Novi Sad

Seen from a vantage-point in the Fruška Gora hills, Novi Sad gently and easily spreads across the Pannonian Plain, opening its doors wide to every guest. This is a Pannonian city rich in tradition and culture, where everything flourishes and everything is preserved, most of all the relaxed nature of the people. Novi Sad, the capital of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, has a great many buildings reflecting a variety of architectural styles. Some of the most important Serbian cultural and academic institutions were located in Novi Sad and still are today: Matica Srpska, the Serbian National Theatre, Sterijino Pozorje, Novi Sad University and many others. In addition, Novi Sad can boast of being a multinational, multicultural and multi-faith city to an extent that few others in Europe can. In this city, differences and diversity are considered advantages. Testament to this are the Újvidéki Színház (the multilingual Novi Sad Theatre), as well as departments of Novi Sad University both holding lectures in the languages of ethnic minorities and courses devoted to their study.

Novi Sad was  founded in 17th and 18th century in the place marked by the two important factors- protection of the powerful Petrovaradin fortress, and narrow passage over the Danube, that has a width of only 300 meters, Almost at the end of the 17th century craftsmen, gardeners  and Serbs- borderers created a settlement of greater importance. Its first name was Racko selo, then  Petrovaradinski Šanac (Petrovaradin Trench), and at the mid of the 18th century the settlement experienced a rapid development which was crowned by the purchasinig of the indepentent city status in 1748. In revolutionary disturbances in 1849, the majority of the city core was destroyed, due to heavy artillery attacks, made from Petrovaradin fortress. Necertheless, the city recovers and further develops. It got the post office, paved streets with street lights (1855) and permanent theatre (1861). The city was populated by large number of wealthy and educated Serbian families and gets the name Serbian Athens.

Upon the termination of the First World War Vojvodina was annexed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians under the Serbian dynasty Karadjordjevic, and Novi Sad became the seat of the Danube Banovina. In the Second World War it was occupied by Hungarian fascists who committ raids and persecution, especially the Serbs and Jews. Within the frame of Tito's Yugoslavia, Novi Sad is developing into an important political, administrative and cultural center. 1960th it gets University, opera house, many museums and galleries. The city has over 200,000 inhabitants.

The old heart of the Serbian Athens – as Novi Sad was once called because of its significant role in preserving Serbian culture – contains traces of the architectural styles of bygone times and evokes the charm of the past. Styles which can be seen in the architecture of the old heart of the city include, among many others, Classicism, Baroque, Secession and the national style, all of which merge well together, complement one another and tell the unique story of the history and development of Novi Sad over the past centuries.

The dominant building in the city center, in Neo-Gothic style is the Catholic Church Name of Mary built in 1895th,  according to the plans of the architect György Molnár. The altar of the church is decorated with Tirol carvings and windows in stained glass. The City House built in the 1894 was also designed by the same architect. Tanurdžić Palace was constructed in 1934 according to design of Nikola Tanurdžić.  The monument of Svetozar Miletić, a prominent political leader of Serbs in the nineteenth century, was built at the initiative of Matica Srpska in 1939th. The author of the monument was the famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović. The building Banovina, nowadays seat of the provincial administration was built in 1939^th according to design of Dragiša Brašovan.

The Complex composed of the Synagogue with the building of Jewish schools and municipalities was built in 1909^th, in the style of Hungarian Art Nouveau. The oldest Serbian Church Nikolajevska church from 1730^th, though it is an old church rebuilt after the devastation of the bombing in 1849. Across this church is the building of the most important Serbian cultural institutions in Vojvodina – Matica Srpska. Almaš church is the largest Orthodox church in the city, built between the 1797th and 1808th. Vladičanski dvor (Bishop's Palace) is a building in the Serbian-Byzantine style from 1901th. Behind this building in Pašićeva Street is Congregational Church of St. George, with the iconostasis by Paja Jovanovic and murals by Stevan Aleksic. The most important museums and galleries in Novi Sad are: Museum of Vojvodina, Gallery of the Matica Srpska, Memorial Collection of Pavle Beljanski, City Museum and Memorial Collection Rajko Mamuzić.

Source: www.novisad.rs