Petrovaradin fortress
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Petrovaradin fortress (Serbian: Петроварадинска тврђава or Petrovaradinska tvrđava) is a fortress on the Danube river, near Novi Sad in the Serbian province of Vojvodina. The cornerstone of the present-day southern part of the fortress was laid on October 18th, 1692, by Prince Croy. The Petrovaradin fortress has many underground passages as well (16 Km of underground countermine system).
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[edit] History
Recent archeological discoveries have offered a new perspective not only on the history of Petrovaradin, but on the entire region. At the Upper Fortress, the remains of a earlier Paleolithic settlement dating from 19,000 to 15,000 B.C. has been discovered. With this new development it has been established that their has been a continuous settlement at this site from the Paleolithic age to the present. During the excavations carried out in 2005, archeologists also discovered another significant find. Examining remains from the early Bronze age (circa 3000 B.C.), ramparts were discovered which testify that already at that time a fortified settlement existed at the Petrovaradin site.
The first larger fortifications were created with the arrival of the Romans who built the fortress (Cusum) which was a part of the fortified borders (Limes) along the Danube.
The turning point in the history of the area came in 1235 when King Bela IV of Hungary brought a group of the Order of Cistercians from France. This order of monks built the monastery Belakut upon the remains of the Roman fortress of Cusum. The walls of this monastery were built between 1247 and 1252 and represent the fortifications at this sight during the middle ages.
The fortress was strengthened due to the threat of Turkish invasion. However the fortress fell after a two week siege in 1526.
[edit] Austrian Turkish wars
The Austrian Army captured Petrovaradin after 150 years of Turkish control during the Great Turkish War in 1687. The Austrians began to tear down the old fortress and build new fortifications according to contemporary standards.
In 1692, the Krieghofrath ordered engineers to Petrovaradin to investigate the area in order to build a new fortress. Count Keysersfeld received both financial and personnel support.
The first plans for the fortress were designed by the engineer Colonel Count Mathias Keyserfeld, and afterwards by Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli (1659-1730). The works in the field were led by the engineer Colonel Michael Wamberg who died in 1703 and was buried in the church of the Franciscan monastery which today serves as part of the present day military hospital.
On September 9, 1694, the Grand Vezier Surmeli Ali-Pasha arrived at the Petrovaradin fortress from Belgrade. A siege of 23 days was laid on, however poor weather conditions in October forced the Turkish forces to retreat towards Belgrade with their task left unfinished.
The victory of the Austrians under the command of Prince Eugen von Savoy at Senta on September 11, 1697 resulted in creating the conditions for the conclusion of the peace at Karlowitz in 1699.
A new war with the Turks was immanent. The Austrian lack of interest in war, plus the war reparations suggested by the Austrians to the Turks in the interest of the Venetian Republic all served as reasons for the renewal of Turkish aggression towards Austria. In order to prepare for the upcoming battle, Prince Savoy ordered the concentration of Austrian troops around Futog under the temporary command of Count Johan Palffy. Prince Savoy arrived personally on July 9. The entire Austrian army numbered 76,000 troops. In the meantime, the Turkish army concentrated 150,000 troops at Belgrade. The decisive battle between the Austrian and Turkish armies took place on August 5, 1716 at Petrovaradin. The Austrians were led by Prince Savoy and the Turks were under the command of Grand Vizier Damad Ali Pasha. The victory of the Austrian army signaled the end of the Turkish threat to central Europe.
[edit] Further Works on the Petrovaradin Fortress
New plans were developed in 1751 and major works began in 1753 and lasted until 1776. When these works were under way, engineer Major Albrecht Heinrich Schroeder proposed a branched system of anti-mine tunnels to the High Military Council in early 1764. In March of the same year the plan was approved, but their construction was delayed for a number of years. During his visit to the Petrovaradin Fortress in May, 1768, Kaiser Joseph II observed a military exercise with mine equipment carried out in his honor. The construction of this system of tunnels, having four levels, was completed in 1776 and the total length of the system was 16 kilometers (10 miles).
[edit] The Fortress in the 19th and 20th Century
After the completion of the Petrovaradin Fortress, there was never any further threat from Turkish forces. The last offensive military role the fortress was to play was during the Hungarian Revolution in 1849, when Austrian troops tried to force the Fortress to surrender after a blockade. The answer came in the form of the shelling of Novi Sad on June 12, when two-thirds of the city was destroyed.
During the following period, the Fortress served as a military barracks and storage facility. Following World War I, Petrovaradin became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Later known as Yugoslavia).
During these years, the old fortresses at Belgrade, Osijek, Karlovac and Slavonski Brod which were built in the 17th century were razed due to the fact that they had lost their military significance. The engineer Colonel Dragos Djelosevic, who was responsible for the destruction of the fortresses decided to save Petrovaradin because it was, to him, far too beautiful to suffer the fate of the other fortresses. Ironically, it was due to the man in charge of destroying the old fortresses that the fortress at Petrovaradin remained intact.
[edit] Images
 Petrovaradin fortress - Upper and lower Ludwig's bastion |
 Leopold's powder magazine |
 The Royal gate |
 Underground passages |
 Underground passages |
 EXIT festival |
[edit] References
- Petrovaradin, Enciklopedija Novog Sada, knjiga 20, Novi Sad, 2002
- Henderson, Nicholas. Prince Eugene of Savoy. Phoenix Press. 2002
- Zvonimir Vuković, Igor Novaković, Petrovaradin juče, danas, сутра; Novi Sad, 2005
- Marko Kljajić, Sveti Juraj u Petrovaradinu, Petrovaradin, 2004.
- Stari Novi Sad I, Književna zajednica Novog Sada, Novi Sad, 1991.
- Živko Marković, Novi Sad i Petrovaradin, Novi Sad, 1984.
- "Kulturno-privredni pregled Dunavske banovine" br. 5 i 6, Novi Sad, 1939.
