52 Weekends - June
Iriški Venac
Maybe the places close to us are the ones we find most enjoyable, just like the food that is grown where we live. If that is true, Iriški Venac needs to be revisited, as we sometimes read a book we have already read. The sea of green space at Venac in all directions provides many joys for lovers of hiking and greenery. Whether you choose a walk along the road to Zmajevac and Vrdnik, possibly in the opposite direction to the TV tower, or just to the Sloboda (Freedom) monument and the Fruška Gora National Park Information Centre, the forest will be beneficial and definitely healing everywhere.
Those who want to replace the city with a forest in a few days, but not to be deprived of many comforts, can choose the hotel Norcev *** (www.norcev.rs) for a multi-day vacation.
Gordana Stojaković
Vrdnik and all its wonders
Due to the healing properties of the thermo-mineral water, the outdoor and indoor swimming pools of the Vrdnik Spa are well-known places for recreation, rest and treatment. The use of these two pools of the Thermal Special Rehabilitation Hospital is still a service that may but does not have to be a part of another arrangement.
Near the spa complex there are many apartments, rooms, holiday homes and villas adapted to the needs and capacities of many visitors. The accommodation offer has been moved to a higher level of services by the Premier Aqua Hotel, which has two pools with thermo-mineral water, a spa and wellness centre that are at the service of both the guests of this hotel and the nearby Vrdnička kula Ethno-village. The newly built luxury complex Fruške terme, which consists of several thermal pools and an attractive Fruške terme Wellness & Spa Hotel with all the accompanying amenities, has contributed to place Vrdnik among the regional destinations with excellent amenities on the water, competitive hotel and congress offer.
Vrdnik is in the centre of the Fruška Gora National Park, so visitors can use the health trails for longer or shorter walks, or make trips to famous Fruška Gora places and picnic sites. The monastery of Vrdnička Ravanica is also in the settlement, with a church dedicated to the Christ’s Ascension, in the yard of which there is a monument to the Vrdnik fairy – Milica Stojadinović Srpkinja. The iconostasis of the church of great value is the work of Dimitrije Avramović from the middle of the 19th century. The relics of Knez Lazar, who was killed in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, were kept in the monastery for a long time.
Gordana Stojaković
Until 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 a mandatory spiritual activity. Others will, with a prior notice, go to the Sava Graorac Agricultural Farm, known for its mangulica produce and Kovilj brandy, or to Vinarija “Do kraja sveta” (“Until the End of the World” Winery).
Only a few will miss the opportunity to visit “Na kraj sveta” (“At the End of the World”), a newly built restaurant on the site of the same named, famous charda at Arkanj. A contemporary restaurant arranged in ethno-style, “Na kraj sveta” (“At the End of the World”), is adapted to the needs of different groups of visitors. Along with fish soup and other traditional specialties and appropriate wines, those who come for a family lunch, as well as those who want to rent a boat and spend an active day on the Danube will enjoy in their stay there will enjoy it (https://novisad.travel/en/single-danube/kovilj-2/).
Gordana Stojaković
An excursion to Đipša monastery, followed by visiting Athos and having lunch
In the monastery of Đipša, on the west side of Fruška Gora, you will rarely meet tourists. Those who come will therefore have the opportunity to learn about the history and values of the monastery whose church is dedicated to St. Nicholas. The small monastery complex is carefully arranged, pleasant space for a short break in nature and a few stories about the Branković’s from Srem. For those who know how to find beauty in famous places, a drive to the monastery can be full of pleasant impressions.
If you start from Novi Sad, the road will take you along the Srem bank of the Danube: Petrovaradin, Sremska Kamenica, Beočin, Čerević, Banoštor and Susek, where the restaurant-lookout Athos is located on the Koruška – Gradina stretch. On the way to Đipša, you can stop here to book a table for lunch that will be waiting for you on the way back. Athos is a place where you can stay for hours enjoying the view that captivates the sight, stretching along the mighty river and its wooded and inhabited banks.
On the way back, be sure to stop by for wine at one of the wineries in Banoštor and Čerević. And when you return to the city in peace, think about how rich and wonderfully beautiful the area of Novi Sad with Fruška Gora on its doorstep is (https://novisad.travel/manastiri/; https://novisad.travel/leto-atos-koruska/).
Gordana Stojaković
Wines of ornate Srem
The southern rim of the Novi Sad tourist area consists of the northern branches of Fruška Gora area, which gently 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 stretch, has areas under vineyards, and the wines made here exude the strength of the climate and the love of winemakers, who inherit a long tradition of winemaking and viticulture.
The modern assortment for white Fruška Gora wines production consists of: Italian Riesling, Chardonnay, Župljanka, Sauvignon, Traminer, Neoplanta, Sila, Rhine Riesling, etc., and for red wines: Merlot, Probus, Frankovka, Portuguiser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, etc.
This wine trail that follows the course of the Danube on the Srem side is exceptionally full of contents with its motives and tourist attractions. Many will not miss the opportunity to visit the monastery Beočin, the churches of Čerević – St. Josephs’ and St. Sava’s, Homeland Museum of Čerević, Banoštor sights – Church of St. George, built during the Great Migration of the 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 picnic site, or to hike along one of the marked Fruška Gora trails. However, wine is in the lead role here, and this is confirmed by about twenty wineries and wine cellars, including: Vinarija Prekogačić (Prekogačić Winery), Vinarija Belo Brdo (Belo Brdo Winery), Vinski podrum Žabić (Žabić Wine Cellar), Vinarija Verkat (Verkat Winery), Podrum Ačanski (Ačanski Wine Cellar), Fruškogorski vinogradi (Fruška Gora Vineyards), Vinarija Šijački (Šijački Winery), Vinarija Vinarium (Vinarium Winery), Akademia Modele, Podrum Stojković (Stojković Wine Cellar), Podrum Urošević (Urošević Wine Cellar) and others. In the last decades, the wines of these Fruška Gora wineries have become more and more regularly the choice of wine lovers, and wine trips to Fruška Gora are experiences that will be remembered for a long time.
You can find more details at the following link: https://novisad.travel/vinski-put-2/
Gordana Stojaković