Novi Sad


Novi Sad

Novi Sad is the capital of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, its economic, cultural, scientific, educational, health and administrative center with nearly 320.000 inhabitants. The city is situated on the left bank of the Danube River in South Backa. At the end of 17th century, on a reef of Fruska gora mountain, on the right bank of the Danube, the construction of Petrovaradin Fortress started. Soon around the trench, a smallish settlement of tradesmen, fishermen, craftsmen and boatmen was formed. Meanwhile, by 1780, the largest military fortification of Austrian Empire “ The Petrovaradin Fortress” – “The Gibraltar on the Danube” was completed. Parallel to the construction, the broadening of the settlement opposite the Fortress was evident. It was named with different names: Neoplanta, Ujvidégh, Neysatz and finally on February 1, 1748 it got the name of Novi Sad, when its inhabitants paid 95.000 forints to Vienna in order to obtain the status of a free royal city. Novi Sad is also called “Serbian Athens”, what is specially emphasized by its citizens. It is the city of education, culture, museums, galleries, libraries and theaters. In 1790 Emanuel Janković brought the first printing press and opened the bookshop according to European standard. Serbian Orthodox Great Grammar School (the second among the Serbs, after Karlovacka Grammar School, 1791) was founded in 1810. One of the teachers, Georgije Magarasević, launched in 1824 a magazine “The Serbian Journal”, published nowadays under the name “The Matica srpska Journal” as the oldest “alive” literature journal in the world. In Novi Sad in 1861, Serbian National Theater, the oldest professional theater in Yugoslavia, was founded. Matica srpska, educational, cultural, and scientific institution was founded in 1826 in Budapest, and moved to Novi Sad in 1864. Cultural and historical development of Novi Sad contributed to formation of architectural tourist values, which form complex units of monumental and artistic character. The largest number of the values is concentrated in the central, old city part (Zmaj Jovina St. and Dunavska St.), today forming a unique ambience from which traffic was banned. Recognizable features of this part of the city are the buildings built in 18th and 19th century. The oldest building in the city is White Lion’s House, built at the corner of Zmaj Jovina St. and Dunavska St. in 1720. Of special value as well is The City Hall, old building of Municipal Assembly, built in neo-renaissance style at the Square of Liberty in 1894, by the project of Molnár György. The most valuable room is the auditorium on the first floor with paintings of Pavle Ruzicka. In 1907 the bell with the image of St. Florian, the city protector at that time, was placed in the high tower. The building of the Museum of Vojvodina is also important. It was formerly the Court in Dunavska St., built in 1900 by the project of Vágner Gyula. Worth mentioning are also the following buildings: “Yugoslav Army House” (today Vojvodjanska Bank), Tanurdzić’s Palace (residential and business building, built in 1933-34), Grammar School “Jovan Jovanović Zmaj” (built in 1910, by the project of Vladimir Nikolić), Bishop’s Palace of Bačka Eparchy (with elements of Serbian, Byzantine and Mavar style from 1901) and Matica srpska (built in 1912 by the project of Momcilo Tapavica). “Plebanija” in Catholic churchyard was built in 1808 and today represents a rare monument of old architecture. When entering the city from Varadinski Bridge, two buildings are perceived: first, Workers’ House (built in 1913 by the project of Dragisa Brasovan, with the statue of a worker at the front, carved by Toma Roksandić), and then Province Government and Assembly (formerly Civil Governor’s House, having the characteristics of monumental building, built between 1936 and 1939, by the project of Dragisa Brasovan too. Its exterior is covered in marble from the island of Brac, whereas the central hall and staircase are covered in Italian stone from Carara. Its interior consists of wide corridors from which large business premises are entered.) The Home of Culture, formerly the house of Serbian National Theater until it got its own building, was built according to the project of Djordje Tabaković in 1938. Today it is the house of Youth Theater and Toy Theater. However, an important component of monumental values of the city are the buildings and complexes built in modern time: Serbian National Theater building (by the project of Victor Jackijevic, a polish architect), Sports and Business Center Vojvodina (an attractive complex made of metal, glass, concrete and marble covering the area of 65.000m2 for sports and recreation activities: tennis, swimming pools, ice-rink, Large Hall for 10.000 spectators, Small Hall for 1.200 spectators and additional 20 hectares where the stadium of FC Vojvodina was built), Central Post Office, Railway Station Building (built in 1964 by the project of Imre Farkas), NIS headquarters (completed in 1998 by the project of Aleksandar Keković) and etc. There are several churches in the city, famous for their monumental value, architecture, valuable interior and collections of artistic and historical importance. Fast economic, cultural and educational progress with national, religious and language variety in the background influenced building of different churches in Novi Sad, for it was the religious center, too. The churches in the city were built gradually, the first were built of available material at that time: boards, and reed e.g., and stone was used for the floor construction. According to tradition, the first Orthodox Church of Saint George dates back to 1700. Since 1708 in Novi Sad (“Trench” at that time) has been the seat of Backa’ Bishop. The first stone and brick made Saborna Church was built in the 18th century (1742) during the reign of queen Maria Teresa, but today’s appearance it got by the project of Mihail Harminac, an architect from Budapest in 1902-1905, while Mitrofan Sević was the Bishop). Iconostasis was made by a famous Serbian painter Paja Jovanovic in Vienna, and wall compositions were made by Stevan Aleksic, whereas the stained glass windows were done by Imre Zeler from Budapest. All the present Orthodox churches in the city were built by 1748: Saborna with Bishop’s Palace, Almaška, Uspenska and Nikolajevska.

Novi Sad

The capital of the Vojvodina region and an industrial center and port, its industries produce processed foods, textiles, electrical equipment, and munitions. It is the site of a major oil refinery. Known in the 16th cent., it rapidly developed as a commercial center, became an Orthodox episcopal see, and was made (1748) a royal free city of Austria-Hungary. In the 18th and early 19th cent. Novi Sad was the center of the Serbian literary revival. It was incorporated into the former Yugoslavia in 1918. The city has Serbian Orthodox churches, a university, and numerous cultural facilities.

Petrovaradin

Historical evidence related to the existence of Petrovaradin date from Roman times. On the shady sides of Fruska Gora there was the Roman fortification called Cusum. In the early Middle Ages Petrovaradin used to belong to Byzantium.In the second half of the 12th century it played a significant role in wars between Byzantium and Hungary. Hungarian King Bela IV donated Petrovaradin to Cistercian monastery Ukurd (which then got the name Belafonse) in 1237.After the Tartar invasion (1247-1252) Cistercians built the fortification in order to defend themselves. Some assume that in the second half of the 13th century, during the reign of King Dragutin Nemanjic, who ruled in a part of Srem, Petrovaradin belonged to the Serbian state.In 1463 the Assembly was held in Petrovaradin and the treaty was made on defence alliance between Hungary and Venice against Ottoman Empire. Still, the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent managed to conquer Petrovaradin in 1526.Petrovaradin was under the Turkish rule for more than 160 years, i.e. all until 1687 when it was taken over by the Austrian army. In 1694 the Turks launched the siege but it was in vain. For the last time the Turks tried to conquer it under the command of a great vizier Ali-beg but they were defeated by the army lead by Eugene de Savoy on August 5th, 1716 when the snow fell unexpectedly in the middle of summer.At the location of the previous fortress, on the hill that is 40 meters high, the building of the largest fortification in Austro- Hungarian Empire based on Voban's plans started in 1692. The first phase of construction lasted until 1726 and the second from 1753 to 1780. This was one of the most impressive buildings of military architecture of that time in Europe. The "Gibraltar on the Danube", as it used to be called, was built most intensively during the reign of the Empress Maria Theresa. The Fortress occupies the space of 112 ha, with a unique system of underground corridors, the total length of which is 16 km. At the beginning of the first Serbian Uprising first rebels' guns were assembled in the arsenal of the Fortress and later on smuggled from Srem into Macva. After the rebels had been defeated the leader of the uprising, Karadjordje, was the internee of the Fortress, together with his dukes. On June 12th 1849, during the Uprising, the Hungarian army bombarded Novi Sad from the Fortress and the city was almost completely destroyed. Petrovaradin got the attributes of the city sooner than Novi Sad. Thus, the sewer system leading from the Fortress up to the Danube was completed in 1725 while first sewer system in the city of Novi Sad was completed in 1880. All mail parcels were distributed through the Post Office in Petrovaradin and first Post Office in Novi Sad started working in 1853. The telegraph services were available in Petrovaradin in 1853 and in Novi Sad in 1857.

Novi Sad

Novi Sad is located in the southern part of Europe, in Serbia, between the 19th and 20th degree of the east longitude and 45th and 46th degree of the north latitude.
It lies in the southern part of the Pannonian valley, mainly in Southern Backa, at the altitude of 72 to 80 m.
Novi Sad lies on the left bank of the river Danube, namely on the 1255th km of its flow and on the mouth of one of the magistral Danube-Tisa-Danube canals into the river Danube.
With 15 suburban settlements the territory of the City of Novi Sad encompasses the surface of 702,7 km2. The city with Petrovaradin and Sremska Kamenica occupies the space of 129,4 km2 while construction terrain occupies 106,2 km2.
The population of Novi Sad and its suburban settlements makes about 20% of the total population of Vojvodina.
It is the second largest city in Serbia.
The average air temperature in the city is 10,9ºC with the mean temperature in January of -1ºC and +21,6ºC in July.
Temperature extremes range from - 30,7ºC (January 24th, 1963) and + 41,5ºC (July 6th, 1950).
Annual precipitation is 686 mm and there are 122 days with different forms of rainfall.
The lowest water level of the river Danube is 70,83 m and the highest is 79,70 m. The highest water level that has ever been recorded was + 778 cm, while the lowest was - 134 cm.