Sremski Karlovci

Sremski Karlovci town is located about 15 km from Novi Sad, at the foot of Fruska Gora on the right bank of the Danube. It is situated on the Belgrade-Novi Sad railroad, so Sremski Karlovaci is easily accessible by car and by train.

It is particularly attractive coming from Belgrade to Sremska Karlovci by an old train called "Romantka" (Romance), which runs from spring to autumn.

Sremski Karlovci represents a true city museum, where despite all the tumultuous events that have occurred here, cultural and historical monuments which are very important for the history of Serbian people, have been preserved.

Since ancient times Sremski Karlovci had been a center of Serbian culture and spirituality. The first Serbian high school and the first Serbian Orthodox Seminary had been are established there.

In this small town occurred events significant for the history of Serbian people, but also for the history of Europe. The written document “Peace of Karlovac” was signed in 1699 between the Holy Alliance and Turkey and in the 1848 the Serbian Vojvodina had been proclaimed.

In a place that reminds us of times long gone, is a preserved baroque old town core, which had been built in the period from the seventeenth to the twentieth century.

Large cultural and historical place of the utmost importance are the buildings at the Square of Branko Radičević, which was designed and built after the model of the squares in Vienna. Almost every building in the center of Sremski Karlovci is older than a century, so that you can feel the beauty and spirit of the past.

In the middle of the Square is a Fountain of Four Lions built in 1799, which is the culmination of the completion of construction of water supply for Sremski Karlovci. Legend has it that one that drinks the water from this fountain will surely come back and get married in Sremski Karlovci.

Catholic Church (pictured above right), is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, and was built 1762, on the grounds of the old church from the sixteenth century. The church is in the Baroque style and is a three-nave building, in which the front is dominated by two large bell towers.

Magnificent iconostasis of XVIII century is the work of two painters from Karlovac, Todor Kracun and Jakov Orfelin. The iconostasis is one of the most representative works of Orthodox art of the period and one of the major works of art in Vojvodina. The famous Serbian painter Paja Jovanovic at the end of the nineteenth century painted several compositions dedicated to characters from the Bible, as well as some pictures from the history of the Serbs, which adorn the walls of the church.

Patriarchal court is a monumental building built in the late nineteenth century, which is a great architectural achievement of the period. This truly magnificent building is the work of famous architect Vladimir Nikolic, who designed most of the grandiose buildings built in Karlovac. The central part of the palace chapel was dedicated to Saint Dimitrije for which the iconostasis was painted in 1898 by the great Serbian painter by Uros Predic.

Behind Patriarchal court is an old building of the Patriarchate, built in the mid-nineteenth century in which Serbian monastery printing had been rebuilt. There are also wine cellars of the Patriarchal court.

The first Serbian grammar school was founded in Sremski Karlovci in 1791. High school building was built in 1890 as the foundation of the Patriarch German Andjelic and his brother Stefan Andjelic. Teaching in this school was initially held in German and Latin, and in 1848 began teaching in the Serbian language. In this school was held a first theater performance of the Serbs, and also in the school was founded one of the top modern libraries in which there are about 18,000 valuable books. Today in this building is the philological grammar school, which keeps the tradition of the oldest Serbian schools.

City Hall was built in 1811th in the neoclassical style. Originally, building was intended for the needs of the garrison, and later was given to a free city Sremski Karlovci. From the balcony of the building on May 15ht 1848, a decision of May Assembly had been announced, of declaration of the Serbian Autonomous Vojvodina.

Chapel of Lady of Peace was built to commemorate the Peace of Karlovac, concluded 26th January 1699 between the Holy Alliance (Austria, Poland and Venice) and Turkey.

The area in which negotiations were taking place was in the form of a Turkish tent and had a four-door, allowing the simultaneous entry of all four negotiating parties. During the negotiations for the first time in the history of diplomacy is used round table for the negotiating purposes.

Peace Chapel was built in the 1817 and the chapel, as well as the original building is shaped like a Turkish tent with a four-door, except that the east gate, on which entered the Turkish negotiators, had later been walled.

Strazilovo, today know as picnic place, was named after the watch tower which was set in this place long time ago by Karlovac municipality, in order to prevent the smuggling of goods infected with plague, which has ruled the region at the end of the eighteenth century.

On the lookout at the top of Stražilovo there is a grave of Branko Radičević, who was once a Karlovac student and one of the most gifted Serbian poets, that died very young in Vienna 1853. After 30 years, according to Branko’s wish, his remains were stored in Strazilovo.

Palace garden is a natural monument of garden architecture, built in 1848 at the initiative of the Patriarch Josif Rajačića, as a place of experimental nature practice for students in that high school.

What makes Sremski Karlovci well-known is a famous Karlovac wine, which was once served in the Vienna court and throughout Europe.