Novi Sad

We docked in Novi Sad last night – we are now in Serbia, the fifth in our tour of seven countries.

Serbia is a landlocked country in southeast and central Europe. It shares land borders with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Serbia has about 6.6 million inhabitants. Its capital Belgrade is also the largest city. Like Croatia, it has had and continues to have a turbulent history. In the early 19th century, the Serbian Revolution established the nation-state as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory. In 1918, in the aftermath of World War I, the Kingdom of Serbia united with the former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina; later in the same year it joined with other South Slavic nations in the foundation of Yugoslavia, which existed in various political formations until the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. During the breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia formed a union with Montenegro, which was peacefully dissolved in 2006, restoring Serbia's independence as a sovereign state for the first time since 1918. In 2008, representatives of the Assembly of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, with mixed responses from the international community while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory.

Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia after Belgrade and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. Population is about 370,000 according to the 2022 census.

Novi Sad was founded in 1694, when Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin Fortress, a strategic Habsburg military post. In subsequent centuries, it became an important trading, manufacturing and cultural centre, and has historically been dubbed the Serbian Athens. The city was heavily devastated in the 1848 Revolution, but was subsequently rebuilt and restored. Today, along with the Serbian capital city of Belgrade, Novi Sad is an industrial and financial center important to the Serbian economy. Three bridges cross the Danube in Novi Sad, serving vehicle, truck, rail, and pedestrian traffic.
Novi Sad is one of the most important centres of higher education and research in Serbia, with four universities overall and numerous professional, technical, and private colleges and research institutes, including a law school.

It’s another sunny warm day, perfect for sightseeing. The captain is desperately looking for rain. The water level of the Danube is extremely low – changes to the itinerary may be necessary.

Our choice of activity for today was a walking tour of the city of Novi Sad which is right beside our mooring point. Our guide, Jelena, explained the history of the city and some of the cultural practices like long, relaxing times spent over coffee. The city abounds with cafés. The city boasts 26 nationalities and five official languages, making it truly multi-cultural. We walked through the Friday morning market which abounded with fresh local fruits and vegetables and every type of cheese imaginable.

A lot of buildings reflect the influence of when Novi Sad was under Habsburg rule – ornate, colourful buildings. Each different colour of building along a shopping street would indicate a different type of merchandise available there. So handy back in the days of widespread illiteracy.

In the 1960s, a “progressive” mayor razed a lot of the old, historic buildings and built brutal new structures. Sadly, the current mayor is carrying on with this “50 Shades of Grey” type of architecture.

Prior to WW II, one in eight citizens of Novi Sad was Jewish. Following the war, the number of Jews who returned to the city was so low that they couldn’t afford to keep their school and their synagogue going. They deeded the buildings to the city on the proviso that they be used for cultural activities. Today, the synagogue serves as a concert hall. It’s a stunning setting with its striking stained-glass windows, round dome, and huge pipe organ. We were fortunate enough to hear a young man play the piano for a bit – the acoustics are fabulous.

We will set sail today at 3:00 p.m. for Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We should be there by 8:00 p.m.Read more