Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
🗺️

Novi Sad

geography Maturity 11-13

Novi Sad is a big city.

CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
It sits by a river. The river is the Danube. It is in a place called Serbia.
Novi Sad, Serbia - panoramio (1).jpg
Novi Sad, Serbia - panoramio (1).jpg
The city is very old. Many people live there. Do you want to see it?

45 words

Novi Sad is a big city in Serbia.

CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
It sits on the banks of the Danube river. The city is near a place called Fruška Gora.
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg

People lived in this area a long time ago. Some lived there during the Stone Age.

Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Later, the Romans lived there too.

In 1694, people started the city we know today. They built it across from a big fort. This fort is called Petrovaradin.

Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg

The name Novi Sad means "new plantation." It is a very important place for trade. It is also a place for art.

Many people live in the city and near it. It is a busy and lively place to visit.

132 words

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia.

CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
It sits on the banks of the Danube river. The city is in a flat area called the Pannonian Plain. It is near the hills of Fruška Gora.
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg

People have lived here for a very long time. Some lived here during the Stone Age.

Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Later, the Romans lived in the area. They even built a large fort called Cusum.

The city we know today began in 1694. Serb merchants built it across the river from a big fort. That fort is called Petrovaradin.

Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
The name Novi Sad means "new plantation."

The city has a rich history. It was once a center for culture and art. People even called it the "Serbian Athens." Today, it is a big center for business and industry. It is also a place for media arts. Many people live in the city and its nearby towns. It is a busy and important part of Serbia.

180 words

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia.

CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
It sits in the southern part of the Pannonian Plain. The city lies right on the banks of the Danube river. It faces the northern slopes of the Fruška Gora hills.
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg
This city is the fifth largest on the Danube river. It is also the largest city on the river that is not a national capital.

People have lived in this area for a very long time. Some traces of life go back to the Stone Age.

Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Later, Celtic tribes lived here and built a fortress. The Romans also ruled the region in the 1st century BC. They built a large fort called Cusum.
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Later, the Byzantines rebuilt the town and called it Petrikon. Slavic tribes like the Serbs settled the land around the 6th and 7th centuries.

The city we know today was founded in 1694. Serb merchants started a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin Fortress. This fortress was a strong military post for the Habsburgs.

Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
The name Novi Sad means "new plantation" in Serbian. In Latin, the city was called Neoplanta. It became a free royal city in 1748.
Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
This helped the city grow into a major center for trade and culture.

Novi Sad has a very busy and changing history. It was once called the "Serbian Athens" because of its culture. The city was heavily damaged during the Revolution of 1848. After that, the people worked hard to rebuild and restore it. In the 1800s, the city had many different groups of people. By 1843, there were 17,332 people living there. Today, the city and its nearby towns have over 372,000 people.

Kule na Limanu.JPG
Kule na Limanu.JPG

Today, Novi Sad is a very important place for Serbia. It is a center for industry and money.

Dunavska ulica NS.JPG
Dunavska ulica NS.JPG
The city is also known for arts and special events. It was the European Youth Capital in 2019. It was also a European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Serbian National Theatre, January 2022.jpg
Serbian National Theatre, January 2022.jpg
In 2023, it became a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
Zgrada MS (2).jpg
Zgrada MS (2).jpg
It remains a lively place where many people live and work.

402 words

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia.

CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
It serves as the administrative center for the autonomous province of Vojvodina. The city sits in the southern part of the Pannonian Plain. It lies on the border of the Bačka and Syrmia geographical regions.
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
The city is located on the banks of the Danube river. It faces the northern slopes of the Fruška Gora hills.
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима.jpg
Novi Sad is the fifth largest city on the Danube. It is the largest city on this river that is not a national capital.

The name Novi Sad means "new plantation" in Serbian. Its Latin name is Neoplanta. In German, the city was historically called Neusatz. The city-level administrative unit includes several distinct areas. It covers Novi Sad proper on the left bank of the Danube. It also includes the towns of Sremska Kamenica and Petrovaradin on the right bank.

Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
The urban area also includes extensive suburbs on the left bank. The city proper has a population of 260,438 people. The contiguous urban area has 325,511 inhabitants. The total population of the administrative area is 372,136 people.

Human habitation in this territory dates back to the Stone Age. Several settlements from 5000 BC were found during construction work.

Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Celtic tribes, such as the Scordisci, lived here in the 4th century BC. They built the first fortress on the right bank of the Danube. The Romans conquered the region in the 1st century BC. They built a large fortress named Cusum.
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
The Huns devastated Cusum in the 5th century. The Byzantines later rebuilt the town and named it Petrikon. Slavic tribes, including the Serbs, settled the region during the 6th and 7th centuries.

In the Middle Ages, many groups controlled the area. These included the Ostrogoths, Avars, and Franks. The region was part of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 until the 16th century. Hungarian settlers arrived during this period. The Ottoman invasion in the 16th century changed the region again. Between 1526 and 1687, the area was under Ottoman rule. By 1590, the villages in this territory had only 105 houses. These houses were inhabited exclusively by Serbs.

The modern city was founded in 1694. Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin Fortress. This fortress was a strategic Habsburg military post.

Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
The Habsburgs prohibited Orthodox Christians from settling in Petrovaradin. This policy pushed Serbs to build a new settlement on the left bank. This new settlement was called the "Serb city." In 1748, Maria Theresa proclaimed Novi Sad a free royal city.
Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
This status helped the city grow into a major trading and cultural center.

Novi Sad became a vital cultural center for Serbs. It was often called the "Serbian Athens." This was because it was a political center for Serbs without a national state. The city faced great hardship during the Revolution of 1848. A Hungarian garrison bombarded the city from the Petrovaradin Fortress.

Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
The city was heavily devastated and lost much of its population. In 1843, the population was 17,332 people. By 1850, only 7,182 citizens remained after the conflict. The city was later rebuilt and restored.

Today, Novi Sad is a major industrial and financial center. It is very important to the Serbian economy.

Dunavska ulica NS.JPG
Dunavska ulica NS.JPG
The city is also recognized for its many cultural honors. It served as the European Youth Capital in 2019. It was the European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Serbian National Theatre, January 2022.jpg
Serbian National Theatre, January 2022.jpg
In 2023, it became a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
Zgrada MS (2).jpg
Zgrada MS (2).jpg
The city remains a lively and significant part of the region.

643 words
🖼️ Images & Media (24)
File:Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie.jpg
Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad...
File:Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR).jpg
File:Donau-Ansichten- Ungarn. Stadt Neusatz (cropped).jpg
Donau-Ansichten- Ungarn. Stadt Neusatz...
File:Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s.jpg
File:Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016.jpg
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia...
File:Tw30NoviSad.jpg
Tw30NoviSad.jpg
File:Spomenik žrtvama racije - panoramio (1).jpg
Spomenik žrtvama racije - panoramio (1).jpg
File:Kule na Limanu.JPG
Kule na Limanu.JPG
File:Dunavska ulica NS.JPG
Dunavska ulica NS.JPG
File:20230429.Ansichten in Novi Sad.-046.16.jpg
20230429.Ansichten in Novi Sad.-046.16.jpg
File:Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, 05 11 2023.jpg
Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, 05 11 2023.jpg
File:CityNoviSad-map01.PNG
CityNoviSad-map01.PNG

+ 12 more

Up Next
🗺️
Vojvodina
Geography
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.