Skull Tower
Niš · Memorials and history
Niš's most famous and grimmest monument. At the Battle of Čegar in 1809, commander Stevan Sinđelić fired into the powder magazine, killing defenders and attackers alike. The Ottoman pasha had the skulls of Serbian rebels built into a tower — 952 of them; 58 survive, inside a chapel built in 1892.
Paid · closed Mondays
How to get there
- 40 min walk from King Milan Square
- Stop ĆELE KULA (199 m) 1 3 4 10 34A 34B
- Stop Ćele Kula 1 (222 m) 13
- Stop Vojna bolnica (228 m) 1 3 4 10 34A 34B
- Address
- Bulevar dr Zorana Đinđića 78, Niš
- Website
- hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=46231
About
Skull Tower (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћеле кула, romanized: Ćele kula, pronounced [tɕel̩e kula]; Turkish: Kelle kulesi, lit. 'skull tower') is a stone structure embedded with human skulls located in Niš, Serbia. It was constructed by the Ottoman Empire following the Battle of Čegar of May 1809, during the First Serbian Uprising. During the battle, Serbian rebels under the command of Stevan Sinđelić were surrounded by the Ottomans on Čegar Hill, near Niš. Knowing that he and his fighters would be impaled if captured, Sinđelić detonated a powder magazine within the rebel entrenchment, killing himself, his subordinates and the encroaching Ottoman soldiers. The governor of the Rumelia Eyalet, Hurshid Pasha, ordered that a tower be made from the skulls of the fallen rebels.
From other cities
- Beograd → Niš 18 departures on weekdays, from 2 h 50 min
- Novi Sad → Niš 6 departures on weekdays, from 4 h 35 min
- Kragujevac → Niš 2 departures on weekdays, from 2 h 45 min
- Leskovac → Niš 24 departures on weekdays, from 30 min
- Pirot → Niš 10 departures on weekdays, from 1 h 5 min
- Kruševac → Niš 11 departures on weekdays, from 1 h 20 min
Nearby
- Church of Saints Constantine and Helena 16 min walk
- Mediana — Constantine's residence 32 min walk
Nearby
- Skull Tower Museum · 8 m
- Ćele-kula Museum · 18 m
- Auto skola Akademija N&A Driving school · 62 m
- Nimaco Company · 93 m
- Dental trio Dentist · 104 m
- Ultra Home Centar Houseware · 106 m
- Čičo Ričo Convenience store · 150 m
- Tekvondo tim Šila Niš Sports centre · 156 m
FAQ
Where is Skull Tower?
Skull Tower is located at Bulevar dr Zorana Đinđića 78, Niš.
How to get to Skull Tower by public transport?
Nearest stops: ĆELE KULA — 199 m, lines 1, 3, 4, 10, 34A, 34B; Ćele Kula 1 — 222 m, lines 13; Vojna bolnica — 228 m, lines 1, 3, 4, 10, 34A, 34B.
How far is Skull Tower from the city centre?
It is about 2.5 km from the city centre (King Milan Square) as the crow flies, about 40 min on foot.