The Battle of Čegar 1809

The Battle of Čegar took place on 19 May / 31 May 1809 on Čegar Hill near Niš during the First Serbian Uprising.

Heroic defence

Duke Stevan Sinđelić defended the entrenchment on Čegar with about 3,000 insurgents against 20,000 Ottoman troops. When he saw that it would fall, he set fire to the gunpowder and blew up himself, his men and the Ottomans who had already entered the redoubt.

Ćele-kula (the Skull Tower)

After the battle, the Ottomans built the Ćele-kula, the Skull Tower, from the skulls of the fallen Serbian fighters as a warning. Today it stands as a monument to Serbian resistance.

Symbolism

"Better a grave than a slave" - the spirit of resistance embodied by Sinđelić.