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Novi Sad

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia.

CityNoviSad-map01
CityNoviSad-map01

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
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016

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
Фрушка Гора, Лединачко језеро, зима

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
Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s

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
Casque orné 4ème siècle Musée Novi Sad Colisée Rome Italie

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
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016

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
Petrovaradin Fortress - 1920s

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)
Kaiserin Maria Theresia (HRR)

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
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad, Serbia 14.09.2016

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
Dunavska ulica NS

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
Serbian National Theatre, January 2022

In 2023, it became a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.

Zgrada MS (2)
Zgrada MS (2)

The city remains a lively and significant part of the region.

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🖼️ 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

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