page_title: History of Novi Sad
hierarchical_section_title: History of Novi Sad
caption_attribution_description: Petrovaradin, today part of Novi Sad, in 1821. Drawing by J. Alt, lithographing by Adolph Kunike
context_page_description: Novi Sad is the second largest city of Serbia. It began as a stone age settlement in present-day Petrovaradin. The Celts founded the first fortress at this location. During Roman rule, a larger fortress was built in the 1st century AD. It was devastated by the Huns in the 5th century and rebuilt by the Byzantines. The city passed through many other hands until being conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary. The city was first mentioned under the name Peturwarad or Petrovaradin in documents from 1237. It passed through the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and the Habsburg Monarchy in the 17th.
  During Habsburg rule, people of Orthodox faith were forbidden from residing in Petrovaradin. Because of this, a new settlement was founded in 1694 on the left bank of the Danube. The initial name of this settlement was Ratzen Stadt. The settlement officially gained the present name Novi Sad in 1748 when it became a "free royal city". In 1780, Novi Sad had about 2,000 houses, of which 1,144 were Serbian. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, Novi Sad was the largest city populated with ethnic Serbs in the world. After 1867, Novi Sad was located within the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary.
context_section_description: Novi Sad is the second largest city of Serbia. It began as a stone age settlement in present-day Petrovaradin. The Celts founded the first fortress at this location. During Roman rule, a larger fortress was built in the 1st century AD. It was devastated by the Huns in the 5th century and rebuilt by the Byzantines. The city passed through many other hands until being conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary. The city was first mentioned under the name Peturwarad or Petrovaradin in documents from 1237. It passed through the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and the Habsburg Monarchy in the 17th.
  During Habsburg rule, people of Orthodox faith were forbidden from residing in Petrovaradin. Because of this, a new settlement was founded in 1694 on the left bank of the Danube. The initial name of this settlement was Ratzen Stadt (Serbian: Racki Grad, meaning "the Serb City" in English). The settlement officially gained the present name Novi Sad (Neoplanta in Latin) in 1748 when it became a "free royal city". In 1780, Novi Sad had about 2,000 houses, of which 1,144 were Serbian. For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, Novi Sad was the largest city populated with ethnic Serbs in the world. After 1867, Novi Sad was located within the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary. During this time, the Magyarization policy of the Hungarian government drastically altered the demographic structure of the city, dramatically increasing the number of Hungarian language speakers.
  In 1941, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded and partitioned by the Axis Powers, and Novi Sad was annexed by Hungary. During World War II, about 5,000 citizens were murdered and many others were resettled. Since 1945, Novi Sad has been the capital of Vojvodina, a province of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After 1992, Novi Sad was part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which, in 2003, was transformed into the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Devastated by NATO bombardment during the Kosovo War, it was left without all of its three Danube bridges, communications, water, and electricity. Its oil refinery was bombarded daily, causing widespread ecological damage. Novi Sad is now part of an independent Serbia.
caption: Petrovaradin and Novi Sad in 1821
exif: {}