restaurants in Munich. You can also try classics such as Ćevapčići (grilled meat rolls) or braised rice meat Đuveč in Munich's Balkan restaurants.

Do you prefer vegetarian food? Then treat yourself to the Serbian bean soup Pasulj or the puff pastry Gibanica.

Serbian personalities: Champion makers for Munich

The sports city of Munich has a lot to thank Serbia for. For example, it was a Serbian who ended an almost 60-year dry spell: basketball coach Svetislav Pešić joined FC Bayern Basketball in 2012 - and led Munich to its first German championship in 59 years in 2014. Pesic stayed in Munich until 2016. He is now coach of the Serbian national basketball team and coached them to World Cup silver in 2023 - behind Germany of all countries. His son Marko Pešić is the CEO of FC Bayern Basketball.

Serbia is represented in the current FC Bayern Basketball team by national player Vladimir Lučić. Born in Belgrade, he is one of the team's key players. In general, the Euroleague basketball games in Munich are a regular meeting point for Serbian sports fans. When Red Star Belgrade or Partizan visit Munich, the basketball-mad fans regularly create a spectacle in and around BMW Park.

Serbs have also left their mark on football in Munich: Belgrade goalkeeping legend Petar Radenković played for 1860 Munich from 1962 to 1970 and became German champion (1966) and cup winner (1964) with the "Lions". Even today, the name Radenković still lights up the eyes of long-established "Sechzig" fans. He stormed the German charts with his song "Bin i Radi, bin i König" (Am I Radi, am I king) - the record sold over 400,000 copies.

German-Serbian midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović is currently causing a sensation at FC Bayern. Born in Munich to Serbian parents, he was first nominated for the senior national team by German national coach Julian Nagelsmann in March 2024.

There is even a Serbian club in Munich's amateur football scene, SK Srbija. It is based in Perlach-Ost in the south-east of Munich.

Serbian tennis icon Ana Ivanović and former Bayern top performer Bastian Schweinsteiger are examples of good Serbian-Munich relations. The 2008 French Open winner married the football world champion in 2016 and has been a regular guest in Munich ever since. Maybe you'll bump into her in Munich's old town during the UEFA EURO 2024?

Serbian partnership: Munich's friendship to Subotica

The city of Munich is also involved in Serbia: Munich has been in partnership with the northern Serbian municipality of Subotica since 2000. Every summer, the Social Department invites schoolchildren from Subotica to spend several weeks on vacation in Munich and the surrounding area.

Artists from Subotica present their work at the Munich Balkan Days and a Serbian youth team regularly takes part in international street football tournaments organized by "bunt kickt gut". The tournament has already taken place in Subotica.

Since 2017, the cities have been participating in the "Municipal Sustainability Partnerships" program together with the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick to promote the implementation of the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda. The focus is on education and inclusion of Roma in Subotica.

Serbian football: UEFA EURO 2024 as the premiere of a football nation

Would you have known? Euro 2024 will be Serbia's first appearance at a European Championship as an independent team. Previously, Serbia only took part in European Championships as part of the national teams of Yugoslavia or Serbia and Montenegro. As part of Yugoslavia, Serbia was runner-up in the European Championships in 1960 and 1968.

The biggest stars in the current team of national coach Dragan Stojković are striker Dušan Vlahović (Juventus Turin) and midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić (Al-Hilal). With Filip Kostić (Juventus Turin) and Luka Jović (AC Milan), two well-known Serbian players once celebrated success with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.

Serbia secured qualification for the European Championship by finishing second behind Hungary in their qualifying group ahead of Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

The Serbian national team will be based in Augsburg for the UEFA EURO 2024

Serbia's group matches at EURO 2024:

• 16.6., 9 p.m. in Gelsenkirchen: Serbia - England 0:1
• 20.6., 3 p.m. in Munich: Slovenia - Serbia 1:1
• 25.6., 9 p.m. in Munich: Denmark - Serbia 0:0