Thursday, February 22, 13.45 – 17.00
Situated on the right bank of the Danube around 8 km from Novi Sad lies the town and the municipality of Sremski Karlovci, a picturesque place of great cultural and historical importance, with the population of 8,750 inhabitants.
The town has a significant historical importance in Serbian history. Sremski Karlovci hosted a peace negotiation congress that took place between November 1698 and January 1699, which ended the hostilities between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League, a coalition of several European states (including the Habsburg Monarchy, Poland, Venice and Russia). The outcome of this diplomatic conference was the Treaty of Karlowitz, also known by using a round table as a form of discussion and talks in international politics for the first time.
Sremski Karlovci was also known as a spiritual, political and cultural center of the Serbs in the Habsburg Monarchy. It was a headquarters of the metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Furthermore, the first Serbian gymnasium was founded in Sremski Karlovci in August 1791, as well as an Orthodox seminary in 1794, that was the second oldest Orthodox seminary in the world after the Spiritual Academy in Kiev. Sremski Karlovci was also the site where the Serb National Assembly took place in 1848, when Serbs declared the unification of the regions of Srem, Banat, Bačka and Baranja into the province of Serbian Vojvodina. During the same period, Sremski Karlovci became the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Habsburg Monarchy, when the Orthodox Metropolitan of Karlovci was raised to a Patriarchate of Karlovci. It existed until 1920 when it was joined with the Metropolitan of Belgrade to form the united Serbian Orthodox Church.
Sremski Karlovci is also widely known by its numerous wineries. A winemaking tradition in this region stems from the period of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus, born in 232 in Sirmium, who is considered to be the progenitor of the grape crop in Srem and the surrounding areas, given that he introduced the growing of a new agricultural crop – grapevine on the territory of Srem and the surrounding areas. In the vicinity of Sremski Karlovci there are a number of Orthodox monasteries, most of them originating from the period between 16th and 18th century.
Sremski Karlovci is a place of many important and renowned cultural and historical monuments such as the Patriarchy residence, Orthodox Cathedral, Karlovci Grammar School, Four Lions Fountain, Karlovci Theological School, Chapel of Peace, Town Hall and Seminary. A branch of the City Museum of Novi Sad, Živanović Beekeeping Museum, Treasury Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church and several art galleries are also located in Sremski Karlovci.
The surrounding area of the municipality of Sremski Karlovci represents the genuine natural treasure. One of the oldest botanical gardens in Serbia is located in the complex of the Royal Gardens, situated in the vicinity of the city center. The Danube provides numerous possibilities for sport and recreational activities. One of the most famous picnic areas within the Fruška Gora National Park – Stražilovo is situated 5 km from Sremski Karlovci. A special nature reserve under the state protection – Marches of Kovilj and Petrovaradin are also situated in the vicinity of the town.