I first learned of Nikola Jokić from Serbian friends of Debbie’s and mine who work part of the year just down the street from our house in Newport, Rhode Island. Turns out, Jokić is an NBA basketball player from Sombor in northern Serbia. We have been following the Joker’s NBA progress since. It is quite an understatement to say that a small-town Serb from far away has done pretty well for himself. Debbie and I are certainly happy to have learned of him and happy for the Serbian national folk we have come to know so well from the Hotel Chanler. — Dick Young

Read more about Sombor below from Serbia.com:

Like in a fairy tale in which the time has stopped for a moment, this town has managed to preserve the charm of past, and combine it marvelously with the spirit of the people, age and different times that have come and gone through the corners and the streets of the town, which used to be a place of frontiersmen and the military.

It is first mentioned in some documents as a place called Cobor sent Mihalj, and with time, it became pasha’s seat and the centre of nahiyah, when it belonged to the Sanjak of Segedin. It took centuries, many different establishments and people for this town to transform from a military town to a free town of royalty, and through all that it managed to survive, changing its features and looks, but never its gist and the inalterable spirit and charms.

It was those establishments and the people that made Sombor also commonly known as “Zelengrad” (Greentown) what it is today. A peaceful town, resembling a “miniature Florence”, with fascinating architecture, tree avenues that are 120 kilometers long and rustic fiacres, which give this city a romantic touch.

A large number of farms and ethno houses that surround the town further enriches Sombor’s idyllic atmosphere. Scattered across the plains of Vojvodina, isolated from the hectic town environment, they make an ideal place for a vacation accompanied by traditional Serbian cuisine, homemade brandy and wine and the sound of tamburica. Some farms are more than a hundred years old, genuine ethno museums, with lots of authentic and old objects that reflect the typical lifestyle of Vojvodina.

Four streets that include the greatest landmarks and buildings form the heart of Sombor. These streets, which are dedicated to the Serbian Dukes from the World War I – Živojin Mišić, Stepa Stepanović, Radomir Putnik and Petar Bojović, fill the town center with architectural gems of different styles, creating a unique and fascinating combination of beauty, style and diversity.

The town hall is the most representative building from the neoclassical period and a gem in an urban visage of Sombor. It was built on the foundations of a palace, which was erected in 1718. by Count Jovan Branković, it was later renovated in 1749. and finally, in 1842. it got its present day foundations.

It has always been a place where important events took place and because of its gracefulness, beauty and value it was declared a cultural treasure of great importance.

The town museum is the regional museum located in a building with eclectic features which was built in 1870. by a wealthy merchant Anton Fernbach, and it is thematically divided into well-equipped departments that include: archaeological department, numismatic, ethnological, historical, etc.

With its valuable collections, style and beauty, the museum attracts numerous visitors of Sombor who want to enjoy the cultural and historical landmarks.

What attracts attention the most at the Sveti Djordje square is the church of the same name, which was built in 1761. on the foundations of an old Turkish church.

What helped this church get the status of a national treasure of great significance were the baroque-rococo style, the extremely valuable iconostasis of Pavle Simic with 77 icons of different sizes, but also the variety of stained glass, objects made of gold and silver and trade-guild banners.

Read more here.