#Bishop’s Palace Novi Sad | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lemmeg0 · 7 years

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Novi Sad, Serbia

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia after Belgrade, famous for its Exit festival. It is on the banks of the Danube River and is absolutely gorgeous to the point that if there were such competition as being the most beautiful city in Serbia, it would give a very healthy competition to Belgrade. Being only 58 miles/94 Km from Belgrade, it makes a perfect day trip from Belgrade, though spending a night or two would be good too.

The city center of Novi Sad

History of Novi Sad

Novi Sad was founded in 1694 by Serb merchants across the Danube from the Petrovaradin fortress, during the reign of Habsburg empire as people of Orthodox faith were forbidden in Petrovaradin. So, they had to come up with something to survive and hence they found Novi Sad. During 18th and 19th century, Novi Sad was the largest city with ethnic serbs population in the world. During the revolution of 1848-1849, Hungarian army destroyed Novi Sad to a great extent leading to decrease in the population of Serbs and increase in the population of Hungarians. After WW1, when Austro-Hungarian empire ended, the city was taken by the Serb National Board and the Serb Safeguard. There was destruction of the city during the WW2 and people lost their lives fighting the Axis power. More recently, due to the bombardment by NATO during the Kosovo war of 1999, once again the city had to suffer. Nevertheless, right now Novi Sad is a happening city which is also 2019’s European Youth Capital.

How to reach Novi Sad from Belgrade

You can easily reach Novi Sad from Belgrade and vice versa. It takes about 1.5 hours by bus to reach. We took a bus leaving at 11 AM from Belgrade bus station, which is close to the city center. We bought our tickets from inside the bus station easily. Make sure you bring cash as they don’t accept credit card. There is an ATM on the other side of the bus station. You can find the schedule of buses leaving to and from Novi Sad here. You don’t have to worry if you miss your bus because there are buses every 15 minutes and it costs about 450-500 dinar one way.

You can also reach Novi Sad by train (train station is close to bus station) though I have heard trains usually run late in Serbia, but one advantage is it would cost you almost half than bus. You can find the schedule of trains here. It takes 1.5-2 hours by train to reach if train is not late.

If you decide to drive, it would take you only about an hour to reach Novi Sad.

Novi Sad bus/railway station is not super close to the old town. We walked and it took us about half an hour to reach and since we love walking, we were fine. In case, you are not up for walking, you can take bus number 3/4/11.

Attractions in Novi Sad

1. Trg Slobode (Liberty Square) or Old Town Square

If you are in Novi Sad for the first time, this is where you should start from. Trg Slobode is the Old Town square built in the 18th century This square is just so lovely and full of people. It is a common gathering point for locals, and concerts are held here too. You can always find someone taking pictures in the square because it is so goddamn beautiful.

Trg Slobode (Liberty Square) or Old Town Square

Right in the middle you see the statue of Svetozar Miletić in bronze by Ivan Meštrović, who was Croatia’s or you can say ex Yugoslavia’s most renowned sculptor. Svetozar Miletić was a lawyer and mayor of Novi Sad and one of the most influential Serbians.

The monument to Svetozar Miletić. Sorry my picture is not clear as it was too much sun that day.

Behind the statue of Svetozar Miletić, there is a neo-Renaissance building of city hall built in 1894.Right now, it is the head office of the mayor and city council.

The City Hall of Novi Sad

2. Old Town

In the vicinity of the Old Town Square, you find the vibrant Old Town of Novi Sad, beaming up with cafes, restaurants, clothing stores, souvenir shops, and of course tons of people talking, gossiping, laughing, taking pictures, eating, etc.

Zmaj Jovina street, one of the oldest streets in Novi Sad

Zmaj Jovina street extends from Liberty Square to the bishop's palace. At the end of the street, there is a monument of Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj, who was famous for poems for children.

Monument of Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj

Turning right at the statue of Jovan Zmaj, you reach the Dunavska Street, which is the oldest street in Novi Sad, which leads to the Dunavski/Danube Park.

3. Dunavski Park/Danube Park

Dunavski Park is the oldest and most beautiful park in Novi Sad. It was built on swamp which was always flooded by Danube river and that’s how it got its name.

Danube park

When we visited, which was in March, it was crowded with locals. We saw a lot of kids with their parents and also many young couples walking hands in hands or just sitting down.

Monument of Đuri Jakšiću at Dunavski Park

Monument of Miroslav Antić at Dunavski Park

The star attraction of the old town of Novi Sad is a Roman catholic parish church called The Name of Mary Church. It is built in a typical Hungarian style. It is really tall and the architecture in neo-gothic. There are a lot of beautiful stained glasses depicting saints and holy fathers.

The Name of Mary Church

Interior of the church

4. Hotel Vojvodina

Hotel Vojvodina was built in 1854 for the owner Johan Eigler. It was earlier called Empress Elizabeth after the name of the wife of the Austrian emperor Franc Joseph. More than 60 meters in length, it has the longest facade in the old town.

Hotel Vojvodina

5. Petrovaradin Fortress

Petrovaradin Fortress, which is inscribed on the UNESCO patrimony list is only half an hour walk from the city center of Novi Sad and let me tell you don’t let the distance prevent you from visiting it. On foot, you cross the bridge and the Danube river to reach. If you do not want to walk, you can take either bus # 3 or 9, which connects the centre and the Petrovaradin Fortress, on the right bank of the Danube.

Petrovaradin Fortress from one of the bridges in Novi Sad

Petrovaradin Fortress also known as the “Gibraltar of the Danube” is one of the most preserved fortresses. It was built by the Austrians. The construction started in 1692 and it took only 88 years to finish it. It extends to more than 110 hectares.

There are a lot of green areas in and around the fortress

If you wanna explore the whole fortress leisurely, it will take you atleast 2 hours. There are some cafes and restaurants inside and we saw locals relaxing and eating. Heard food is good but pricey.

The clock tower on balcony

The view of Novi Sad over the Danube river is excellent. It's also a place where the big Exit festival is held every year.

The view from the fortress

We took the bus back to Belgrade at 4 PM and made it by 5:30. Novi Sad should definitely be on your list if you visit Serbia. It is so convenient to reach from Belgrade and there are tons of things to do here and even if you don’t wanna do anything, you can just sit either at the Old Town Square or the Danube park or the fortress and have fun.

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