Novi Sad – the second largest city in Serbia

Novi Sad (Serbian Cyrillic: Нови Сад) is the second largest city in Serbia (after Belgrade) and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannonian Plain on the border of the Bačka and Syrmia geographical regions. Lying on the banks of the Danube river, the city faces the northern slopes of Fruška Gora.

Novi Sad was founded in 1694 when Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin Fortress, a strategic Habsburg military post. In subsequent centuries, it became an important trading, manufacturing and cultural centre, and has historically been dubbed the Serbian Athens.

Novi Sad is the European Capital of Culture for the year 2022 and was the European Youth Capital in 2019.

Main attractions

Novi Sad is a typical Central European town in terms of its architecture. The Town Hall and the Court House were built by Emmerich Kitzweger (1868–1917). The city was almost completely destroyed during the 1848/1849 revolution, so architecture from the 19th century dominates the city centre.

The most important buildings which still add to the beauty of the Novi Sad city centre, were built in various styles – from baroque, classicism, romanticism, to eclecticism which, together with Art Nouveau, was going to last until the First World War.

Petrovaradin Fortress, nicknamed “Gibraltar on/of the Danube”, is a fortress in the town of Petrovaradin, itself part of the City of Novi Sad. It is located on the right bank of the Danube river. The cornerstone of the present-day southern part of the fortress was laid on 18 October 1692 by Charles Eugène de Croÿ. Petrovaradin Fortress has many tunnels as well as 16 kilometres of uncollapsed underground countermine system.

In 1991 Petrovaradin Fortress was added to Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Great Importance list of the Republic of Serbia.

The Serbian National Theatre, located in Novi Sad, is one of the major theatres of Serbia. The current building of the theatre was opened in March 1981.

Eđšeg is a chateau built in 1889. It was built to honor hundred year anniversary of the shooting sport club “Građansko streljačko društvo”. After World War 2, it was nationalized, and for a while given for use to the shooting club “Jedinstvo” (Јединство) for which the chateau was named. Afterwards it was used by many others, but has soon after lost its use. The chateau was renovated in 2012, after being in ruin for decades.

Religious architecture in Novi Sad is very diverse. Majority of the believers in Novi Sad are from Serbian Orthodox Church, while others are from Roman Catholic Church, many Protestant churches, and Jewish community. Stari Grad is the place with the majority of churches and temples, and they were all built in the 18th and 19th century.

The oldest religious building in the city was Orthodox church dedicated to Saint John. This church was built in 1700, but was burned in the 1848–49 revolution. It was rebuilt in 1853, but was razed in 1921.

Kovilj Monastery is the only Orthodox monastery in the municipal area of Novi Sad. It is located near the village of Kovilj. It was reconstructed in 1705–07 and according to the legend, the monastery was founded by the first Serb archbishop Saint Sava in the 13th century.

Although Roman Catholic churches and worshippers are a minority in the city, for historical reasons, The Name of Mary Church (Crkva imena Marijinog) dominates city centre and it is one of the most recognised structures in Novi Sad. Built in Gothic Revival architecture, in 1895 on the site of an older church, which was burnt down, it is the tallest temple in the Bačka region.

There are also two more Roman Catholic churches in the city, one in Telep and one in Grbavica (in Futoška street). There are also three Catholic churches in Petrovaradin and one in Sremska Kamenica (built in 1746), as well as a Franciscan monastery in Petrovaradin (1701–1714).

Tekije Church in Petrovaradin, built in 1881, is used by all 3 Christian communities in the city: Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic. There was also one Armenian church dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator, which was built in 1746, destroyed during bombardment in 1849, and then rebuild in 1872 with funds of Serbian philanthrope Marija Trandafil. This church was finally demolished in 1963 to make way for new boulevard.

The Novi Sad Synagogue was built in 1905 in Art Nouveau architecture. Today, the temple is not used for religious ceremonies, but it is one of the most important cultural institutions in the city. There is also a mosque located in Futoška street.

Shopping

Novi Sad has three large shopping malls, as well as countless smaller stores sprinkled around the city.

  • Big Cee Mall location: Sentandrejski put 11
  • Merkator Mall location: Bulеvar oslobođenja 102
  • Sad Novi Bazaar Mall location: Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 1

Gastronomy

Typical Serbian food can be found in Novi Sad, including traditional dishes like ćevapi, burek, kajmak, kiseli kupus, kiflice and pasulj, as well as fish dishes, local cheeses and charcuterie. Restaurants and farmsteads offer fresh produce from local farmers and also regional vintages from Fruska Gora’s wineries.

Modern alternatives are available at some of the city’s top restaurants, which prepare traditional fare with an updated twist. Pastry shops serve local specialties such as layered cakes made from ground nuts and cream, referred to as ‘torta’ in Serbian. Desserts also often include raspberries, one of the region’s largest exports, and historic Dunavska Street is home to many ice cream parlors.

There are no Michelin list restaurants in Novi Sad.

Transport

Novi Sad currently does not have its own civil airport. The city is about a one-hour drive from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, which connects it with capitals across Europe. Small Čenej Airport north of the city is used for sport and agricultural purposes. There are plans to upgrade it to serve for cargo and small-scale public transport, but the future of this initiative is uncertain.

The high-speed rail that connects Belgrade with Novi Sad started its service at 19 March 2022.

The main public transportation system in Novi Sad consists of bus lines, operated by public company JGSP Novi Sad. There are twenty-one urban lines and twenty-nine suburban lines, with main bus station at the northern end of the Liberation Boulevard, next to the Novi Sad railway station. In addition, there are numerous taxi companies serving the city.

Novi Sad lies on the branch B of the Pan-European Corridor X. The A1 motorway connects the city with Subotica to the north and the capital city of Belgrade to the south. It is concurrent with Budapest–Belgrade railroad, which connects it to major European cities. Novi Sad is connected with Zrenjanin and Timișoara on the northwest and Ruma on south with a regional highway.

Main information

Area: 129 km²

Coordinates: 45°15′N 19°51′E

Population: 277 522

Languages: Serbian

Time: Central European UTC +1 (summer +2)

Postal code: 21000

Area code: +381(0)21

Car plates: NS

Read more: Design, fun spots and sights with Kilian Roldan ...