Short break: Novi Sad

Enjoy the vibrant culture (and potent brandy) of the rebuilt, resurgent Novi Sad, says Elizabeth Atkin, but don’t forget to take to the hills to see its more ancient history

Why Serbia’s second city is on the verge of being crowned Europe’s next cultural hub

On first glance, Novi Sad’s pastel-hued streets, pristinely clean churches and neatly clipped parks don’t give away much of its tumultuous history. But this is no ordinary ‘European Old Towntm’. The somewhat-shiny buildings on Freedom Square and Dunavska Street that I was wandering through gave the game away.

Novi Sad is just that: novi. New. Well, new-ish. Great swathes of its original architecture were decimated by a shelling attack during the Serb revolution against Hungary in 1849. The city was forced to rebuild and propel itself towards the future. Today, the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina has carved out a unique identity as Serbia’s laid-back second city, one in stark contrast to bustling, better-known Belgrade.

Looking up, Novi Sad’s candy-coloured promenades proudly displayed a slew of bright, poppy flags, celebrating its status as 2019 European Youth Capital, a precursor to its reign as a 2021 European Capital of Culture. There’s certainly a maze of creative expression to be found here: art, theatre and music at every turn. For direct fixes, visitors should head to the halls of the looming Petrovaradin Fortress – formerly a military base, it now celebrates Serbia’s finest artists – or head to the Serbian National Theatre for an evening at the opera. Or you can just people watch in one of the traditional kafanas (taverns) dotted all over the centre, sipping the (painfully strong) local fruit brandy, rakija.

The best way to shake that hangover is to head for the hills, where things are significantly less novi. On the city’s fringes lies Serbia’s oldest national park, Fruška Gora. Just 540m high, its eponymous mountain barely classifies as one, but this is a low-key haven for nature lovers, boasting hidden vineyards to tour, numerous hiking (and cycling) trails to follow, and 16 serene Serbian Orthodox monasteries – some dating back to the 16th century – all weaving through 266 sq km of dense, deciduous forest.

ASK A LOCAL

“Novi Sad is the second biggest city in Serbia barely an hour out of Belgrade. Set between Belgrade and Budapest, on the crossroads between the East and the West, the city was a patron of Serbian culture and education during the centuries.” Sonja Dević, Local guide

Novi old town Freedom Square and the Name of Mary Church in Novi Sad