Novi Sad Things to Do Tips by mikey_e

The Synagogue Centre Review

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Turkish power in the Balkans began to wane and the Ottomans, who had been at the gates of Vienna in the 16th century, were gradually pushed farther south, away from Hungary and what is now Vojvodina. The result was that the northern part of modern-day Serbia fell under the rule of the Hapsburg (and then Austro-Hungarian) Empire. In this region, of which Novi Sad was the largest city, Austrian cultural, political, economic and legal influence was strong, and the city began to take on a greater and greater Hapsburg feel. Peoples from all over the Empire began to migrate into the city, including Ashkenazi Jews, who came as commercial travelers and gradually established a community. The current synagogue, which is located close to Trg osvobodenja, is the fifth such building to be erected on that site since the 1700s, and was constructed in 1905-1909. It was built by a Hungarian architect and has clear influences from Central European architecture (unlike the Budapest synagogue, which has clear Moorish influences). There was once a thriving community centred on this building, but many of the Jews of Novi Sad were killed in the Holocaust and thus the full complex (school and cultural buildings) have fallen into a bit of disuse. Nevertheless, there are occasional cultural exhibitions here. There is also a plaque commemorating those who died as part of the Final Solution, located on the front of the Synagogue’s façade.

Address: ulica Jevrejska, 41

Directions: Old town

Matica Srpska Centre Review

Matica Srpska is a fairly important building, not just because of its architecture (actually, it is rather unassuming, despite the neo-Classical façade of the building) but because of its role in helping to standardize and formalize the movement for the renewal and renaissance of the Serbian language and culture. The institution was founded in 1826 in Budapest (which was the original centre of Serbian culture during the later years of Turkish occupation) and moved to Novi Sad in 1864. The Matica Srpska (which means Serbian Queen bee) acts very much like the Académie française, issuing rulings on the legitimacy of various forms in the Serbian language and trying to provide a sense of unity and standardize to a language that, at times, appears to be splitting along political lines. After WWII, when the Socialists attempted to encourage even greater unity between the various stokavian peoples, the Matica also addressed questions relating to the Croatian language and the Serbo-Croatian language, but in the 1960s the Matica hrvatska broke off, leaving this institution to be the centre of Serbian language. It helps to carry on a tradition of Novi Sad as being the Serbian cultural capital (the so called Serbian Athens) and, despite the thriving arts and culture scene of Belgrade, it still manages to help Novi Sad maintain its attraction for things literary and artistic.

Address: Ulica Matica srpska, 1

Directions: Old town

Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj Gymnasium Centre Review

The Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj Gymnasium is the oldest school in all of Novi Sad, and was built in 1810 thanks to the donation provided by a wealthy merchant from Novi Sad. The school still functions as an educational institution, which is why you are not allowed to enter it and take pictures – nevertheless, you can still take a few good shots of the building from the streets surrounding it. It has great neo-Renaissance architecture, and helps to complete the “Imperial” feel that Novi Sad undoubtedly got from its long integration in the Hapsburg and Austro-Hungarian Empires. The school has produce many notable Serbs, including Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj himself, a poet.

Directions: Old town

Ruthenian Greek Orthodox Church Centre Review

The Rusyns or Ruthenians (depending on the source and the time period of the document, spelling changes) are a little-known Slavic people who live throughout Central-Eastern Europe. Some claim that they are simply Ukrainians who live outside of Ukraine and who have remained faithful to the Orthodox faith, while the Ruthenians themselves dispute this and identify as being separate from the Ukrainian nation. In Novi Sad, the Ruthenians have a beautiful church that is unfortunately not open to the public – that is, you can’t go inside, but you are able to take pictures of the icons painted on the exterior of the building. The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is a small affair, constructed between 1820 and 1847. The icons were painted by a Budapest professor of art and represent the two Apostles (on either sides of the door) and Jesus Christ above the entrance. The Church services a community of about 3000 people (2500 Rusyns and 500 Ukrainians) who are so-called Uniates, as they mix elements of Catholic and Orthodox belief and rites.

Address: Pansiceva ulica

Directions: Old town

Slovak Luthern Church Centre Review

One of the smaller minorities in Novi Sad is the Slovaks, who probably migrated during the time of the Hapsburg Empire and established themselves in the city. The reformed churches (Lutherans, Calvinists, and Protestants of various kinds) aren’t very popular in the northern Balkans – at least not nearly as popular as they were in Central and Northern Europe – probably because of the longstanding theological disputes that existed between Orthodox and Catholics. Nevertheless, some of the Slovaks that migrated professed the faith of Luther, and as a result there is now a Slovak Lutheran Church in the Old Town of Novi Sad. I believe that the Slovak Church is fairly old – at least from the 19th century. Like many Protestant place of worship, it is a fairly plain affair; after all, Luther railed against the extravagant trappings of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a good look at the Church or go inside – they were paving the street in front of it, and the smell of the tar in 30 degree heat was not conducive to sightseeing.

Directions: Old town

Nikolajevska Crkva Centre Review

Nikolajevska Crkva or St. Nicholas’ Church is an old and very beautiful place of worship tucked into the lesser visited streets north of Trg slobode. It is the smallest church in Novi Sad that is of the Orthodox faith, and it was constructed in the 18th century, but was completely destroyed in the riots that followed the 1848 Revolution and was used as a military storehouse up to 1854. The church was rebuilt thanks to the good works of wealthy Novi Sad residents, and its style was influenced by the royal copulas of Kiev. Around the middle of the 19th century the church was favoured by Greek and Romani faithful. Its most famous parishioners, however, were the sons of Albert Einstein, whose first wife was a Serb. Her father insisted that his grandchildren be baptized in this church, which they were, in 1913. The church itself is rather plain, with a simple iconostasis, but its isolation and the tranquility of the garden around it make it quite a draw for anyone who has had enough of the constant construction in Novi Sad.

Address: Pansiceva ulica

Directions: Old town

Dunavski Park Parks Review

Dunavski Park, or Danube Park, is, ironically, not on the Danube River. It is, however, near to the river, which is likely how it got its name. The Park is one of those typical Austro-Hungarian places of leisure, with manicured lawns, a large gazebo, several statues and benches and a fountain that crowns the centre of the park. The greenery was a bit limp and unappealing when I was there – the fault of a persistent lack of rain – but it was still quite pretty and I can imagine that, in the spring, it must be a beautiful place to spend time. The pond in the centre of the park has turtles, which I’m sure will be a treat for any children you’re traveling with, and there are various birds to add to the fun. The statues are the standard bronze statues that East European urban planners seem to love.

Directions: Off of Zmaj Jovina, in front of the Museum of Vojvodina

Univerzitet u Novom Sadu Liman Review

What Novi Sad lacks in, say, large expanses of interesting architecture or captivating museums, it makes up in the production of thought and intellectual culture. Once known as the Serbian Athens, it should be no surprise that the city that is home to the body governing Serbian language and official culture is also home to a fairly large University. I happened to stumble upon the University while I was trying to make my way back to the main centre from the seedier suburbs, and it really does feel more like a typical American campus – cut off from the city, a green oasis of culture and learning in a sea of apartment blocks – than the traditional European set-up where the university is crammed into the urban setting. The University Park, which is in Liman and quite close to the Danube, holds seven of the University’s 9 faculties. The rather ugly, modern buildings are not the aftermath of destruction during the Second World War or the NATO bombing campaign – this university was founded and built in the 1960s, which is why, unlike Belgrade University, it lacks the sort of old-world academic feel one would expect from the University of Novi Sad. Nevertheless, it is rather fun to visit, with all the students running around with their books – just don’t expect any great architectural sights.

Address: Trg Dosteja Obradovica

Directions: Near the Danube, south of Cara Lazara

Museum of Vojvodina Centre Review

I don’t think I need to explain my dislike of ethnographic museums to those people who read my tips. I won’t go through the same explanation again on this one, although I will limit myself to saying that the Novi Sad Museum of Vojvodina was perhaps the best example of what I consider to be the worst type of ethnographic museum. Unfortunately, it is one of the only museums in all of Novi Sad, so it was either seeing this or seeing nothing. The institution is in a pretty building on the edge of the historic centre of town, right across from the municipal park. It is pretty standard in its collection: going from pre-history to the creation of Yugoslavia in 1918, it tracks the history of the peoples who have inhabited this part of the world in excruciating detail. Unfortunately, much of the material is actually in Serbian, so unless you have a good grasp of the language it will remain largely a mystery to you. The museum is packed with everything from rock shards to pottery fragments, cloth samples, hut recreations, icons, carvings, royal seals, books, maps, coins, arms and a few carriages. And of course, lots and lots of costumes from the various peoples of Vojvodina. A smaller collection would probably have been a lot more interesting, especially with greater emphasis on the multi-ethnic nature of the region. Unfortunately, the goal of the museum appears to have been documentation instead of education, which means that unless something was blatantly obvious to the visitor, it usually passed right over his head. That shouldn’t discourage you from visiting – again, there aren’t many other formal attractions of the museum or art gallery kind here, and even an imperfect understanding of the region is better than no understanding.

Address: Dunavska, 35

Directions: Old town, right across from the main park and near the Serbian Orthodox Church

Zmaj Jovina Street Zmaj Jovina Street Review

Zmaj Jovina is one of the main streets in the Old City and is a very fun, chic place to spend time. The street is lined with various cafés and boutiques, and looks much more like a typical Italian town than the cracked pavements and depressing apartment blocks on the outskirts of the old town lead you to believe. The street is named for the poet Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj and its most important building is, without a doubt, at the very end of the street – the Bishop’s Palace (Vladichevski Dvor).

Address: Zmaj Jovina

Directions: In the centre of the city