Petrovaradin


Petrovaradin is one of two city municipalities which constitute the city of Novi Sad. As of 2011, the urban area has 27,083 inhabitants, while the municipality has 33,865 people inhabitants. Lying across the river Danube from the main part of Novi Sad, it is built around the Petrovaradin Fortress, historical anchor of the modern city.

Name

Petrovaradin was founded by Celts, but its original name is not known. During Roman administration it was known as Cusum. After the Romans conquered the region from the Celtic tribe of Scordisci, they built the Cusum fortress where present Petrovaradin Fortress now stands. In addition, the town received its name from the Byzantines, who called it Petrikon or Petrikov and who presumably named it after Saint Peter.
In documents from 1237, the town was first mentioned under the name Peturwarod, which was named after Hungarian lord Peter, son of Töre. Petrovaradin was known under the name Pétervárad during Hungarian administration, Varadin or Petervaradin during Ottoman administration, and Peterwardein during Habsburg administration.
Today, the municipality is known in Serbian as Петроварадин, in Hungarian as Pétervárad, and in German as Peterwardein.

Geography

Petrovaradin is located in the Syrmia region, on the Danube river and Fruška Gora, a horst mountain with elevation of 78–220 m. The northern part of Fruška Gora consists of massive landslide zones, but they are not active, except in Ribnjak neighborhood.

History

Human settlement in the territory of present-day Petrovaradin has been traced as far back as the Stone Age. This region was conquered by Celts and Romans.
The Celts founded the first fortress at this location. It was part of the tribal state of the Scordisci, which had its capital in Singidunum. During the Roman administration, a larger fortress was built with the name Cusum and was included into Roman Pannonia. Subsequently, the fortress was included into the Pannonia Inferior and the Pannonia Secunda. In the 5th century, Cusum was devastated by the invasion of the Huns.
The town was then conquered by Ostrogoths, Gepids, and Lombards. By the end of the 5th century, Byzantines had reconstructed the town and called it by the names Cusum and Petrikon or Petrikov. It was part of the Byzantine province of Pannonia. Subsequently, it passed into the hands of Avars, Franks, Pannonian Croats, Pannonian Slavs, Bulgarians, and Byzantines again. During Bulgarian administration, the town was known as Petrik and was part of the domain of duke Sermon, while during subsequent Byzantine administration, it was part of the Theme of Sirmium.
Later, the town became part of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Between 1522 and 1526, Petrovaradin was a base for the early Ŝajkaš regiments, but in 1526, the Ottoman Empire took Petrovaradin after a two-week battle waged against combined forces of Serbs and Hungarians.
In the war of 1683-1699 with the Habsburg Monarchy, the Ottomans abandoned Petrovaradin. In 1690, they returned for just two years. After that, Petrovaradin remained under Habsburg control.
In 1695, a military force of Serbs—600 infantry and 200 cavalry—under Captain Pane Božić were brought to Petrovaradin to serve. One thousand Serbs worked on the Citadel and fortifications.
During Hungarian administration, the town was firstly part of the Bolgyán County and then part of the Syrmia County, while during Ottoman administration, it was firstly part of the vassal duchy of Syrmia ruled by Serb duke Radoslav Čelnik, and then part of the Sanjak of Syrmia.
During the Ottoman administration, Petrovaradin had 200 houses, and three mosques. There was also a Christian quarter with 35 houses populated with Serbs.
1716.
Petrovaradin was the site of a notable battle on August 5, 1716 in which the Habsburg Monarchy led by the Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the forces of the Ottomans led by the Silahdar Damat Ali Pasha. Habsburg forces led by Prince Eugene later defeated the Ottomans at Belgrade before the Ottomans sued for peace at Požarevac.
During the Habsburg administration, Petrovaradin was part of the Habsburg Military Frontier. In 1848–49, the town was part of Serbian Vojvodina, but in 1849, it was returned under the administration of the Military Frontier. With the abolishment of the Military Frontier in 1881, the town was included into the Syrmia County of Croatia-Slavonia, which was the autonomous kingdom within Austria-Hungary.
1830.
In 1918, the town firstly became part of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, then part of the Kingdom of Serbia and finally part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Between 1918 and 1922, the town was part of the Syrmia County, between 1922 and 1929 part of the Syrmia Oblast, and between 1929 and 1941 part of the Danube Banovina, a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From 1918 to 1936, Yugoslav Royal Air Force was based in Petrovaradin. During World War II, the town was occupied by the Axis Powers and it was attached to the Independent State of Croatia. Since the end of the war in this part of Yugoslavia in 1944, the town was part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, which from 1945 was part of the new socialist Serbia within socialist Yugoslavia.

Settlements and neighborhoods

Petrovaradin is one of the two city municipalities of the City of Novi Sad and it is located in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. Approximately 25-30% of total area of City of Novi Sad is an area of Petrovaradin municipality, which is approximately 100–130 km²; of which approximately 30% is a part of urban area of Novi Sad. Much of land outside of urban area is part of National Park of Fruška Gora.
Municipality of Petrovaradin includes 5 settlements:
Neighborhoods and parts of Petrovaradin are: Petrovaradin Fortress, Podgrađe Tvrđave, Stari Majur, Novi Majur, Bukovački Plato, Sadovi, Široka Dolina, Širine, Vezirac, Trandžament, Ribnjak, Mišeluk, Alibegovac, Radna Zona Istok, Marija Snežna, and Petrovaradinska Ada.

Demographics

In 1961 Petrovaradin had 8,408 inhabitants; in 1971 10,477; in 1981 10,338; in 1991 11,285; and in 2002 13,973. By city's registry estimation, from mid-2005, Petrovaradin town had 15,266 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups

;Municipality
According to the 2011 census, the total population of the territory of present-day Petrovaradin municipality was 33,865, of whom 27,328 were ethnic Serbs. All settlements in the municipality have an ethnic Serb majority.
;Town
Ethnic group1991%2002%
Serbs5,64350%9,70869.48%
Croats2,23619.81%1,3649.76%
Yugoslavs1,89316.78%7795.58%
Hungarians4313.82%3962.83%
Montenegrins2502.22%2281.63%
Ruthenians1481.31%1411.01%
Other6535.79%1,3579.71%
Total11,285-13,973-

During the Ottoman administration, Petrovaradin was mostly populated by Muslims, while some Serbs lived there as well in the Christian quarter. According to Habsburg census from 1720, inhabitants of Petrovaradin mostly had German and Serbo-Croatian names and surnames. During the subsequent period of the Habsburg administration and in one part of the 20th century, the largest ethnic group in the Petrovaradin town were ethnic Croats. According to the 1910 census the town had 5,527 residents, of which 3,266 spoke Croatian, 894 German, 730 Serbian, 521 Hungarian and 159 Slovak. Since 1971 census, largest ethnic group in Petrovaradin are Serbs. Today, there are a couple of neighborhoods with sizable number of Croats in Petrovaradin, like Stari Majur and Podgrađe Tvrđave.

Economy

The following table gives a preview of total number of employed people per their core activity :
ActivityTotal
Agriculture, forestry and fishing163
Mining12
Processing industry1,081
Distribution of power, gas and water114
Distribution of water and water waste management610
Construction373
Wholesale and retail, repair1,206
Traffic, storage and communication333
Hotels and restaurants198
Media and telecommunications115
Finance and insurance15
Property stock and charter3
Professional, scientific, innovative and technical activities280
Administrative and other services86
Administration and social assurance174
Education384
Healthcare and social work2,252
Art, leisure and recreation181
Other services117
Total7,687

Politics

The town of Petrovaradin is the seat of Petrovaradin Municipality. Since 2002, when the new statute of the City of Novi Sad came into effect, it has been divided into two city municipalities, Petrovaradin and Novi Sad. Between 1980 and 1989, Petrovaradin also had municipality status within Novi Sad. From 1989 to 2002, Novi Sad's municipalities were abolished and territory of the former Petrovaradin municipality was part of Novi Sad municipality, which included the whole territory of the present-day City of Novi Sad.
over the Danube
The city municipalities of Novi Sad were formally established in 2002, for the sole reason that Novi Sad could get a city status. In 2007, after the update of the law of local government, the requirement for multiple municipalities for city status was lifted. However, the renewed 2008 city statute also foresaw formation of two separate municipalities, but as of 2009 none of them de facto exist, and the whole city is run solely by the city administration. Petrovaradin municipality does not yet have its own offices, and the town is administered only by local community office.

Culture

Notable people