Serbian city Novi Sad became Capital of Culture 2022

News

Serbia, a small country located in the center of Balkan peninsula, is rich with history. Her northern part, called Vojvodina, has unique and interesting backstory. This was the region where several different cultures intertwined, paralleled and in the end developed a special cultural background of this region.

Novi Sad, the second largest city in the country and the capital of the northern region, was elected for the title of Capital of Culture for the year 2022. This idea was first announced back in the 2020, however the Covid-19 pandemic postponed the whole idea until now. 

When the Capital of Culture title was created in 1985 by the Greek and French minister of culture, it aimed at connecting people. The main goal was to highlight and raise awareness of cultural heritage and values. Novi Sad is a prime example for this manifestation and here is why.

Firstly, these lands were primarily settled by Hungarians in the Medieval period. As Ottoman empire advanced further towards north during the 15th and 16th century conquests, Serbs started fleeing and populating this area. It represented an ideal place for the people to settle, since it had a lot of the fertile, deserted land that was ready for building their new homes. So, the roots of modern heritage of Novi Sad started. Later on in history, this city became the cultural center of this region and Serbian people, since the Habsburg rulers, permitted high levels of local and cultural autonomy to the local people.  

Now, Novi Sad is among the first cities outside the European Union to hold this title. The main theme during this event will be “Four New Bridges”. There will be four areas that will provide local citizens and visitors with various cultural programs all year long. The aim of this event is to further support Novi Sad in its desire to develop its strategy for sustainable development. This will strengthen local cultural institutions and participation of people in such events.

The opening ceremony of this manifestation was held last week, as part of the legacy project “Doček” (en. Reception). Doček is the event where two New Years, from two different calendars are celebrated. This included various performing and visual arts, which will include intercultural characteristic of the city of Novi Sad. Celebration of this type is a needed in every multicultural society, in order to connect different people and show how different cultures can be brought together. In the following months, Novi Sad will also be a stage for around 4,000 different artists and other similar groups, which will further deepen this event.

This title was obtained thanks to the hard work of local institutions, who were praised in the reports that lead Novi Sad to being elected Capital of Culture. This city cultural institutions are among the few, which have laid out five-year plan for development. The city of Novi Sad is an inspiration for all cities, not only in Serbia, but also in the whole region who strive for more cultural development. (photo credit:Petar Ubiparip/Pixabay)