The first time I went to Zemun to see the Gardoš Tower, it was closed and entry was denied inside as it was already past 5 p.m. I had to be content with pictures taken from the outside. This time around in September last, we made an early start and reached there around 4 o’clock.

After parking the car, the Second Born, his girlfriend and I took the path towards the tower. The sun was shining bright, and the cloudless sky was a pristine blue. After a brief and brisk walk, we found ourselves at the base of the tower, looking up. A beautiful sight.

Now, a little about the Gardoš Tower (courtesy Wikipedia):

Gardoš Tower, also called Millenium Tower was built and officially opened on 20 August 1896 to celebrate a thousand years of Hungarian settlement. The Millennium project apparently had seven monuments spread across present day Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania and so on. I’m totally confused about its history from what I could gather from Wikipedia. So I’ll let you get the information you need firsthand from their page rather than here and in the meantime I will stick to my own experiences.

Inside, the winding stairs going up was single file and steep, but it wasn’t a strenuous climb. The view from the top was excellent. The Danube flowed serenely in the distance, while boats and barges plied its waters. In the far distance could be seen matchbox sized houses and closer the red roofed ones. A church spire could be seen rising from in between the houses below. All in all a pretty picture, indeed. Once again, the blue sky was very much in evidence. If all this wasn’t enough, I was thrilled to see a Golden Retriever gambolling down below.

As I walked around the tower soaking in the view, I couldn’t help but notice something. The writing on the wall, so to speak. Believe me, there was plenty of it adorning the brick walls of the tower.

It is amusing to note how people —or should I say lovers — everywhere in the world are basically the same. Give them a monument and they’ll gladly deface its surface with names of their beloved. Monuments thus become the monument to their love. Or so they think. They scratch their names on walls as if that in itself will seal their love for eternity. Gardoš Tower’s brick wall was no exception in this matter.

After spending some time enjoying the captivating view, we decided to get moving as more visitors arrived. Space on the narrow platform on top that went around the tower is limited. It was only decent to move along and let others enjoy the sight too. So we walked down the steep stairs on the opposite side with the son keeping a sharp look out to make sure I did not stumble and fall. It’s a good thing I didn’t. Who then would be writing this, eh? 😉

On the way back to the car, we met some cute felines of the neighbourhood and stopped to say hello. We returned home after dinner at a quaint restaurant overlooking the Danube. It was a lovely day, well spent.

©️ Shail Mohan 2026