Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz;
see below for other names) is the
second largest city in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
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
Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary ...
and
Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
geographical regions. Lying on the banks of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
river, the city faces the northern slopes of
Fruška Gora.
, Novi Sad proper has a population of 231,798 while its urban area (including the adjacent settlements of
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
and
Sremska Kamenica) comprises 277,522 inhabitants. The population of the administrative area of the city totals 341,625 people.
Novi Sad was founded in 1694 when
Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the
Petrovaradin Fortress, a strategic
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
military post. In subsequent centuries, it became an important trading, manufacturing and cultural centre, and has historically been dubbed ''the Serbian Athens''. The city was heavily devastated in the
1848 Revolution
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...
, but was subsequently rebuilt and restored. Today, along with the Serbian capital city of Belgrade, Novi Sad is an industrial and financial center important to the
Serbian economy.
Novi Sad is the
European Capital of Culture for the year 2022 and was the
European Youth Capital
Turin (2010)
Antwerp (2011)
Braga (2012)
Maribor (2013)
Thessaloniki (2014)
Ganja (2016)
The 'European Youth Capital'' (abbreviated EYC) is the title awarded by the European Youth Forum to a European city, designed to empower ...
in 2019.
Name
The name ''Novi Sad'' means "new plantation" in
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguat ...
. Its Latin name, stemming from the establishment of Habsburg city rights, is ''Neoplanta''. The official names of Novi Sad in local administration are:
} /
* hu, Újvidék
* sk, Nový Sad
* rue, Нови Сад (transliterated: ''Novi Sad'')
In both
Croatian and
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
, which are official in provincial administration, the city is called ''Novi Sad''. Historically, it was also called ''Neusatz'' and ''Neusatz an der Donau'' in German.
In its
wider meaning, the name ''Grad Novi Sad'' refers to the "City of Novi Sad", one of the city-level
administrative units of
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, which includes Novi Sad proper on the left bank of the Danube, the towns of Sremska Kamenica and Petrovaradin on the right bank and the extensive suburbs of the left bank. ''Novi Sad'' can also refer
strictly
In mathematical writing, the term strict refers to the property of excluding equality and equivalence and often occurs in the context of inequality and monotonic functions. It is often attached to a technical term to indicate that the exclusive ...
to only the urban areas of the city (Novi Sad proper and the towns of Sremska Kamenica and Petrovaradin), or only to the historical core on the left bank, i.e. Novi Sad proper excluding Sremska Kamenica and Petrovaradin.
History
Older settlements
Human habitation in the territory of present-day Novi Sad has been traced as far back as the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
. Several settlements and
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
es dating to 5000 BC were unearthed during the construction of a new boulevard in
Avijatičarsko Naselje
Avijatičarsko Naselje ( sr, Авијатичарско Насеље), also known as Avijacija ( sr, Авијација), is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Borders
The south-eastern border of Avijatičarsko Naselje is Ulic ...
. A settlement was also identified on the right bank of the river
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
in present-day
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
.
In antiquity, the region was inhabited by
Celtic tribes
This is a list of Celtic tribes, organized in order of the likely ethnolinguistic kinship of the peoples and tribes.
In Classical antiquity, Celts were a large number and a significant part of the population in many regions of Western Europe, ...
, most notably the
Scordisci
The Scordisci ( el, Σκορδίσκοι) were a Celtic Iron Age cultural group centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava), Margus (Morava) and Danube rivers. They were historically no ...
. Celts were present in the area since the 4th century BC and founded the first fortress on the right bank of the Danube. Later, in the 1st century BC, the region was conquered by the
Romans. During Roman rule, a larger fortress was built in the 1st century, with the name ''Cusum'', and was included in the
Roman province
The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
of
Pannonia
Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...
.
In the 5th century, Cusum was devastated by
Hunnic invasions. By the end of the same century, the
Byzantines had reconstructed the town and called it by the names ''Petrikon'' or ''Petrikov'' ( gr, Πέτρικον) after
Saint Peter
Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...
.
Slavic tribes such as the
Severians
The Severians or Severyans or Siverians ( be, Севяране; bg, Севери; russian: Северяне; uk, Сiверяни, translit=Siveriany) were a tribe or tribal confederation of early East Slavs occupying areas to the east of the mi ...
, the
Obotrites
The Obotrites ( la, Obotriti, Abodritorum, Abodritos…) or Obodrites, also spelled Abodrites (german: Abodriten), were a confederation of medieval West Slavs, West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in norther ...
and the
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
(including the subtribes of the
Braničevci
The Braničevci (also Branichevci or Branichevtsi; sr-cyr, Браничевци) were a List of medieval Slavic peoples and tribes, South Slavic tribe that inhabited the region of Braničevo (region), Braničevo, in what is today Serbia, during t ...
and the
Timočani
The Timočani (also Timochani, or Timochans; Serbian and Bulgarian: Тимочани) were a medieval South Slavic tribe that lived in the territory of present-day eastern Serbia, west of the Timok River, as well as in the regions of Banat, Syrm ...
) settled today's region around Novi Sad mainly in the 6th and 7th centuries.
[Sava S. Vujić – Bogdan M. Basarić, ''Severni Srbi (ne)zaboravljeni narod,'' Beograd, 1998, pg. 36] The Serbs absorbed the aforementioned Slavic groups as well as the
Paleo-Balkanic peoples of the region.
In the Middle Ages, the area was subsequently controlled by the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the larg ...
,
Gepids
The Gepids, ( la, Gepidae, Gipedae, grc, Γήπαιδες) were an East Germanic tribe who lived in the area of modern Romania, Hungary and Serbia, roughly between the Tisza, Sava and Carpathian Mountains. They were said to share the religion a ...
,
Avars,
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
,
West Slavic groups, again by the Byzantines, and finally by the
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
. It became a part of the medieval
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
between the 11th and 12th centuries. Hungarians began to settle in the area, which before that time was mostly populated by Slavs, and the place was first mentioned under the Hungarian variant ''Peturwarad'' or ''Pétervárad'' (Serbian: ''Petrovaradin''/Петроварадин), which derived from the Byzantine variant, found in documents from 1237. That same year, several other settlements were mentioned as existing in the territory of modern-day urban Novi Sad.
From the 13th century to the 16th century, the following settlements existed within the territory of the urban areas of modern-day Novi Sad:
[Branko Ćurčin, ]Slana Bara Slana may refer to:
* Slana, Alaska, a populated place in the Copper River Census Area
* Slana River, in Alaska, a tributary of Copper River
* Slana, Croatia, a village near Petrinja
* Slana concentration camp
Slana concentration camp was a co ...
nekad i sad, Novi Sad, 2002.[Borovszky Samu: Magyarország vármegyéi és városai, Bács-Bodrog vármegye I.-II. kötet, Apolló Irodalmi és Nyomdai Részvénytársaság, 1909.]
*on the right bank of the Danube: ''Pétervárad'' (Serbian: ''Petrovaradin'') and ''Kamanc'' (Serbian: ''Kamenica'').
*on the left bank of the Danube: ''Baksa'' or ''Baksafalva'' ( sr, Bakša, Bakšić), ''Kűszentmárton'' ( sr, Sent Marton), ''Bivalyos'' or ''Bivalo'' ( sr, Bivaljoš, Bivalo), ''Vásárosvárad'' or ''Várad'' ( sr, Vašaroš Varad, Varadinci), ''Zajol I'' (Serbian: ''
Sajlovo I'', ''Gornje Sajlovo'', ''Gornje Isailovo''), ''Zajol II'' (Serbian: ''
Sajlovo
Sajlovo ( sr-cyrl, Сајлово; hu, Zajol) or Donje Sajlovo ( sr-cyrl, Доње Сајлово) is a neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
History
In 1237, two villages with name Sajlovo (Hungarian: Zajol), Donje Sajlovo and Gornje Saj ...
II'', ''Donje Sajlovo'', ''Donje Isailovo''), ''Bistritz'' (Serbian: ''
Bistrica''). Some other settlements existed in the suburbs of Novi Sad: ''Mortályos'' (Serbian: ''Mrtvaljoš''), ''Csenei'' ( sr,
Čenej
Čenej () is a suburban settlement of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and a population numbering 2,115 people (2002 census).
Name
In Serbian, the village is known as Ченеј or ''Čenej'', in Croatian a ...
), ''Keménd'' (Serbian: ''
Kamendin
Kamendin ( sr-cyr, Камендин) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Zemun, in the northwest section of Zemun. It adjoins the neighborhood of Zemun Polje on the west, it ...
''), ''Rév'' ( sr, Rivica).
An etymology of settlement names reveals that some designations are of
Slavic origin, which indicates that the areas were initially inhabited by Slavs, particularly the
West Slavs
The West Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak the West Slavic languages. They separated from the common Slavic group around the 7th century, and established independent polities in Central Europe by the 8th to 9th centuries. The West Slavic langu ...
. For example, Bivalo (Bivaljoš) was a large Slavic settlement dating from the 5th–6th centuries.
Other names are of
Hungarian origin (for example Bélakút, Kűszentmárton, Vásárosvárad, Rév), indicating that the settlements were inhabited by Hungarians before the
Ottoman invasion in the 16th century.
Some settlement names are of uncertain origin.
Tax records from 1522 show a mix of Hungarian and Slavic names among the inhabitants of these villages, including Slavic names like Bozso (Božo), Radovan, Radonya (Radonja), Ivo, etc. Following the Ottoman invasion in the 16th–17th centuries, some of these settlements were destroyed. Most of the surviving Hungarian inhabitants retreated from the area. Some of the settlements persisted during the Ottoman rule and were populated by ethnic Serbs.
Between 1526 and 1687, the region was under
Ottoman rule. In the year 1590, the population of all villages that existed in the territory of present-day Novi Sad numbered at 105 houses, inhabited exclusively by Serbs. Ottoman records mention only those inhabitants who paid taxes, so the number of Serbs who lived in the area (for example, those that served in the
Ottoman army) was likely larger than was recorded.
Founding of Novi Sad
![Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Kaiserin_Maria_Theresia_%28HRR%29.jpg)
Habsburg rule was aligned with the Roman Catholic doctrine and, as it took over this area near the end of the 17th century, the government prohibited people of
Orthodox faith from residing in
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
. Unable to build homes there, the Serbs of the area founded a new settlement in 1694 on the left bank of the Danube. They initially called it the 'Serb city' (german:
Ratzen
Rascians ( sr, Раши, Рашани / ''Raši, Rašani''; la, Rasciani, Natio Rasciana) was a historical term for Serbs. The term was derived from the Latinized name for the central Serbian region of Raška ( la, Rascia; sr-Cyrl, Рашка). ...
Stadt). Another name used for the settlement was Petrovaradinski Šanac. In 1718, the inhabitants of the village of
Almaš Almaš was an ethnic Serbs, Serb village in Bačka. It existed until the first half of the 18th century. The village was located on Almaška bara (Almaška bog), between Temerin, Nadalj, and Gospođinci.
Name
In Serbian language, Serbian the villag ...
were resettled to Petrovaradinski Šanac, where they founded
Almaški Kraj
Almaški Kraj ( sr, Алмашки Крај) is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is situated between the Almaška church and the Saborna church and includes parts of the Podbara, Salajka and Stari Grad, Novi Sad, Stari Grad ...
('the Almaš quarter').
According to 1720 data, the population of Ratzen Stadt was composed of 112 Serbian, 14 German, and 5 Hungarian houses. The settlement officially gained the present names ''Novi Sad'' and ''Újvidék'' (''Neoplanta'' in Latin) in 1748 when it became a 'free royal city', in German language it was called Neusatz.
The edict that made Novi Sad a 'free royal city' was proclaimed on 1 February 1748. The edict reads:
In the 18th century, the Habsburg monarchy recruited Germans from the southern principalities of the Holy Roman Empire to relocate to the Danube valley. They wanted both to increase the population and to redevelop the river valley for agriculture, which had declined markedly under the Ottomans. To encourage such settlement, the government ensured that the German communities could practice their religion (mostly Catholicism) and use their original German dialect.
Habsburg monarchy
![Patrijarh Rajacic blagosilja vojsku](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Patrijarh_Rajacic_blagosilja_vojsku.JPG)
For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, Novi Sad remained the largest city inhabited by Serbs. The reformer of the Serbian language,
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, wrote in 1817 that Novi Sad was the 'largest Serb municipality in the world'. It was a cultural and political centre for Serbs (see also
Serbian Revival The Serbian Revival ( sr, Српски препород / Srpski preporod) or Serbian national awakening refers to a period in the history of the Serbs between the 18th century and the ''de jure'' establishment of the Principality of Serbia (1878). ...
), who did not have their own
national state at the time. Due to its cultural and political influence, the city became known as the 'Serbian
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
' (''Srpska Atina'' in Serbian). According to 1843 data, Novi Sad had 17,332 inhabitants, of whom 9,675 were
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
, 5,724
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 1,032
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
, 727 Jews, and 30 adherents of the
Armenian church. The largest
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
in the city were Serbs, and the second largest were
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
.
During the
Revolution of 1848–49, Novi Sad was part of
Serbian Vojvodina, a Serbian
autonomous region
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division or internal territory of a sovereign state that has a degree of autonomy ...
within the Austrian Empire. In 1849, the Hungarian garrison, located at the Petrovaradin Fortress, bombarded and devastated the city, which lost much of its population. According to the 1850 census, there were only 7,182 citizens left in the city, compared to 17,332 in 1843.
Marija Trandafil
Marija Trandafil or Marija Popović (25 December 1816 – 14 October 1883) was a Serbian philanthropist in the city of Novi Sad. She and her husband helped the city of Novi Sad to rebuild after it was bombarded in the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. ...
and her husband paid for some of the rebuilding including two churches.
Between 1849 and 1860, Novi Sad was part of a separate Austrian crownland known as the
Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar. After the abolishment of this province, the city was included into the
Batsch-Bodrog County. The post office was opened in 1853.
Following the
compromise of 1867
The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (german: Ausgleich, hu, Kiegyezés) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereignty and status of the Kingdom of Hungary ...
, Novi Sad was located within the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
, the ''
Transleithania'', which comprised half of the new
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. During this time, the
Magyarization
Magyarization ( , also ''Hungarization'', ''Hungarianization''; hu, magyarosítás), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in Austro-Hungarian Transleithan ...
policy of the Hungarian government drastically altered the demographic structure of the city as the formerly predominantly Serbian population became one with a more mixed character. In 1880, 41.2% of the city's inhabitants used the
Serbian language
Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and Kos ...
most frequently and 25.9% employed Hungarian. In the following decades, the percentage of Serbian-speakers decreased, while the number of Hungarian-speakers increased. According to the 1910 census, the city had 33,590 residents, of whom 13,343 (39.72%) spoke Hungarian, 11,594 (34.52%) Serbian, 5,918 (17.62%) German and 1,453 (4.33%) Slovak. It is not certain whether Hungarians or Serbs were the larger ethnic group in the city in 1910, since the various ethnic groups (
Bunjevci,
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
, Jews, other
South Slavic people, etc.) were classified in census results only according to the language they spoke.
![Razglednica Novog Sada 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Razglednica_Novog_Sada_2.jpg)
Similar demographic changes can be seen in the religious structure: in 1870, the population of Novi Sad included 8,134 Orthodox Christians, 6,684 Catholics, 1,725 Calvinists, 1,343 Lutherans, and others. In 1910, the population included 13,383
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and 11,553 Orthodox Christians, while 3,089 declared themselves as
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
, 2,751 as
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
, and 2,326 as Jewish.
Serbia and Yugoslavia
![Velika-narodna-skupstina-1918](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Velika-narodna-skupstina-1918.jpg)
On 25 November 1918, the Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci and other Slavs of Vojvodina in Novi Sad proclaimed the union of the region of Vojvodina with the
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...
. From 1 December 1918, Novi Sad was part of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes; and in 1929, it became the capital of the
Danube Banovina
Danube Banovina or Danube Banate ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Dunavska banovina, Дунавска бановина), was a banovina (or province) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of the geographical ...
, a province of the newly named Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1921, the population of Novi Sad numbered 39,122 inhabitants, 16,293 of whom spoke the Serbian language, 12,991 Hungarian, 6,373 German, 1,117 Slovak, etc.
In 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by the
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
, and its northern parts, including Novi Sad, were annexed by
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, about 5,000 citizens were murdered and many others were resettled. During the three days of the
Novi Sad raid (21–23 January 1942) alone, Hungarian police killed 1,246 citizens, among them more than 800 Jews, and threw their corpses into the icy waters of the Danube.
![Petrovaradin i žrtve racije](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Petrovaradin_i_%C5%BErtve_racije.JPG)
The total death toll of the raid was around 2,500.
Citizens of all nationalities—Serbs, Hungarians, Slovaks, and others—fought together against the Axis authorities.
In 1975 the whole city was awarded the title
People's Hero of Yugoslavia.
The
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
of
Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
and
Bačka
Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary ...
entered the city on 23 October 1944. During the military administration of
Banat, Bačka and Baranja (17 October 1944 – 27 January 1945), the Partisans
killed tens of thousands, mostly Serbs, Germans, and Hungarians, who were perceived as opponents to the new regime.
Novi Sad became part of the new
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
. Since 1945, Novi Sad has been the capital of
Vojvodina, a province of the
Republic of Serbia. The city went through rapid industrialization and its population more than doubled in the period between World War II and the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.
After 1992, Novi Sad became a part of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
. Devastated by
NATO bombardment during the
Kosovo War
The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...
of 1999,
Novi Sad was left without any of its three Danube bridges (
Žeželj Bridge
Žeželj Bridge ( sr, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, only to be destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The newl ...
,
Varadin Bridge
Varadin Bridge () is a bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Serbia. The bridge was built in 2000, after the previous bridge (Marshal Tito Bridge, renamed Varadin Bridge in 1991) at this location was destroyed during NATO bombardment on 1 April ...
and
Liberty Bridge), communications, water, and electricity. Residential areas were cluster-bombed several times while the
oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...
was bombarded daily, causing severe pollution and widespread ecological damage. In 2003, FR Yugoslavia was transformed into the
state union of
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
. These two states separated in June 2006 (following the May 2006
Montenegrin independence referendum), leaving Novi Sad part of the
Republic of Serbia.
Geography
The city lies on the
meander
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...
of the river Danube, which is only 350 meters wide beneath the marking stones of Petrovaradin.
A section of the
Danube-Tisza-Danube Canal marks the northern edge of the wider city centre. The main part of the city lies on the left bank of the Danube in the region of
Bačka
Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary ...
, while the smaller settlements of
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
and
Sremska Kamenica lie on the right bank, in the region of
Srem (Syrmia). The section situated on the left bank of the river lies on one of the southernmost and lowest parts of the
Pannonian Plain, while
Fruška Gora on the right bank is a
horst mountain.
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...
s along the Danube are well-formed, especially on the left bank, and in some parts from the river. A large part of Novi Sad lies on a
fluvial terrace
Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...
with an elevation between . The northern part of Fruška Gora is composed of massive
landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...
zones, although they are largely inactive with the exception of the
Ribnjak neighbourhood between
Sremska Kamenica and
Petrovaradin Fortress.
[Завод за урбанизам: "Еколошки Атлас Новог Сада" ("Ecological Atlas of Novi Sad"), page 14-15, 1994.]
The total land area of the city is , while its urban area spans .
Climate
Novi Sad has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Cfa'')
closely bordering on
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(''Dfa'') with a January mean of . The city experiences four distinct seasons. Autumn is drier than spring, with long sunny and warm periods. Winter is not so severe, with an average of 22 days of complete sub-zero temperature, and averages 22 days of snowfall. January is the coldest month, with an average low of . Spring is usually short and rainy, while summer arrives abruptly. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Novi Sad was on 24 January 1963, and the hottest temperature ever recorded was on 24 July 2007.
The east-southeasterly wind, known as
Košava, blows from the
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
and brings clear and dry weather. It mostly blows in autumn and winter, in 2 to 3-day intervals. The
average speed
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...
of Košava is , but certain strokes can reach up to . In wintertime, accompanied by
snow storms, the winds can cause large snow-drifts.
Settlements
![Kule na Limanu](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Kule_na_Limanu.JPG)
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
A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
. Small, older houses used to surround the centre of town, but they are now being replaced by modern, multi-story buildings.
During the socialist period, new city blocks with wide streets and multi-story buildings were constructed around the city core. However, not many
communist-style high-rise buildings were erected. The total number of
apartment buildings, with ten or more floors, remained at about 50, the rest having mostly three to six floors. From 1962 to 1964, a new
boulevard, today called ''Bulevar oslobođenja'', was cut through the older neighbourhoods, establishing major communication lines. Several more boulevards were subsequently built in a similar manner, creating an
orthogonal
In mathematics, orthogonality is the generalization of the geometric notion of ''perpendicularity''.
By extension, orthogonality is also used to refer to the separation of specific features of a system. The term also has specialized meanings in ...
network which replaced the primarily radial structure of the old town. These interventions paved the way for a relatively unhampered growth of the city, which has almost tripled in population since the 1950s. Despite a huge increase in car ownership,
traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
is still relatively mild, apart from a few major arteries.
Neighbourhoods
![Fpmqrcyjfoad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Fpmqrcyjfoad.jpg)
Some of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city are
Stari Grad (Old Town),
Rotkvarija,
Podbara, and
Salajka
Salajka ( sr, Салајка), also known as Slavija ( sr, Славија), is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Borders
The western and southern border of Salajka is Kisačka ulica (Kisač Street), the eastern border is Teme ...
. The areas of
Sremska Kamenica and
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
, located on the right bank of the Danube, were separate towns in the past, but today belong to the urban area of Novi Sad.
Liman, as well as
Novo Naselje, are neighbourhoods built during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, with contemporary style buildings and wide boulevards (
Liman was divided into four sections, numbered I–IV).
New neighbourhoods, like
Liman,
Detelinara
Detelinara ( sr, Детелинара, from Serbian ''detelina'' - ''clover'', hence Detelinara = ''Field of Clovers'') is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Borders
The south-eastern borders of Detelinara are Ulica Branka ...
and
Novo Naselje, emerged from the fields and forests surrounding the city. Following World War II, tall residential buildings were constructed to house the huge influx of people leaving the country side. Many old houses in the city centre, from the
Rotkvarija and
Bulevar
Bulevar ( sr-cyr, Булевар; English language, English: Boulevard) is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. Its name simply means "boulevard" in Serbian language, Serbian. Bulevar is not a traditional city neighborhood; it is ...
neighbourhoods, were torn down in the 1950s and 1960s, to be replaced by multi-story buildings. Since the city has experienced a major construction boom in the last 10 years, some neighbourhoods like
Grbavica have completely been transformed.
Neighbourhoods with single family homes are mostly located away from the city centre.
Telep
Telep ( sr-cyr, Телеп) is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Name
The word "telep" ( hu, Telep) means "settlement" in Hungarian. The first name of this neighborhood was ''Darányi-telep'' (Serbian: ''Daranjijevo Naselj ...
, situated in the southwest, and
Klisa, in the north, are the oldest such districts.
Adice
Adice ( sr, Адице) is an urban neighborhood belonging to the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Borders
The southern border of Adice is Podunavska ulica (Podunavska Street), the eastern border is Šumska ulica (Šumska Street), the northern border ...
and
Veternik, both located west of the downtown area, have significantly expanded during the last 15 years, partly due to an influx of Serb refugees fleeing the
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, SFR Yugoslavia from ...
.
Suburbs
While Novi Sad's urban municipalities, which include
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
,
Sremska Kamenica and Novi Sad proper, have a combined population of about 277,000, its suburban areas have approximately 65,000 inhabitants. Some 23.7% of the administrative city's total population resides in the suburbs, which consist of 12 settlements and 1 town.
The largest numbers live in
Futog (pop. 20,000) and in
Veternik (pop. 17,000) to the west. Both places have grown bigger over the years, especially during the 1990s, and have physically merged with the city.
Suburbs like Futog are officially classified as an '
''urban settlement'
'' (town), while other suburbs are mostly considered to be '
''rural (village).
Ledinci
Ledinci ( sr-cyr, Лединци) also known as Novi Ledinci ( sr-cyr, Нови Лединци) is a suburban settlement located in the Petrovaradin municipality, one of two municipalities of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is situated in the Aut ...
,
Stari Ledinci
Stari Ledinci ( sr-cyrl, Стари Лединци) also known simply as Ledinci ( sr-cyr, Лединци) is a suburban settlement of Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, Serbia. The population of Stari Ledinci numbered 823 people in the 2002 census. Most o ...
and
Bukovac are all villages located on
Fruška Gora’s slopes, with the last two having only one paved road.
Stari Ledinci
Stari Ledinci ( sr-cyrl, Стари Лединци) also known simply as Ledinci ( sr-cyr, Лединци) is a suburban settlement of Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, Serbia. The population of Stari Ledinci numbered 823 people in the 2002 census. Most o ...
is the most isolated and least populated village belonging to Novi Sad's suburban areas.
Towns and villages in the adjacent municipalities of
Sremski Karlovci,
Temerin
Temerin ( sr-Cyrl, Темерин; hu, Temerin, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina in Serbia. The town has a population of 19,613, while the municipality has a population of ...
and
Beočin share the same public transportation system and are economically tied to Novi Sad.
Demographics
Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia (after
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
), and the largest city in
Vojvodina. Since its founding, the population of the city has been constantly increasing. According to the 1991 census, 56.2% of the people who came to Novi Sad from 1961 to 1991 were from Vojvodina, while 15.3% came from
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
and 11.7% from rest of Serbia.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the city experienced significant population growth. According to the 2011 census,
the city's population is 231,798, while in its urban area (including adjacent settlements of Petrovaradin and Sremska Kamenica) there are 277,522 inhabitants. Novi Sad's administrative city limits hold 341,625 inhabitants.
Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition in the city administrative area (last three censuses):
All of the inhabited places in the municipalities have an ethnic Serb majority, while the village of
Kisač
Kisač ( sr-cyr, Кисач; Slovak: Kysáč) is a suburban settlement of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. The settlement has a Slovak ethnic majority.
Name
In Serbian and Croatian the village is known as ''Kisač'' (Кисач); in Slovak as ...
has an ethnic Slovak majority.
Religion
![Name of Mary Church, Novi Sad 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Name_of_Mary_Church%2C_Novi_Sad_1.jpg)
According to the 2011 census, the population of the administrative area of Novi Sad (comprising both municipalities) included 270,831
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
, 21,530
Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 8,499
Protestants
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
, 4,760
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
, 84 Jews, and others. The city is the seat of the
Serbian Orthodox
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.
The majority of the population in ...
Eparchy of Bačka, the seat of the Bishop of the
Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia
The Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia (Slovak: Slovenská evanjelická augsburského vyznania cirkev v Srbsku, abbreviated SEAVC) is a Lutheran church in Serbia.
This, the largest Protestant church in former Yugoslavia ...
and of the
Muftiship of Novi Sad of the Islamic Community in Serbia.
Culture
![Serbian National Theatre, January 2022](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Serbian_National_Theatre%2C_January_2022.jpg)
In the 19th and early 20th century, Novi Sad was the capital of
Serbian culture, earning it the nickname ''Serbian Athens''. During that time, almost every Serbian novelist, poet, jurist, and publisher had lived or worked in Novi Sad at some point in their career. Some of these cultural workers included
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić,
Mika Antić,
Đura Jakšić and
Jovan Jovanović Zmaj , among others.
Matica srpska
The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Матица српска, Matica srpska, la, Matrix Serbica, grc, Μάτιτσα Σρπσκα) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national inst ...
, the oldest cultural-scientific institution in Serbia, was moved from
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
to Novi Sad in 1864, and now contains the second-largest library in the country, the Library of Matica srpska, with over 3.5 million volumes. The
Serbian National Theatre, the oldest professional theatre among the
South Slavs
South Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, Hu ...
, was founded in Novi Sad in 1861.
Today, Novi Sad is the second largest cultural centre in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
, after
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. Municipal officials have made the city more attractive with numerous cultural events and music concerts. Since 2000, Novi Sad is home to the
EXIT festival, one of the biggest music summer festivals in Europe. Other important cultural events include the
Sterijino pozorje theatre festival,
Zmaj Children Games
Zmaj Children Games ( sr, Змајеве дечије игре / ''Zmajeve dečije igre'') is one of the biggest festivals for children in Serbia and the Novi Sad region. Named after Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, one of the most famous Serbian poets and w ...
,
International Novi Sad Literature Festival
The International Novi Sad Literature Festival (Serbian: Međunarodni književni festival) is a literary festival held annually in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It was founded by the Association of Writers of Vojvodina ( Serbian: Društvo književ ...
,
Novi Sad Jazz Festival, and many others. Novi Sad also hosts a fashion show twice a year, attracting local and international designers. Called
Serbia Fashion Week
Serbia Fashion Week is a fashion show held twice a year in Novi Sad, Serbia. Occurring in April and November, the event attracts local and international fashion designers, such as Thierry Mugler and Anna Fendi. In addition to runway shows, semina ...
, the event also features the works of applied artists, musicians, interior decorators, multimedia experts and architects.
In addition to the
Serbian National Theatre, other prominent playhouses consist of the
Novi Sad Theatre
The Novi Sad Theatre ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новосадско позориште, Novosadsko pozorište; hu, Újvidéki Színház) is a small Hungarian language theatre in Serbia. It is located in the Rotkvarija neighborhood, near city centre on Jo ...
,
Youth Theatre Youth Theatre or Youth Theater may refer to:
Generic
*Theatre for Early Years
*Theatre for Young Audiences
*Young Spectator's Theatre
Australia
*Perth Youth Theatre
* Platform Youth Theatre
* Track Youth Theatre
* Victorian Youth Theatre
Unit ...
, and the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad. The
Novi Sad Synagogue
Novi Sad Synagogue ( sr, Новосадска синагога or ) is one of many cultural institutions in Novi Sad, Serbia, in the capital of Serbian the province of Vojvodina. Located on Jevrejska (Jewish) Street, in the city center, the synag ...
also houses many cultural events. Other cultural institutions include the Detachment of the Serbian Academy of Science and Art, Library of Matica Srpska, Novi Sad City Library and Azbukum. The city is also home to the Archive of Vojvodina, which has collected numerous documents from the
Vojvodina region dating back to 1565.
Novi Sad has several folk song societies, which are known as ''kulturno-umetničko društvo'' or KUD. The best known societies in the city are: KUD Svetozar Marković, AKUD Sonja Marinković, SKUD Željezničar, FA Vila and the oldest SZPD NEVEN Serbian Craftsmen Singing Society, Neven, established in 1892.
National minorities express their own traditions, folklore and songs through various societies such as the Hungarian MKUD Petőfi Sándor, Slovak SKUD Pavel Jozef Šafárik, and Ruthenian RKC Novi Sad.
Novi Sad was chosen to be the
European Capital of Culture for 2021, however its mandate was moved to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuisine
Typical Serbian food can be found in Novi Sad, including traditional dishes like ćevapi, burek, kajmak, Whole sour cabbage, 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 Serbian wine, 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.
Museums
![Museum of Vojvodina in Novi Sad - street view](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Museum_of_Vojvodina_in_Novi_Sad_-_street_view.jpg)
The city has several museums and galleries, both public and privately owned. The best known institution in the city is the Museum of Vojvodina, founded in 1847, which houses a permanent collection of
Serbian culture and life in
Vojvodina since ancient times. The Museum of Novi Sad, located in the
Petrovaradin Fortress, has a permanent collection featuring the history of the old fortress.
The Gallery of Matica Srpska is the largest and most respected exhibition space in the city, with two galleries in the city centre. Other museums include The Gallery of Fine Arts – Gift Collection of Rajko Mamuzić and The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, featuring one of the most extensive collections of Serbian art from the 1900s until the 1970s.
Tourism
![Fireworks_at_EXIT_Festival_2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Fireworks_at_EXIT_Festival_2018.jpg)
Since 2000, the number of tourists visiting Novi Sad each year has steadily risen. During the annual Exit (festival), EXIT music festival in July, the city is full of young people from all over Europe. In 2017, over 200,000 visitors from 60 countries came to the festival, attending about 35 concerts. Other events include shows and congresses organized by Novi Sad Fair, a local management company, bringing in many businesspersons and entrepreneurs to the city. Every May, Novi Sad is home to the largest agricultural show in the region, having attracted 600,000 attendees in 2005. The tourist port, near
Varadin Bridge
Varadin Bridge () is a bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Serbia. The bridge was built in 2000, after the previous bridge (Marshal Tito Bridge, renamed Varadin Bridge in 1991) at this location was destroyed during NATO bombardment on 1 April ...
in the city centre, welcomes cruise boats from across Europe that travel the Danube river.
The most recognized structure in Novi Sad is the
Petrovaradin Fortress, which dominates the skyline and also offers scenic views of the city. The nearby historic neighbourhood of
Stari Grad has many monuments, museums, cafes, restaurants and shops. Also in the vicinity, is the
Fruška Gora National Park, approximately from the city centre.
Economy
Novi Sad is the economic centre of
Vojvodina, the most fertile agricultural region in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. The city also represents one of the largest economic and cultural hubs in Serbia.
Novi Sad had always been a developed city within the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia. In 1981, its GDP per capita was 172% of the Yugoslav average. During the 1990s, the city, like the rest of Serbia, was severely affected by an internationally imposed Embargo, trade embargo and hyperinflation of the Yugoslav dinar. The embargo, along with economic mismanagement, led to a decay or demise of once important industrial combines, such as ''Novkabel'' (electric cable industry), ''Pobeda'' (metal industry), ''Jugoalat'' (tools), ''Albus'' and ''HINS'' (chemical industry). Practically the only viable large facilities remaining today are the oil refinery, located northeast of the town, and the Thermal power station, thermal power plant.
The economy of Novi Sad has mostly recovered from that period and grown strongly since 2001, shifting from an industry-driven economy to the Tertiary sector of the economy, tertiary sector. The processes involved in privatization, privatizing state and society-owned enterprises, as well as strong private incentives, have increased the share of privately owned companies to over 95% in the district, with small and medium-size enterprises dominating the city's economic development.
The significance of Novi Sad as a financial centre is already proven, by being home to the national headquarters of numerous banks, such as Erste Bank Novi Sad, Erste Bank, Vojvođanska banka a.d., Vojvođanska banka, and Crédit Agricole Srbija, Crédit Agricole; as well as the third largest insurance company in Serbia, DDOR Novi Sad. Furthermore, the city is home to major energy companies like Naftna Industrija Srbije oil company and Srbijagas gas company. It is also the seat of the wheat Commodity market, market.
Novi Sad is also a growing information technology centre within Serbia, second only to
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. As of September 2017, Novi Sad has one of 14 free economic zones established in Serbia.
The following table gives a preview of total number of registered people employed in legal entities per their core activity (as of 2018):
Politics
![Zgrada Vlade Vojvodine - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Zgrada_Vlade_Vojvodine_-_panoramio.jpg)
Novi Sad is the administrative centre of the Subdivisions of Serbia, Autonomous Province of
Vojvodina, and as such, home to Vojvodina's Government of Vojvodina, Government and Assembly of Vojvodina, Provincial Assembly.
The city's administrative bodies include the city Deliberative assembly, assembly as the representative body, as well as the mayor and Local government, city government defining the executive bodies. The mayor and city assembly members are chosen through direct elections. The city assembly has 78 seats, while the city government consists of 11 members. The mayor and members of the city's assembly are elected to four-year terms. The city government is elected by the city assembly at the proposal of the mayor.
As of 2022, the mayor of Novi Sad is Milan Đurić (politician), Milan Đurić of the Serbian Progressive Party. While his party holds the majority of seats in the city assembly, the Socialist Party of Serbia, the Democratic Party of Serbia, as well as other parties and groups, are also represented.
The city of Novi Sad is divided into 47 List of local communities in Novi Sad, local communities within two city municipalities, Novi Sad and
Petrovaradin
Petrovaradin ( sr-cyr, Петроварадин, ) is a historic town in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, now a part of the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 14,810 inhabitants. Lying on the right bank of the Danube, across from t ...
, which are separated by the Danube river.
;City holidays
The city commemorates the year 1694, when it was established.
;Coat of arms
The design consists of three white towers placed in the centre, set against a blue sky. A white dove holding an olive branch flies above the larger middle tower. All three structures have rooftops with crenallations, as well as opened windows and closed gates. Below the towers lies a green background, with a wavy white line depicting the Danube River.
Society
Education
![Jovina gimnazija - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Jovina_gimnazija_-_panoramio.jpg)
Novi Sad is one of the most important centres of higher education and research in Serbia, with four universities overall and numerous professional, technical, and private colleges and research institutes, including a law school with its own publication. The largest educational institution in the city is the University of Novi Sad, a public school established in 1960. , it has 14 faculties, 9 of which are located on the main University campus in Novi Sad, university campus.
It is attended by more than 50,000 students and has total staff of nearly 5,000.
Business Academy University and Educons University are private schools also located in the city. Other educational institutions include Novi Sad Open University, offering professional courses in adult education, and the Novi Sad Theological College, Protestant Theological Seminary.
Regarding primary and secondary education, there are 36 elementary schools (33 regular and 3 special) with about 26,000 students.
The High school (upper secondary), secondary school system consists of 11 vocational schools and 4 Gymnasium (school), gymnasiums with almost 18,000 students.
Media
Novi Sad has one major daily newspaper, ''Dnevnik (Novi Sad), Dnevnik'', and among the periodicals, the monthly magazine ''Vojvodjanski magazin'' stands out. The city also houses the headquarters of regional public broadcaster, ''Radio Television of Vojvodina (RTV)'', and municipal public broadcaster, ''Novosadska televizija'', as well as a few commercial TV stations such as ''Kanal 9'', ''Panonija'' and ''RTV Most''. Major local commercial radio stations include ''Radio AS FM'' and ''Radio 021''.
Novi Sad is also known for being a publishing centre. The most important publishing houses are ''Matica srpska'', ''Stilos'' and ''Prometej''. Well-known journals, in literature and art, include ''Letopis Matice srpske'', the oldest Serbian Journal, ''Polja'', which is issued by the Cultural Center of Novi Sad, Cultural centre of Novi Sad, and ''Zlatna greda'', published by the Association of Writers of Vojvodina.
The city hosts an annual literature conference, Book Talk.
Sports
Founded in 1790, the ''
'City Marksmen Association became the first sporting organization in Novi Sad. A more widespread interest in competitive sports developed after the ''Municipal Association of Physical Culture'' was created in 1959 and when the Spens Sports Center, Spens Sports centre was built in 1981. Today, about 220 sports organizations are active in Novi Sad.
Professional sports in Novi Sad mostly revolve around the SD Vojvodina, Vojvodina multi-sport association. Having won two championships in 1966 and 1989, the FK Vojvodina football club represents the 3rd all-time best team in Serbia, right behind its two Belgrade rivals, Red Star Belgrade, Red Star and FK Partizan, Partizan. With 13 championship titles, OK Vojvodina is the top volleyball team in the country. As for handball, RK Vojvodina has won the national championship on multiple occasions.
Athletes from Novi Sad had the honour of participating in the first 1896 Summer Olympics, Olympic Games in Athens. The largest number of Novi Sad competitors, to participate in the Olympics, was at the Yugoslavia at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta Games. Eleven athletes won 6 medals there. Three also competed at the 1980 Yugoslavia at the 1980 Summer Olympics, Moscow Games, while two participated in the 1976 Yugoslavia at the 1976 Summer Olympics, Montreal Games and the 1956 Yugoslavia at the 1956 Summer Olympics, Melbourne Games.
![2009 European Athletics Junior Championships](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/2009_European_Athletics_Junior_Championships.JPG)
Many national and international competitions are held in the city. Novi Sad played host to the European and World Championships in table tennis in 1981
and the Chess Olympiad, 29th Chess Olympiad in 1990. It also welcomed the European and World Championships in Sambo (martial art), sambo, the Balkan and European Championships in judo, the 1987 final match of the Saporta Cup in European basketball,
and the final tournament of the European volleyball cup.
Furthermore, Novi Sad co-hosted the EuroBasket 2005, 2005 European Basketball Championship, as well as hosting the 2017 Volleyball World League matches.
[https://wkf.net/imagenes/campeonatos/ekf-senior-boletin-53rd-ekf-senior-championships-novi-sad-serbia-may-10-13-001.pdf ] The year 2018 saw the city welcome the Senior European Fencing Championships and the European Senior Karate Championships.
The city also holds traditional sporting events such as the Novi Sad marathon, international swimming competitions and many other events. The very first 'MTB Petrovaradin Fortress Cup' took place in 2018, allowing national and regional cyclists to compete. It is also the first mountain bike competition to be held in Serbia.
Recreation
![Odmaraliste Zmajevac na Fruskoj Gori](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Odmaraliste_Zmajevac_na_Fruskoj_Gori.jpg)
Novi Sad's inhabitants engage in a wide range of recreational and leisure activities. With regards to team sports, Association football, football and basketball have the highest numbers of participants. Cycling is also popular due to the city's flat terrain and the extensive off-road network, found in nearby mountainous
Fruška Gora. Hundreds of commuters cycle the roads, Segregated cycle facilities, bike lanes and bike paths daily.
Proximity to the
Fruška Gora National Park attracts many city dwellers on the weekends. They enjoy the numerous hiking trails, restaurants and monasteries located in and around the mountain area. Occurring on the first weekend of every May, the ''Fruškogorski maraton, Fruška Gora Marathon'' lets hikers, runners and cyclists take advantage of the many hiking trails. During the summer months, citizens from Novi Sad visit Lake Ledinci in Fruška Gora, as well as the numerous beaches situated along the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
, the largest being Štrand in the
Liman neighbourhood. There are also several recreational marinas bordering the river.
Transportation
;Air 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.
;City transport
![Wiki](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Wiki.Vojvodina_III_Transport_in_Novi_Sad_360.jpg)
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 Bulevar, Liberation Boulevard, next to the Novi Sad railway station. In addition, there are numerous taxi companies serving the city.
The city used to have Novi Sad tram system, a tram system, but it was disassembled in 1957.
Rail and road transport
![Novi Sad railway station 2021](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Novi_Sad_railway_station_2021.jpg)
Novi Sad lies on the branch B of the Pan-European Corridor X. The A1 motorway (Serbia), A1 motorway connects the city with Subotica to the north and the capital city of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
to the south. It is concurrent with Budapest–Belgrade railway, Budapest–Belgrade railroad, which connects it to major European cities. Starting from 18.3.2022. year there is a high-speed line between Novi Sad and Belgrade with 18 departures every day. The maximum speed is 200 km/h (train called "SOKO") and the distance from Belgrade to Novi Sad is covered in 36 minutes (75 kilometers). Novi Sad is connected with Zrenjanin and Timișoara on the northeast and Ruma on south with a regional highway; there are long-term plans to upgrade it to a motorway or an expressway, with a tunnel under the
Fruška Gora shortcutting the ''Iriški Venac'' mountain pass.
Three bridges cross the Danube in Novi Sad (as of 2020): Liberty Bridge (Most Slobode) connects
Sremska Kamenica with the city proper.
Varadin Bridge
Varadin Bridge () is a bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Serbia. The bridge was built in 2000, after the previous bridge (Marshal Tito Bridge, renamed Varadin Bridge in 1991) at this location was destroyed during NATO bombardment on 1 April ...
(Varadinski most) and
Žeželj Bridge
Žeželj Bridge ( sr, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, only to be destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. The newl ...
(Žeželjev most), connects Petrovaradin with city centre, and used for railway and heavy truck traffic. The bridges span the Danube-Tisa-Danube canal, running north of the city centre.
;Water transport
![Kanal DTD - panoramio (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Kanal_DTD_-_panoramio_%281%29.jpg)
The Port of Novi Sad is located on the outskirts of the city, on
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
river. Since may 2019. year it is owned by DP WORLD from UAE. With over million tonnes of load turnover, it is the largest cargo port in Serbia.
International relations
Novi Sad has relationships with several Town twinning, twin towns. One of the main streets in its
city centre
A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
is named after Modena in Italy; and likewise Modena has named a park in its town centre Parco di Piazza d'Armi Novi Sad. The River Wensum, Novi Sad Friendship Bridge in Norwich, United Kingdom, by Buro Happold, was also named in honour of Novi Sad. Besides twin cities, Novi Sad has many signed agreements on joint cooperation with other European cities (''see also: Politics of Novi Sad#Twin cities, Politics of Novi Sad'').
Novi Sad is Sister city, twinned with:
* Budva Municipality, Budva, Montenegro
* Changchun, China
* Dortmund, Germany
* Gomel, Belarus
* Ilioupoli, Greece
* Kumanovo Municipality, Kumanovo, North Macedonia
* Modena, Italy
* Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
* Norwich, England, United Kingdom
* Pécs, Hungary
* Timișoara, Romania
* Toluca, Mexico
Novi Sad is an associate member of Eurocities.
See also
*1999 NATO bombing of Novi Sad, NATO bombing of Novi Sad in 1999
*Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinical centre of Vojvodina
*Festival of Street Musicians
*List of cities, towns and villages in Serbia (A-M), List of places in Serbia
*List of cities, towns and villages in Vojvodina
*List of people from Novi Sad
*Novi Sad Fair
*South Bačka District
References
Bibliography
*Boško Petrović – Živan Milisavac, ''Novi Sad – monografija'', Novi Sad, 1987
*Milorad Grujić, ''Vodič kroz Novi Sad i okolinu'', Novi Sad, 2004
*Jovan Mirosavljević, ''Brevijar ulica Novog Sada 1745–2001'', Novi Sad, 2002
*Jovan Mirosavljević, ''Novi Sad – atlas ulica'', Novi Sad, 1998
*Mirjana Džepina, ''Društveni i zabavni život starih Novosađana'', Novi Sad, 1982
*Zoran Rapajić, ''Novi Sad bez tajni'', Beograd, 2002
*Đorđe Randelj, ''Novi Sad – slobodan grad'', Novi Sad, 1997
*''Enciklopedija Novog Sada'', sveske 1–26, Novi Sad, 1993–2005
*Radenko Gajić, ''Petrovaradinska tvrđava – Gibraltar na Dunavu'', Novi Sad, 1994
*Veljko Milković, ''Petrovaradin kroz legendu i stvarnost'', Novi Sad, 2001
*Veljko Milković, ''Petrovaradin i Srem – misterija prošlosti'', Novi Sad, 2003
*Veljko Milković, ''Petrovaradinska tvrđava – podzemlje i nadzemlje'', Novi Sad, 2005
*Veljko Milković, ''Petrovaradinska tvrđava – kosmički lavirint otkrića'', Novi Sad, 2007
*Agneš Ozer, ''Petrovaradinska tvrđava – vodič kroz vreme i prostor'', Novi Sad, 2002
*Agneš Ozer, ''Petrovaradin fortress – a guide through time and space'', Novi Sad, 2002
*''30 godina mesne zajednice "7. Juli" u Novom Sadu 1974–2004 – monografija'', Novi Sad, 2004
*Branko Ćurčin, ''Slana Bara – nekad i sad'', Novi Sad, 2002
*Branko Ćurčin, ''Novosadsko naselje Šangaj – nekad i sad'', Novi Sad, 2004
*Zvonimir Golubović, ''Racija u Južnoj Bačkoj 1942. godine'', Novi Sad, 1991
*Petar Jonović, ''Knjižare Novog Sada 1790–1990'', Novi Sad, 1990
*Petar Jonović – Dr Milan Vranić – Dr Dušan Popov, ''Znameniti knjižari i izdavači Novog Sada'', Novi Sad, 1993
*''Ustav za čitaonicu srpsku u Novom Sadu'', Novi Sad, 1993
*''Sveske za istoriju Novog Sada'', sveske 4–5, Novi Sad, 1993–1994
External links
*
Novi Sad– Official website
City assembly – Official website
{{Authority control
Novi Sad,
Populated places established in 1694
Populated places in Vojvodina
Places in Bačka
Municipalities and cities of Vojvodina
Populated places on the Danube
Port cities in Serbia
South Bačka District
1694 establishments in Europe