The first part of the morning was spent wandering around in the central district of Novi Sad taking in all the sights. Ibrahim, our G-Adventures guide, gave us a brief and informative coverage of the history of the region focussing especially on the seventeenth century and later conflicts between the Turkish Ottoman Empire and the Hungarian Austrian Empire.
The city square is surrounded on two sides by neo-classical Serbian buildings painted in pastel colours whilst at either end of the square are the cathedral and government headquarters. In the centre of the square is a large bronze statue of Svetoza Miletic, a poet, writer and former president of the regional people.
Old town square, Novi Sad
Novi Sad was the former capital of Serbia but now serves principally as the financial headquarters for Serbia with there being a plethora of banks in the city centre.
The Catholic Cathedral is a strikingly attractive stone and pale brick structure featuring a very high bell tower and spire. The roof is appealingly tessellated with multicoloured tiles.
Catholic Church, Novi Sad
Inside Catholic Cathedral, Novi Sad
The elaborate internal features of the cathedral are embellished with gold and silver trimmings together with the ubiquitous plaster cast statues of Jesus and Mary.
The Orthodox Church has a distinctive Russian feel with its white clock tower supporting a back and gold tapering plinth upon which features a golden cross. Inside the church were numerous marble pillars and a massive central chandelier. There was no altar as such but instead there were recesses featuring golden icons and pictures of Biblical people. The scene was one of splendour yet lacking the formal regalia and associated idolatry of Catholicism. The Orthodox Church has no pews and the only seating is on perimeter benches reserved for the elderly.
Inside Orthodox Church, Novi Sad
At this stage we were ‘churched’ out and headed towards the Danube River via a pleasant parkland. On crossing the bridge we could see our intended destination of the city fortress up ahead.
A one kilometre walk brought us to the high promontory overlooking the Danube. The temperature was approaching 30°C and the steep walk to the fortress was quite demanding in the oppressive heat and humidity. The old buildings to the east of the bridge were clearly of nineteenth century design or older with rough concrete and timber cladding and shingled roofs with some adorned with earth and grass.
Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad,
At the Petrovaradin Fortress we were introduced to our local guide Milos who then took us on a guided tour of the subterranean world of former battles. Construction of the fortress began in the late 1600s and today it remains an important landmark to the city.
Beneath the Fortress buildings is a network of tunnels comprising 21km of interlocking walkways in a three dimensional matrix. This incredible structure was built to defend the city against the Ottoman Turkish invaders.
Section of tunnel, Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad
Although we were only underground for an hour and saw but a mere fraction, we recognised the intricate interconnections between galleries and the means for firing guns and cannon at approaching enemies.
The barracks above ground had facilities for 40 thousand troops and many of these were recruited mercenaries from outside Serbia. An unusual feature of the barracks is the ‘reversed’ clock. The dial atop of this large tower has the minute hand being shorter than the hour hand. The explanation was that boatmen on the Danube way below were more interested in knowing the hour and so this hand was given more prominence.
View from Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad
View from Petrovaradin Fortress, Novi Sad
Reversed hands clock, Novi Sad
At the conclusion of this unusual and dark experience we gathered at a nearby café/bar for some cold drinks prior to heading back to the city 80m below.
After a snack and some coffee we caught taxis to Novi Sad railway station and boarded a train to take us on the 90 minute trip to our next destination, namely Belgrade. Belgrade the capital of Serbia (and formerly the capital of Yugoslavia) will be our location for the next two days.
Group, Novi Sad Railway Station
Group, Novi Sad Railway Station
On arrival at the Glavna Railway station in Belgrade our first impression was that there was a general level of poverty as shown by the state of repair of many of the buildings. Clearly there are extensive problems with graffiti on walls, buildings and train carriages. This may have been a consequence of the region around the railway station as these problems seemed less apparent in the streets around our hotel (Hotel Slavija).
After a shower and freshening up we walked to the nearby Saint Sava Orthodox Temple. This very large church has yet to be completed internally but the size of the external structure makes it the biggest Orthodox Church in the world so we were informed.
St Sava Orthodox Temple, Belgrade
St Sava Orthodox Temple at night, Belgrade
Inside St Sava Orthodox Temple, Belgrade
Our group then walked another few hundred metres down a side street to have an evening meal in a popular local restaurant. The meals were excellent and yet the prices surprisingly cheap. For example our main course meal of meats (pork, lamb and kebabs) plus vegetables cost about AU$10 each. Cans of beer bought in the local supermarket were less than AU$1.
Tomorrow we explore this big city in earnest and if this hot weather continues there will be a severe need for cold drinks at the end of the day.