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 1698 on the left bank of the Danube. The initial name of this settlement was Ratzen Stadt (Serbian: Raski 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.
Early history of Petrovaradin Human settlement in the territory of present-day Novi Sad has been traced as far back as the Stone Age (about 4500 BC). This settlement was located on the right bank of the river Danube in the territory of present-day Petrovaradin.
This region was conquered by Celts (in the 4th century BC) and Romans (in the 1st century BC). The Celts founded the first fortress at this location, which was located on the right bank of the Danube. During Roman rule, a larger fortress was built in the 1st century AD with the name Cusum and was included into Roman province Pannonia. In the 5th century, Cusum was devastated by the invasion of the Huns.
By the end of the 5th century, Byzantines had reconstructed the city and called it by the names Cusum and Petrikon. The city in time became conquered by the Ostrogoths, Gepids, Avars, Franks, Bulgarians, and again by the Byzantines.
The city was ruled by the Kingdom of Hungary until the 16th century; by the Ottoman Empire (in 1526), and by the Habsburg monarchy (in 1687). The city was first mentioned under the name Peturwarad (Pétervárad, Serbian: Petrovaradin) in documents from 1237.Borovszky Samu: Magyarország vármegyéi és városai, Bács-Bodrog vármegye I.-II. kötet, Apolló Irodalmi és Nyomdai Részvénytársaság, 1909. Another name used for it was Bélakút. Petrovaradin was known under the name Pétervárad under Hungarian rule, Varadin under Ottoman rule, and Peterwardein under Habsburg rule.
During the Ottoman rule, Petrovaradin had 200 houses, and three mosques. There was also a Christian quarter with 35 houses populated with ethnic Serbs.Enciklopedija Novog Sada, knjiga 20, Novi Sad, 2002
Early history of Sremska Kamenica
Sremska Kamenica was first mentioned in historical documents in 1237. In this time the town was under administration of the Kingdom of Hungary, although its name has a Slavic origin, implying that it was initially inhabited by Slavs. The name of the town derives from the Slavic word "kamen" ("stone" in English) and was recorded as "villa Camanch" in 1237 and "Kamenez" in 1349.
Before the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century, the town had about 150 houses, while during the Ottoman rule, in 1567, the population of the town numbered only 15 houses. The inhabitants of the town during Ottoman rule were Serbs.
After the establishment of the Habsburg rule, the Habsburg census from 1702 recorded 40 houses in the town, almost all of them populated by ethnic Serbs. During the 18th century, the number of Orthodox inhabitants increased to 1,000. During the Habsburg rule, the town was a possession of the Marcibányi and Karácsonyi families.
Other older settlements Before the foundation of Novi Sad (Ratzen Stadt) in 1694, several other settlements existed on the left bank of the river Danube in the territory of present-day Novi Sad (besides Petrovaradin and Sremska Kamenica on the right bank of the Danube). In 1237, several settlements were mentioned to exist at this location. Between the 13th and 16th century, the following settlements existed in the territory of modern urban area of Novi Sad:Branko Ćurčin, Slana Bara nekad i sad, Novi Sad, 2002Melhior Erdujhelji, Istorija Novog Sada, Novi Sad, 1894Đorđe Randelj, Novi Sad – slobodan grad, Novi Sad, 1997 Baksa or Baksafalva (Serbian: Bakša or Bakšić) – this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Stari Grad. Kűszentmárton (Serbian: Sent Marton) – this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Telep. Bivalyos or Bivalo (Serbian: Bivaljoš or Bivalo) – this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Slana Bara. Vásárosvárad (Serbian: Vašaroš Varad or Varadinci) – this settlement was located in the periphery of modern neighborhood of Klisa. Zajol I (Serbian: Sajlovo I, Gornje Sajlovo or Gornja Isailova) – this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhoods of Klisa and Gornje Livade. Zajol II (Serbian: Sajlovo II, Donje Sajlovo or Donje Isailovo) – this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Sajlovo. Bistritz (Serbian: Bistrica) – this settlement was (maybe) located in the area of modern neighborhood of Bistrica (Novo Naselje).
Some other settlements existed in the suburban area of Novi Sad: Mortályos (Serbian: Mrtvaljoš) – this settlement was located in the northern suburban area of Novi Sad. Csenei (Serbian: Čenej) – this settlement was located in the area of modern village of Čenej. Keménd (Serbian: Kamendin) – this settlement was located in the area of modern Kamendin, which is part of the village of Sirig. Rév (Serbian: Rivica) – this settlement was located in the northern suburban area of Novi Sad.
Etymology of the settlement names show that some of them are of Slavic origin, which indicate that some of them were initially inhabited by Slavs. For example, Bivalo (Bivaljoš) was a large Slavic settlement that dates from the 5th–6th century. Some settlement names are of Hungarian origin (for example Kűszentmárton, Vásárosvárad, Rév), which indicate that these settlements were inhabited by Hungarians before the Ottoman invasion. Names of some settlements are of uncertain origin, or it is not clear whether their names are of Slavic or of Hungarian origin.
Tax records from 1522 are showing a mix of Hungarian and Slavic names among inhabitants of these villages, including Slavic names like Bozso (Božo), Radovan, Radonya (Radonja), Ivo, etc. Following the Ottoman invasion in the 16th–17th century, some of these settlements were destroyed and most Hungarian inhabitants have left this area. Some of the settlements also existed during the Ottoman rule, and were populated by ethnic Serbs.
In the year 1590, population of all villages that existed in the territory of present-day Novi Sad numbered 105 houses inhabited exclusively by Serbs. However, Ottoman records mention only those inhabitants that paid taxes, thus the number of Serbs that lived in the area (for example those that served in the Ottoman army) was larger.Đorđe Randelj, Novi Sad slobodan grad, Novi Sad, 1997
The foundation of Novi Sad
At the outset of the Habsburg rule, people of Orthodox faith were forbidden from residing in Petrovaradin, thus Serbs were largely unable to build homes in the town. 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). Another name used for the settlement was Peterwardein Schantz (Serbian: Petrovaradinski Šanac). In 1718, the inhabitants of the village of Almaš were resettled to Petrovaradinski Šanac, where they founded Almaški Kraj ("the Almaš quarter").
According to 1720 data, the population of Ratzen Stadt was composed of 112 Serbian, 14 German, and 5 Hungarian houses. According to 1720 data, the population of Ratzen Stadt was composed of 112 Serbian, 14 German, and 5 Hungarian houses. In 1746, Empress Maria Theresa handed the settlement of Petrovaradinski Šanac over to Bács-Bodrog County. Soon after the residence have requested of the Empress for the settlement to become a 'free royal city' of the Kingdom of Hungary. This request went through after the residents paid an amount of 80,000 forints to the royal treasury. The existing name at the time was not representable, so the residence proposed the new names of Bačvar (), Dunavar (), Vizkoz () or Vaserbrug () in German. The Royal Chancellery in Buda offered the names of Dunavar, Vizkoz and Ujvidek for the empress to pick from. Finally, the Empress, without any external suggestions, chose the present names of Neoplanta in Latin, Novi Sad in Serbian, Újvidék in Hungarian and Neustaz in German in 1748 when it became a 'free royal city'.Zoran Knežev, Turistički vodič kroz stari Novi Sad, Novi Sad, 2019, pg. 107-109
The edict that made Novi Sad a "free royal city" was proclaimed on February 1, 1748. The edict said: "We, Maria Theresa, by the God's mercy Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Rama, Serbia, Galicia, Lodomeria, Carinthia, etc, etc. Cast this proclamation to anyone, who might concern...so that the famous Petrovaradinski Šanac, which lies on the other side of the Danube in Bačka province on Sajlovo land, by the might of our divine royal power and prestige...make this town a Free Royal City and to fortify, accept and sign it in as one of the free royal cities of our Kingdom of Hungary and other territories, by abolishing its previous name of Petrovaradinski Šanac, renaming it Neoplanta (Latin), Újvidék (Hungarian), Neu-Satz (German), Novi Sad (Serbian), Mlada Loza (Bulgarian)".
In 1780, Novi Sad had about 2,000 houses, of which 1,144 were Serbian.
Development from 1748 to 1918 For much of the 18th and 19th centuries, Novi Sad was the largest city populated with ethnic Serbs in the World (The reformer of the Serbian language, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, wrote in 1817 that Novi Sad is the "largest Serb municipality in the world". In 1820 Novi Sad had 20,000 inhabitants, of whom about 2/3 were Serbs. Belgrade, the current largest city populated by Serbs, did not reached similar population before 1853). It was a cultural and political centre of Serbs, who did not have their own national state at the time. Because of its cultural and political influence, Novi Sad became known as the Serb Athens (Srpska Atina in Serbian). According to the 1843 data, Novi Sad had 17,332 inhabitants, of whom 9,675 were Orthodox Christians, 5,724 Catholics, 1,032 Protestants, 727 Jews, and 30 adherents of the Armenian church. The largest ethnic group in the city were Serbs, and the second largest were Germans.