Novi Sad

The city of Novi Sad is the second largest in Serbia, and its metropolitan area has about 400,000 people. It is a center of culture, economy, and government on the banks of the Danube. On the south side of the Danube is the city fortress called Petrovaradin, which was a site of human habitation as early as the Paleolithic period (hunter-gatherers) and has been a permanent settlement since the beginning of recorded history, 5,000 years ago.

The Romans built a fortress here that was part of the network of border fortresses along the Danube. In the Middle Ages, the Hungarians renovated the fortress and established a Cistercian monastery with monks from France. In the 16th century, the Ottomans took control of the fortress, using it in their campaigns against Vienna and the Central European powers. They transported military equipment up the river to support their wars, including the siege of Vienna.

Following the Ottoman defeat in the Great Turkish War in 1699, the Austrians succeeded in liberating Vojvodina and established a new border north of Belgrade. Emperor Leopold I of Austria reconstructed the fortress, and his successor, Joseph I, expanded and fortified it further in 1705. Later, Empress Maria Theresa carried out additional enhancements in the mid-18th century.

The fortress features a Baroque-style lower town known as Suburbium, constructed in the early 18th century. During this time, the tower and stairs leading to the upper part of the fortress were also built. Additionally, the Monastery of St. Gori, a Jesuit center, was established, along with a neoclassical-style bridge over the Danube and a system of underground tunnels forming part of the fortifications.

The upper parts of Petrovaradin Fortress include quarters for officers and soldiers, warehouses, and other facilities. The name “Petrovaradin” is derived from its first military commander, Ludwig of Baden. Today, the fortress is home to galleries and cafés that offer scenic views overlooking the Danube.

With the Austrian conquest of Vojvodina at the end of the 17th century, many refugees from historic Serbian regions fled to the area, establishing an autonomous Serbian province within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Due to restrictions preventing Serbs from settling near the fortress, they founded their own communities north of the Danube, marking the beginning of Novi Sad. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Novi Sad emerged as the largest and most important Serbian city, serving as a hub of culture and nationalism. It remained so until the final liberation of Belgrade, which once again became the natural capital of the country.