Petrovaradin

Petrovaradin Fortress was initially built in the 12th century and it was built by the Hungarian nobleman Péter Tere, upon which the fortress was named, "Peter's Fortress" in Hungarian original. Of course, the fortress was nothing like the contemporary fortress then. It had the mediaeval look.

The Old Petrovaradin Fortress, the reconstruction with the Cistercite Monastery in the middle of it

As for the today's appearance of the fortress, the initial stone was laid by the Prince Kroy, immediately after the liberation of northern Srem from the Ottoman rule, on the 18th of October 1692 in the southern part of the fortress, following the order of the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I.

On that occasion, it was buried the diploma, and its right position is still unknown. Then the first bastion was built, which bears the name of the Emperor Leopold I. A lot of stone from the mediaeval fortress was placed in the walls the new fortress. It was built according to the idea of the famous master of fortifications, the Frenchmen Sebastian Voban, who, unfortunately, never saw his work in reality,

Today's Petrovaradin Fortress with the background view of Novi Sad across the Danube

The building of the fortress was supervised by the Prince Eugene of Savoy, count Karafa, Fieldmarshal Kaprara and the heir to the throne, Joseph.

Emperor Leopold I, Prince Eugene of Savoy, count Caprara

The centennial building of this impressive and gigantic fortress lasted during the time of five Austrian rulers:Leopold I, Joseph I, Charles VI, Mary Theresa and Joseph II. It is interesting that only the youngest of the emperors, Joseph II, actaully was on the fortress. He was there 5 times. The constant crew was placed on the fortress in 1702, and it was composed by the ranges of Hungarian hussars and Serbian Hajduks. In the time of the Napoleonic wars, the imperial treasury from Vienna was transferred to Petrovaradin, because it was thought that the Petrovaradin Fortress was impossible to conquer". It testifies about the faith that the Habsburg rulers had in it.

The Austrian emperors from the Habsburg dynasty which were a part of the building if the fortress, from left to right: Leopold I, Joseph I, Charles VI, Mary Theresa and Joseph II

As the year of the completion of the fortress the history mentions the year of 1780, but some works continued to be done in the underground and on the surface for couple of years more. Nevertheless, all that was conceived and planed was not finished, and there are some parts of the underground that prove that (the corridors without bricks, "earth tunnels", blind endings etc.).

The old soldiers serving on the Fortress and the old map of the Fortress

Built on 112 hectars, this fortification holds the second position in Europe. The only fortress that is bigger than the Petrovaradin Fortress is the Verdun Fortress in France, but the latter was badly damaged in the First World War.

Details from the Novi Sad City Museum