Novi Sad and the Cannon from Graz
Long considered Serbia’s second city, and the Serbian capital of culture, Novi Sad is making a dramatic comeback as the capital of the autonomous Vojvodina state. Affectionately referred to as “Serbian Athens” by locals, the city has its own acropolis, the Petrovaradin fortress. The Gibraltar of the Danube is one of the most imposing fortress complexes I have had the chance to witness in my life. Come see why this little known city has become home to one of the largest outdoor music festivals in Europe (EXIT festival). This city is worth more than just a few hours of your time.
Table of Contents
A Brief History
The present city was founded in 1694 when Serb settlers, unable to practice their religion in the confines of the Austro-Hungarian controlled Petrovaradin fortress, founded a settlement on the opposite bank of the river. That being said the region’s history goes back much further.
Much like Belgrade, the site known today as the Petrovaradin fortress was occupied by Celtic tribes. This set of fortifications was then expanded on by the Romans in the first century A.D. before being destroyed by the Huns in the fourth century. The strategic outpost was then exchanged hands several times in the centuries after this event, passing from the Byzantines, to the Hungarians, then to the Ottomans and finally to the Habsburg Empire (Austria).
At first it was called Ratzen Stadt or “Serb City” and became Novi Sad in 1748 after being granted a charter as a royal city. It then went on to become the largest Serb City in the world, the leading center for Serbian culture! During a failed uprising in 1848, the Serb population and Hungarian population revolted against Austria. The Hungarian garrison, bombarded the city causing widespread damage and reducing the population substantially and the Austrians then crushed the Hungarians. Heavily damaged during these events, the city languished, the Serbian culture and population slowly fading away, that is until the First World War. Meanwhile the catholic population had expanded from Petrovaradin into Novi Sad, greatly influencing the Architecture of the city with European style.
At the end of the First World War in 1918, with the defeat of Austria-Hungary, the city voted to join the victorious Serbian Kingdom to the south. This kingdom would later become Yugoslavia. During the course of the Second World War the city was occupied by the Axis forces and became part of Hungary, this led to the murder and resettlement of many Serb subjects. Jews, once a thriving community were exterminated and their bodies thrown into the Danube river. Although the fascist Hungarian police committed most of these crimes it must be noted that the Slovak and Hungarian citizens did not participate in the slaughters and sought to resist the authorities as best they could fighting along with the Serbs. When the partisan communists captured the city they proceeded with the mass extermination of political opponents, a number in the tens of thousands, proving to be as ruthless as the Axis.
During the postwar era the city was blessed with peaceful years, it industrialized rapidly and the population grew quickly. All this was shattered by the Yugoslav wars. The city at first swelled with refugees and then during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, the city was bombed by NATO. All three bridges across the Danube were bombed and the city was left without electricity, water or communications. Today the city has recovered and is doing quite well in comparison with similar sized cities in Serbia.
Things to do in Novi Sad:
I arrived in Novi Sad by bus from Belgrade and to my chagrin the bus station, an odd looking brutalist structure with little redeeming qualities (with the exception of the interior cladding), was located a two kilometre walk from the old town. For a city of its size this is quite far, the location is quite suburban and there is not much to see around it. I was exhausted from all the walking I did the day previous but figured the wait for the bus to downtown would take just as long. I easily found a street sign pointing the way to the old town and took my chances on foot.
When I finally arrived at the old town I was surprised at how clean and well maintained it was. Although the weather was overcast there was a little market set up in the square by the “cathedral”, actually it’s just a very tall church (not actually a cathedral) called Name of Mary. Dating from 1894 it measures 72 meters in height and it by far the most recognizable landmark in downtown Novi Sad.
The Old Town does not contain very many attractions of note. There are a few small museums, such as the city museum, several places of worship, and even a beautiful old synagogue. The main attraction here is the pretty Old Town itself. The central European feel, with colourful buildings, pedestrian streets and the many terraces that line the streets, will give you enough to do for a few hours. I did not enjoy the terraces however as it was overcast and the crowds, usually quite lively, were muted.
Some of the areas outside the Old Town are also very pretty but the buildings are a little more run down. Not to worry this is a perfectly safe city and people here are friendly.
When finished visiting in the Old Town, I crossed the bridge to the Petrovaradin fortress. Eventually you will come to a fork in the road. From here, you can continue east toward the yellow painted and ornate Belgrade gate, or go into the town. I opted for the town. This area is the most authentic part of the city, I would not see anything again of its kind until I entered Romania later on my trip. Although dilapidated, the town radiated a brilliant energy of times past. If this area ever gets to being restored, it would be the gem of the city; Old Hungarian churches and decaying houses, with their faded paint, line the cobblestone streets. Unlike the Novi Sad side of the river, Petrovaradin is very quiet. It was once occupied by the catholic subjects of the Austrian empire including Croats, Hungarians and Romanians almost all of which have moved away.
After exploring the town, I climbed up the hill to the fortress, only to be greeted by an imposing view of the town and the surrounding forest.
When I entered the fortress walls, I finally grasped the full extent of the military installation. From the air you can tell that the town is surrounded by a formidable redoubt. The hill that the fortress sits on is only one of many systems of protection. The star shaped hills that defended the town and fort were only one line of defence, of a ring of many. It is only possible to see these installations from high above as trees have filled much of the once grassed area but this is one of the most formidable defensive systems I have ever seen, the side of the fortress most exposed to a land attack seemed to have so many layers of defences that I could not walk through them all. The satellite map below should do a better job than my words describing it.
The fortress was built by Charles Eugène de Croÿ, a famed German field marshal. The fortress is so imposing that it was referred to as the Gibraltar of the Danube. It was a state of the art complex with a staggering 16km of countermine tunnels. When the Austrians captured the old Turkish fortifications in 1687, they tore them down and built anew. The complex was expanded on several times over the centuries. it had to be the fortress was an important defensive point during the Austro-Turkish wars, fending off many sieges including one battle in 1716, that should be considered one of the greatest ever. In this battle, Prince Eugene of Savoy (mentioned many times in this blog) used the fortress to defeat an Ottoman army, over 150 000 strong, about twice the size of his own army. This ended the Turkish threat to Central Europe.
The fort lost its military use in the 20th century and was slated for demolition. The engineer in charge of this task, Colonel Dragoš Đelošević, refused to destroy it. He found it to be one of the most beautiful and unique in Europe and he wished to preserve it. Luckily the fortress was spared the fate of many others that no longer needed.
Today, the fortress houses a wonderfully informative museum that aims to help the visitor understand the history of the fortress, something I was ignorant of. I was pleasantly surprised that the placards were in English, albeit with a few typos, it was s good translation. Artifacts cover all periods of the sites history including Celtic arrowheads, roman coins, an exhibit on the Battle of 1716 and other such things. The most interesting part of the museum was the access to the tunnels leading to the well system. Located far beneath the fortification it is lit by LED lights added in the floors and a glass railing around the well pit. If you look down you will see how deep the well actually is, it is quite astounding.
At the exterior of the main complex, you can take a look at the symbol of the city, the Clocktower Bastion. This tower with a large clock was erected so fisherman on the Danube could tell the time. There are also several other structures on site such as the military barracks.
If you happen to visit in July stop for the EXIT music festival, it has been rated one of the best outdoor music festivals in Europe and is held right inside the walls of the fortress.
One last thing to note, as I was passing a cannon, sitting in the yard I noticed the seal for the armoury in Graz, Austria. When visiting the armoury in Graz a month later, they mentioned they had some cannons missing in Novi Sad due to an urgent need for the 1716 battle. I knew exactly what they were talking about, the cannons were never returned to the armoury. They were just laying around Petrovaradin, forgotten relics but for a brief moment in Graz, I had remembered them.
Conclusion:
Novi Sad is not on many tourist itineraries and that is a shame. The whole north of Serbia is an underrated gem and deserves the injection of much needed capital. I had a bad first impression of Novi Sad, but quickly reversed my position. I was genuinely surprised at the authenticity of the place, don’t just come for the EXIT music festival, explore the whole region. It’s just as beautiful as anywhere in central Europe without the pretension and the massive lineup of tourists that characterize its Central European contemporaries such as Prague, Krakow and Vienna (All of which are great cities by the way!).
