52 Weekends - June
Iriški Venac
Perhaps it is the spaces that are close to us that are most pleasant, just like the food that is grown close to where we live. If this is true, then Iriški Venac needs to be visited time and again, like an old book we read often.
The sea of green in all directions on Venac provides an abundance of joy for the lovers of hiking and greenery. Iriški Venac is one of the most visited excursion sites in the Fruška gora National Park, 20 kilometers from Novi Sad.
In the Resource Center of the National Park, you can get information and suggestions for tours, but also visit the natural exhibition with many interesting item.
The most recognizable feature of Iriški Venac is the Freedom monument, the most monumental symbol of the National Liberation Struggle on Fruška Gora.
In the vicinity of the monument there is a circular Educational Trail 850 meters long with boards explaining the most famous natural and cultural-historical values of Fruška Gora, and on the trail there is a lookout – a wooden observation tower called Crni Čot, offering a view of Novi Sad and the surrounding area.
We also recommend that you take a walk along the new 5.5 km Trim Trail, which extends from the Info Center of the Fruška Gora National Park and extends to the Sloboda Monument and the Norcev Hotel. Within the large circle, there is a smaller circle about 3.5 km long with exercise equipment.
Nearby is the Ruben’s Circle, a circular memorial footpath 7 km long, dedicated to the former member of the Rotary Club Novi Sad, a humanist and a great lover of nature, Ruben Dajč (1947-2019).
After the hike, you can rest and satisfy your hunger at the Restoran na Vencu, in an ambience of greenery with many grilled dishes and house specialties. This restaurant is especially recognizable for its venison dishes. For those who want to trade the city for the forest in a few days, but not deprive themselves of many amenities, they can choose the nearby Norcev Hotel for several days of vacation.
Text: Gordana Stojaković
Vrdnik and all its miracles
The outdoor and indoor pool of the Vrdnik Spa, due to the healing properties of thermal mineral water, are well-known places for recreation, rest and treatment. The use of these two pools of Termal, the Special Hospital for Rehabilitation, is still a service that may or may not be part of another arrangement.
Near the spa complex there are many apartments, rooms, holiday houses and villas adapted to the needs and possibilities of many visitors. The offer of accommodation was moved to a higher level of service by the Premier Aqua Hotel, which has two pools with thermal mineral water, a spa and wellness center that are at the service of guests of this hotel and the nearby Vrdnička Kula ethno-village.
The luxurious complex of Fruške Terme Mövenpick Resort & Spa, which consists of several thermal pools and an attractive Wellness and Spa hotel with all accompanying facilities, has contributed to Vrdnik being counted among the regional destinations with excellent water facilities, competitive hotel and congress accommodation offers.
Vrdnik is in the center of the Fruška Gora National Park, so visitors can use the wellness trails for a longer or shorter walk, or make trips to the famous Fruška Gora excursion sites. The settlement is also home to Vrdnička Ravanica Monastery with a church dedicated to the Ascension of Christ, in the courtyard of which is a monument to the Nymph of Vrdnik – Milica Stojadinović Srpkinja. The iconostasis of a church is of great value and it is the work of Dimitrije Avramović from the middle of the 19th century. The relics of Prince Lazar, killed in 1389 in the Battle of Kosovo, were kept in the monastery for a long time.
Text: Gordana Stojaković
To the End of the World in Kovilj
It is always good to come to Kovilj. For many, a visit to the Upper and Lower Churches, especially the Kovilj Monastery, will be an obligatory spiritual quest. Others will, with prior notice, go to the Sava Graorac Farm, known for its mangulica [1]products and Kovilj rakija.
Only a few will miss the opportunity to visit Na Kraj Sveta (To the end of the world), a restaurant on the site of the eponymous, once famous under the name of Arkanj Čarda. The contemporary ethno-style restaurant, Na Kraj Sveta, can meet the needs of various groups of visitors. In addition to fish broth and other traditional specialties and wines, you can enjoy a family lunch, or you might want to rent a boat and spend an active day on the Danube (https://novisad.travel/single-dunav/kovilj/).
Text: Gordana Stojaković
[1] A regional, somewhat rare nowadays, breed of domestic pig.
Trip to Đipša Monastery, then to Atos for lunch
In the Đipša Monastery, on the western side of Fruška gora, you will rarely meet tourists. Those who do come will have the opportunity to follow, without haste, the unpretentious interpretation of a kind nun regarding the history and values of the monastery whose church is dedicated to St. Nicolas. The small monastery complex is a carefully decorated, pleasant space, ideal for a short break in nature and for a story about the Branković family of Srem. For those who know how to find beauty in familiar spaces, a drive to the monastery can be full of pleasant impressions.
If you start from Novi Sad, the road will lead you along the Srem bank of the Danube: Petrovaradin, Sremska Kamenica, Beočin, Čerević, Banoštor and Susek, where the Atos restaurant-viewpoint is located, in the Koruška-Gradine area. On the way to Đipša, you can stop here to book a lunch table that will be waiting for you on the way back. Atos is a place where you can stay for hours enjoying the all-conquering view, stretching along the mighty river and its wooded and populated banks.
On the way back, be sure to stop for wine at one of the wineries in Banoštor and Čerević. And when you return to the city in the evening, think about how rich and wonderfully beautiful is the Novi Sad area with Fruška Gora on its doorstep (https://novisad.travel/manastiri/; https://novisad.travel/leto-atos-koruska/).
Text: Gordana Stojaković
Wines of ornate Srem
The southern edge of the Novi Sad tourist area consists of the northern branches of Fruška Gora, which carefully descend towards the Danube. Wine has been mass produced and celebrated here for more than two millennia. Today, almost every corner of the northern slopes of Fruška Gora on the Novi Sad – Beočin – Čerević – Banoštor line has areas under vineyards, and the wines made here exude the strength of the climate and the love of their makers, who inherit a long tradition of winemaking and viticulture.
Modern assortment of the white wines produces on Fruška Gora include: Italian Riesling, Chardonnay, Župljanka, Sauvignon, Traminac, then Neoplanta, Sila, Rhine Riesling, etc., and red wines are: Merlot, Probus, Blaufränkisch, Portugieser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Red, etc.
This wine route, which follows the course of the Danube on the Srem side, has a rich offer of tourist attractions. Many will not miss the opportunity to visit the Beočin Monastery, the church of St. Joseph and St. Sava in Čerević, Homeland Museum of Čerević, Banoštor landmarks: Church of St. George, built in the time of the Great Migration of Serbs under Arsenije Čarnojević and the ruins of the Church of St. Rudolph from 1913.
Nature lovers can decide to spend time at the Andrevlje excursion site, or to hike one of the marked Fruška Gora trails. However, wine is the protagonist around here, confirmed by about twenty wineries and wine cellars, including: Prekogačić Winery, Belo Brdo Winery, Žabić Wine Cellar, Verkat Winery, Ačanski Cellar, Fruška Gora Vineyards, Šijački Winery, Vinarium Winery, Akademia Modele, Stojković Cellar, Urošević Cellar, etc. In recent decades, the wines of these Fruška Gora wineries have increasingly become the choice of wine lovers, and wine tours to the Fruška Gora become an experience that will be remembered for a long time to come.
More details at the following link: https://novisad.travel/vinski-put-2/
Text: Gordana Stojaković
Salaši are the shining stars of the plain
Wherever you go from Novi Sad, towards Futog and Begeč, towards Kovilj, or towards Fruška Gora, you will find isolated worlds created on family estates that include a house, a garden, often a large piece of land, sometimes forests. These are salaši – places under the sun that preserve the memory of a past life on the plains, if not otherwise, then through the stories and family photos.
Salaši are points in the cosmos where, while walking barefoot on the grass in the yard, you regain the interrupted flow of vital energy. Add in the pleasurable feeling after a salaš lunch, or a good sleep in the guest room, perhaps even a nap on the sofa set in the porch. There are also salaši that have retained the aesthetics of the former estates on which they were created, but they are quite adapted to the needs of modern demand. Whichever type you decide on, it will be a choice that is tailored to you.
Salaši are also places where you can experience the old way of life through numerous activities. Many salaši organize cooking classes, teaching people to prepare food or sweets such as quince cheese, jams, ajvar[1], cakes, or even to distill brandy, but they can also offer other teambuilding facilities and activities.
You can explore the recommended salaši at the following link: https://novisad.travel/salasi/
Text: Gordana Stojaković
[1] A condiment made principally from sweet bell peppers and eggplants, popular in Southern Europe.