detail from: KRK Art dizajn

NOVI SAD - MY CITY

SIMO JELAČA, Ph.D.

History of the city

The city of Novi Sad was named, first in Latin, Neoplanta in 1748, when it became the ‘‘Free Royal City’’. As a human settlement, it dates back to the Stone Age, on the location of today’s Petrovaradin. At this place, the Celts began building a fortress, and during the Roman Empire, the fortress was enlarged, in the first century AD. In the fifth century, the Huns devastated this area, and after that it was rebuilt by the Byzantines.

The city was first mentioned under the name Peturwarad, which meant Petrovaradin, in 1237. The city was under the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and under the Habsburg Monarchy during the 17th century. During the reign of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Orthodox population was forbidden to stay in Petrovaradin, after which in 1698 the construction of a new settlement began on the left bank of the Danube, where there had been marshes until then. The city was first named Ratzen Stadt (Rack City, which meant Serbian City).

The name Novi Sad, or in Latin Neoplanta, was given in 1748, and by 1780 the city of Novi Sad had about 2000 houses, of which 1144 were Serbian. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Novi Sad was the largest Serbian settlement in the world. Since 1867, Novi Sad has been part of the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary, since then its demographic structure has changed significantly, and the area where the Hungarian language is spoken has increased. During World War II, about 5,000 Serbian residents were killed, and many more moved away. Since 1945, Novi Sad has been the capital of Vojvodina. During the NATO bombing, all three bridges over the Danube were destroyed, and since the bridges have been rebuilt, the people of Novi Sad say that they have three bridges over the Danube and seven in the Danube.

From ancient history, sites of dugouts on Klisa, from the Bronze Age, have been discovered, and on the Temerin loop, remains from various time periods have been found, from the Paleolithic to the present day, such as the existence of the Starčevo culture necropolis. In Janka Čmelika Street, no. 36, coins with the image of Alexander the Great were found, and on the site of the Matica srpska building, a cemetery of Slavic origin from the Bronze Age was found. The finds date from the period 3000-2000 BC, which were carried by steppe nomads who migrated from the east. Remains from the Latin period have been found on Detelinara, which are associated with the expansion of the Celts. The origin of the Romans was confirmed by the discovery of their money.

The first historical document about the existence of a settlement in the Novi Sad area is the charter of the Hungarian King Bela IV from 1237, found on the site of today's Petrovaradin Fortress. Most of the newer finds, during excavations, during construction, originate from the period of the Mongol and Turkish invasions.

Danube Gibraltar

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia, with 368,967 inhabitants (2024) and certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The inhabitants of Novi Sad are known for their peace and kindness. Novi Sad, as a city, has existed for a little over 300 years. It was first mentioned in 1694, two years after the start of construction of the Petrovaradin Fortress, and was named "Danube Gibraltar". Before the Serbs, many peoples lived in this part of Vojvodina: Romans; Gepids; Huns; Avars; Slavs; Germans; Hungarians; Byzantines and Turks. The Romans built a fortress on the Petrovaradin Rock, which the Hungarians later rebuilt and the Turks maintained. On the left bank of the Danube, the Austrians built a bridgehead as their defensive line, around which a settlement began to be built, where soldiers first lived, and then craftsmen and merchants. In the 18th century, citizens eager for freedom managed to obtain from Maria Theresa the status of a “Free Royal City” under the name of Novi Sad (February 1, 1748) for 80,000 forints.

Novi Sad Bridges

The Danube has always given gifts and punished Novi Sad. It gave the city water, and often flooded it. It brought travelers, goods and new ideas. At first, residents crossed the Danube on scaffolding, and later a pontoon bridge was built. In the 20th century, it was bridged ten times, and all the wars destroyed the bridges. The last one, During the NATO bombing in 1999, all three bridges were destroyed again, so the people of Novi Sad, after their reconstruction, have since said that they have three bridges on the Danube and seven in the Danube.

Serbian Athens

Since the beginning of the construction of Novi Sad, it has always been multinational. It was mostly Serbian, and throughout the time, Croats, Hungarians, Slovaks, Ruthenians, Greeks, Tsints, Jews, Romanians, Roma and others have also lived in the city. This multicultural image has been maintained to this day, with the difference that multinationality has increased even more. In 1748, the city had 4,620 inhabitants.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Serbian educator Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, a reformer of the Serbian language, said that Novi Sad was “the largest Serbian settlement in the world”. In 1848/49, the city was bombed and destroyed. Its inhabitants soon rebuilt it in Baroque and other architectural styles. In the second half of the 19th century, it was called the “Serbian Athens”. After World War I, in 1919, Novi Sad, along with the entire Vojvodina, became part of Serbia, the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, i.e. part of Yugoslavia. Since then, Novi Sad has continued its rapid economic and cultural development. Boulevards and the famous Banovina building were built in the city. During World War II, many citizens died and many buildings were destroyed. But later, the city was rebuilt, expanded and even more modernized. Novi Sad is one of the very safe cities, both for the local population and for all foreign visitors, whether they are business people or tourists.

Matica kulture

Since the first days of the city, the citizens of Novi Sad have cared about their spiritual life. They built churches (Nikolajevska, Saborna, St. George, Uspenska, Almaška, Roman Catholic, Reformed, Protestant, Armenian Church and Jewish Synagogue). Schools were built, in the 19th century, the citizens of Novi Sad had two high schools and other schools. The cultural life of the citizens was nurtured. Bookselling, journalism and printing were developed. Serbian reading rooms were renovated (1845), the Serbian National Theatre (1861) and, the most important event occurred (1864) when the Matica srpska was moved to Novi Sad from Hungary. The Matica was founded in Budapest in 1826. The Museum of the City of Novi Sad was also developed within the Matica srpska. Political Liberalism was inspired by Svetozar Miletić.

The epithet “Serbian Athens” marked the golden age of Novi Sad’s culture, and at the beginning of the 20th century, Albert and Mileva Marić Einstein lived in Novi Sad for two years.

Prominent personalities of Novi Sad are remembered: Svetozar Miletić (1826-1901), Jovan Jovanović Zmaj (1835-1904), Marija Trandofil (1816-1883), Dr Vasa Stajić (1878-1947), Đura Daničić (1825-1882), Mileva Marić-Einstein (1875-1948), Laza Kostić (1841-1910) and many others.

In her novel ‘’Ana Marija did not love me’’, on page 184, author Ljiljana Habjanović Đurović says about Serbs: ‘’that Serbs are immortally brave, knightly loyal, warm-hearted, hospitable, friendly, trustworthy, self-sacrificing, who never attack, but always defend themselves persistently and unwaveringly, who protect and forgive. The author agrees with her opinion, and I am convinced that a sufficient number of Serbian readers agree with this opinion. And I would also add: that among Serbs, a given word in agreements is more valuable and more respected than a written contract, as well as: that a handshake when buying and selling livestock at markets and the like is absolutely respected and considered stronger than a contract.

The city's wealth

Novi Sad is located at the crossroads of river, road, trade, cultural and civilization routes, European and Oriental. The International Agricultural Fair is held every year in Novi Sad. There is a very good atmosphere of old restaurants in Novi Sad. Every year in Novi Sad, the ''Dragon Children's Games''; ''Song Meetings''; ''Branko's Circle''; ''Novi Sad Music Festival''; ''Vojvodina Tamburitza''; International Rock Festival ''Exit''; as well as the ''Festival of Street Musicians'' are held.

Of the older sports, the most important are: equestrian, shooting and rowing, and of modern sports, all Olympic disciplines. Every autumn, the ''Novi Sad Marathon'' and the ''Fruškogorje Marathon'' are held. Novi Sad has a beautiful river beach ''Strand''.

Fortress as a treasury

The Petrovaradin Fortress, the ‘‘pearl of Novi Sad’’, was built from 1692 to 1780. It covers an area of 112 hectares and is adorned with numerous bastions and military barracks. Today it is a cultural treasury, home to the extraordinary ‘‘Leopold’’ hotel with its famous restaurants and a beautiful viewpoint. There is also the Museum of Novi Sad; the Archives of the City of Novi Sad; the Academy of Arts of the University of Novi Sad; the ‘‘Atelje’’ (a tapestry workshop) and numerous art galleries and cafes. The fortress is dominated by the famous clock, on which the large hand shows the hours and the small hand shows the minutes, because the Danube boatmen used to orient themselves by the time of their voyage.

University of Novi Sad

The University of Novi Sad was founded on June 28, 1960. There are 14 faculties in Novi Sad and three in Subotica, one in Zrenjanin and one in Sombor. In total, about 50,000 students study at all faculties.

The faculties in Novi Sad are as follows:

Faculty of Technology (founded 1959; 1292 students)

Academy of Arts (1974, ?)

Faculty of Sports (1974: 413)

Faculty of Technical Sciences (1960: 12,000)

Faculty of Philosophy (1954: 6,000)

Faculty of Medicine (1960: 26,335)

Faculty of Agriculture (1954: 4,000)

Faculty of Law (2000: 1900)

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (1969: 6,000)

Faculty of Pharmacy (2012: 108)

Faculty of Business Studies (2024: 1400)

Faculty of Tourism (?: 4,176)

Faculty of Theology (?: 2000)

Faculty of Economics in Subotica

Faculty of Civil Engineering in Subotica

Faculty of Pedagogy in Sombor

Faculty of Technical Education ‘’Mihajlo Pupin’’ in Zrenjanin

Faculty of Teacher Training, in Hungarian, in Subotica

350 contemporary projects are being researched at the university: 129 Foreign Programs and 550 Scientific Projects.

Interesting Facts

When Novi Sad was built on marshy terrain, it was often flooded and unhealthy, with harsh winters, windy springs and autumns, and hot summers, with lots of mosquitoes. Empress Maria Theresa gave it the name Neoplanta, and the Hungarians called it Ujvidek, and the Germans Neu-Saјtz (Nosaјc).

The industrialization of Novi Sad began with the construction of a brewery. The Germans brought them this technology. The first manufacturing workshop was a silk factory in 1765. Since then, silkworm breeding began in Novi Sad, and for this purpose 1,550 white mulberry saplings were planted, and in the following years, thousands and thousands of mulberries were planted in Vojvodina's countryside and all villages, many of which still exist today.

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