The Petrovaradin Fortress is a monumental fortification on the Danube, situated on the right bank of the river, across the city of Novi Sad. It represents an exceptional architectural work, built in the 18th century. The fortress is one of the most famous symbols of Novi Sad today. It represents a cultural and historical complex of great importance and it is part of the national cultural heritage.
The results of the latest archeological studies confirmed a 200-thousand-year-old history of human activity in the area, dating back to the Paleolithic culture and the New Stone Age, continuing through the era of the Roman Empire. Prior to this Fortress, there stood a Hungarian medieval fortification with the monastery and the church, built in the 13th century. The Ottoman Empire ruled the area from the 16th century. After the Turkish presence in this area ended in the second half of the 17th century, there was a need to strengthen a newly-formed southern border of the Austrian kingdom with a modern artillery fortress. By the beginning of the 19th century, the Petrovaradin Fortress was the strongest and the best-equipped military fortification in the Austrian Empire.
The Petrovaradin Fortress, also known as ‘the Gibraltar on the Danube’, was built by designs of Austrian military engineers Mathias Kaisersfeld, Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli, and Michael Wamberg. It was designed according to the most modern achievements of European fortification architecture of the time, based on the rules of the construction system of Marquis Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French general, architect and writer. The construction of the Fortress was finished in 1870. It lasted 88 years in total and covered the periods of rule of the Austrian Emperor Leopold I, Joseph I, Charles IV, Maria Theresa and Joseph II.
The Upper Fortress is located on the apex of the Petrovaradin rock, in the place of the former medieval fortification. It consists of five bastions, connected by curtain walls. The Lower Fortress is located on the curve of the Danube, leaned against the rock and the walls of the Upper Fortress. A military and administrative center of the Fortress was situated in the Lower Town, which has kept its authentic appearance until today. The Fortress covers the area of over 100 ha, with an outer defense line 5,200 meters long and a complex system of underground military galleries with a number of tunnels, distributed at four levels, with the total of 16,000 meters in length.
One of the most recognizable marks of the Fortress and the city of Novi Sad is the Clock Tower, with the big hand showing the hours and the small hand showing the minutes.
Today it is one of the main touristic attractions of Novi Sad and a place of various cultural events. Apart from many art galleries located in the Upper Fortress, every year it hosts the EXIT Festival, one of the biggest and most famous music festivals in Europe.