Visiting these places is a must when walking the streets of Novi Sad. For those in the capital of Vojvodina for the first time, exploring the attractions is the best way of getting to know the rich culture, turbulent history and breezy lifestyle of the city. For those who like to come back to Novi Sad often, it’s always a good idea to revisit the places, since there are always new details, stories and experiences to discover.
1. Liberty Square
This square is the start point for both tourists and locals. This is where you usually agree to meet your friends or take a quick break from exploring the city centre. The heart of the square belongs to a monument dedicated to a famous politician and mayor of the city, Svetozar Miletić (1826 – 1901). Behind the monument is the City Hall, founded in 1895, while in front of the monument there is a famous church, the ‘Name of Mary Church’, better known as ‘cathedral’ amongst the locals. Both the City Hall and the cathedral were designed by the eminent architect Đerđ Molnar.
2. Petrovaradin Fortress
As soon as you cross the bridge you will find yourself in the place that has been inhabited since the ancient history, namely by the Celts, Romans, French and Turks. It owns the looks of its architecture to the Austrian Empire. They were building the fortress for 88 years – until the 1780. It covers 110 hectares of ground, and is one of the biggest, preserved fortresses in Europe. The City Museum of Novi Sad, Archive of Novi Sad, art studios and galleries, Academy of Arts and Novi Sad Astronomical Observatory all can be found in the Petrovaradin Fortress. The most distinctive and famous part of the fortress, which became the symbol of Novi Sad as well, is the Clock Tower. When visiting the Clock Tower, bear in mind that the hands of the clock are reversed.
3. Serbian National Theatre
With an area of 20.000 square meters, Serbian National Theatre (SNP) is one of the biggest constructions in Novi Sad. Founded in 1891, it’s the oldest theatre in Serbia. It has three scenes – drama, opera and ballet.
4. Dunavska Street and Danube Park
Walking down the oldest street in Novi Sad, you will find the City Library, Museum of Vojvodina and Museum of Contemporary Art. Don’t forget to check out an oasis of peace and greenery right in the city centre – the Danube Park. It has a small lake and an isle called Eržebet, named after the assassinated Austrian empress, with a willow tree on the isle as a memorial.
5. Mileva Marić-Einstein house
For one period of her life, a legendary mathematician and a physicist Mileva Marić, lived in Novi Sad in a house near the city centre, with her husband Albert Einstein. Not far from her house there is Nikolajevska Church, the oldest church in Novi Sad, in which Mileva and Albert had their sons Eduard and Albert baptised in 1913. The house was restored a couple of years ago and are now planning to turn it into a museum in the future.
6. Novi Sad Synagogue
Walking down Jevrejska street, this monumental construction with the golden inscription in Hebrew at the entrance that reads ‘Let this house be a house of prayer for all nations’, will definitely grab your attention. Designed by the architect Lipót Baumhorn and built in the period between 1906 and 1909, this is one of the four synagogues in Serbia. Today, concerts of classical music are being held in the synagogue, whose impressive acoustics makes this construction the ideal place for enjoying such cultural events.
7. Matica Srpska
Besides its magnificent architecture, the building of Matica Srpska in the Matica Srpska street, is of great cultural, historical and educational importance and value, making the citizens of Novi Sad very proud to own such an institution. When Matica Srpska was moved from Pest to Novi Sad in 1864, it became the symbol of civil society, culture and enlightenment, and this exactly is the reason they call Novi Sad the ‘Serbian Athens.’ Matica Srpska is the oldest Serbian literary, cultural and scientific institution, with a library that contains more than 3,5 books. The building is endowment of Marija Trandafil, the greatest benefactor of Novi Sad.
8. The Almaš Neighbourhood
Matica Srpska is located in the Almaš neighbourhood – part of the city proclaimed a protected cultural-historical area. The reason for this is the authentic architecture and history of the oldest part of Novi Sad. Around 300 years ago, locals of the village Almaš lived in this part of the city. It was the beginning of the beautiful architecture of Novi Sad. Let yourself get lost in the meandering streets of this neighbourhood and experience the old charm of the city.
9. The Raid Victims
The central part of the quay by the Danube is the monument to the Victims of the Raid and the Second World War, built in remembrance of one of the most tragic events in the history of the city. In the ’January Raid’ which began in the 1942, fascist occupiers executed over a thousand people, whose names have been engraved on the plates of the monument. The author of the monument (1971) is a sculptor Jovan Soldatović.
10. The Gallery Square
Matica Srpska Gallery, Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection and the Endowment Collection of Rajko Mamuzić are three outstanding institutions of fine arts in one place. There, you will find excellent, both permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as other cultural contents and events. There is no doubt that you will be amazed by the architecture of the whole place.
Foto: Vladimir Veličković
