Petrovaradin Fortress ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Петроварадинска тврђава, Petrovaradinska tvrđava, ; ), nicknamed "
Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
on/of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
", is a
bastion fortress
A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, meaning 'Italian outline') is a fortification in a style developed during the early modern period in response to the ascendancy of gunpowder weapons such as c ...
in the town of
Petrovaradin, itself part of the City of
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. 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 over of preserved underground corridors and
countermine system.
In 1991 Petrovaradin Fortress was added to
Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Great Importance list of the Republic of Serbia.
History

Recent archeological discoveries have offered a new perspective not only on the history of Petrovaradin, but on the entire region. At the upper fortress, the remains of an earlier
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...
settlement dating from 19,000 to 15,000 BC has been discovered. With this new development it has been established that there has been a continuous settlement at this site from the Paleolithic age to the present. During the excavations carried out in 2005, archeologists also discovered another significant find. Examining remains from the early
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
(c. 3000 BC), ramparts were discovered which testify that already at that time a fortified settlement existed at the Petrovaradin site.
The first larger fortifications were created with the arrival of the Romans who built the fortress (Cusum) which was a part of the fortified borders (
limes) along the Danube.
The turning point in the history of the area came in 1235 AD when
King Béla IV of Hungary brought a group of the Order of
Cistercians
The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
from France. This order of monks built the monastery Bélakút upon the remains of the Roman fortress of Cusum. The walls of this monastery were built between 1247 and 1252 and represent the fortifications at this site during the Middle Ages.
The fortress was strengthened due to the threat of Ottoman invasion. However the fortress fell after a two-week siege in 1526.
Austrian-Turkish wars

The Austrian Army captured Petrovaradin after 150 years of Turkish control during the
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...
in 1687. The Austrians began to tear down the old fortress and build new fortifications according to contemporary standards.
In 1692, the
Hofkriegsrath ordered engineers to Petrovaradin to investigate the area in order to build a new fortress. Count
Keysersfeld received both financial and personnel support.
The first plans for the fortress were designed by the engineer Colonel Count
Mathias Keyserfeld and afterwards by Count
Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli
Count (nobility), Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (or Marsigli, ; 10 July 1658 – 1 November 1730) was an Italian scholar and natural scientist, who also served as an emissary and soldier.
Biography
Born in Bologna, he was a member of an an ...
(1659–1730). The works in the field were also led by the engineer Colonel
Michael Wamberg who died in 1703 and was buried in the church of the
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
monastery which today serves as part of the present-day military hospital.

On September 9, 1694, the
Grand Vizier
Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...
Sürmeli Ali Pasha arrived at Petrovaradin Fortress from
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. A siege of 23 days was laid on, however poor weather conditions in October forced the Turkish forces to retreat towards Belgrade with their task left unfinished.
The victory of the Austrians under the command of
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene Francis of Savoy-Carignano (18 October 1663 – 21 April 1736), better known as Prince Eugene, was a distinguished Generalfeldmarschall, field marshal in the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty durin ...
at
Senta
Senta ( sr-cyrl, Сента, ; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Zenta'', ; Romanian language, Romanian: ''Zenta'') is a town and municipality located in Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the bank of the Tisza, Tisa river in the geographical ...
on September 11, 1697 resulted in creating the conditions for the conclusion of the peace at
Karlowitz in 1699.
A new war with the Turks was imminent. The Austrian lack of interest in war, plus the war reparations suggested by the Austrians to the Turks in the interest of the
Venetian
Republic
A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
all served as reasons for the renewal of Turkish aggression towards Austria. In order to prepare for the upcoming battle, Prince Eugene ordered the concentration of Austrian troops around
Futog under the temporary command of Count
Johann Pálffy. The prince arrived personally on July 9. The entire Austrian army numbered 76,000 troops. In the meantime, the Turkish army concentrated 150,000 troops at Belgrade.
The decisive battle between the Austrian and Turkish armies took place on August 5, 1716, at Petrovaradin. The Austrians were led by Prince Eugene and the Turks were under the command of Grand Vizier
Silahdar Damat Ali Pasha. The victory of the Austrian army signalled the end of the Turkish threat to
Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
.
Further works

New plans were developed in 1751 and major works began in 1753 and lasted until 1776. When these works were under way, engineer Major
Albrecht Heinrich Schroeder proposed a branched system of anti-mine tunnels to the
High Military Council in early 1764. In March of the same year the plan was approved, but their construction was delayed for a number of years. During his visit to the Petrovaradin Fortress in May, 1768, Emperor
Joseph II observed a military exercise with mine equipment carried out in his honor. The construction of this system of tunnels, having four levels, was completed in 1776 and the total length of the system was .
In the 19th and 20th centuries
After the completion of the Petrovaradin Fortress, there was never any further threat from Turkish forces. The last offensive military role the fortress was to play was during the Hungarian Revolution in 1849, when Austrian troops tried to force the Fortress to surrender after a blockade. The answer came in the form of the shelling of Novi Sad on June 12, when two-thirds of the city was destroyed.
During the following period, the fortress served as a military barracks and storage facility. Following
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Petrovaradin became a part of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...
(later known as
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
).
During these years, the old fortresses at Belgrade,
Osijek
Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
,
Karlovac
Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377.
Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...
and
Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod (, ), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod is the 7th lar ...
which were built in the 17th century were razed because they had lost their military significance. The engineer Colonel Dragoš Đelošević, who was responsible for the destruction of the fortresses, regarded Petrovaradin far too beautiful to suffer the fate of the other fortresses and spared it.
Clock tower
The minute and hour hands on the clock tower are reversed, with the small hand showing minutes, and the big hand showing hours. It was created as such so that fishermen on the Danube river can see the time from a long distance. The "reversed clock" as it is known, is one of the landmarks of Petrovaradin fortress.
EXIT festival
EXIT festival is an annual summer music festival that has been held at the fortress since its inception in 2001. Since then, it has grown from the biggest festival in South-Eastern Europe, to one of the biggest in Europe.
See also
*
Tourism in Serbia
Tourism in Serbia is officially recognized as a primary area for economic and social growth. The hotel and catering sector accounted for approximately 2.2% of GDP in 2015. Tourism in Serbia employs some 120 000 people, about 4.5% of the countr ...
*
List of fortresses in Serbia
Notes
References
* Petrovaradin, Enciklopedija Novog Sada, knjiga 20, Novi Sad, 2002
* Henderson, Nicholas. ''Prince Eugene of Savoy''. Phoenix Press. 2002
* Zvonimir Vuković, Igor Novaković, Petrovaradin juče, danas, сутра; Novi Sad, 2005
* Marko Kljajić, Sveti Juraj u Petrovaradinu, Petrovaradin, 2004.
* Stari Novi Sad I, Književna zajednica Novog Sada, Novi Sad, 1991.
* Živko Marković, Novi Sad i Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, 1984.
* "Kulturno-privredni pregled Dunavske banovine" br. 5 i 6, Novi Sad, 1939.
External links
Petrovaradin Fortress 360Virtual TourNovi Sad Interactive Map (included Petrovaradin Fortress)Official Site
{{Authority control
Forts in Serbia
Buildings and structures in Novi Sad
Tourism in Novi Sad
Syrmia
Archaeological sites in Serbia
Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Great Importance
Architecture in Serbia