The day when Europe defended itself from the Ottomans
On the occasion of the historic Jubilee – 300 years since the Battle of Petrovaradin, famous battle on Vezirac (1716-2016), The Museum of Novi Sad has prepared an attractive exhibition by Mr. Sinisa Jokic MA, curator-historian, dedicated to this very important event.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for tonight at 8 PM, because on this day in 1716, Prince Eugene of Savoy and his army in Racka varos, former Novi Sad, celebrated a great victory over the Ottomans.
Educational exhibition with original objects from the distant past with great reconstructions of the tent of the grand vizier, uniforms, flags, large colorful reproductions of old battle plans, thematic texts and the works of art on the theme of battle and Eugene of Savoy, is set in the impressive gallery of the Atrium in the Museum at the Petrovaradin fortress.
On the day of the anniversary of the battle on Friday August 5th, Member of the City Council for culture, Mr. Dalibor Rozic, and Assistant Mayor of Novi Sad, Mr. Aleksandar Petrović, attended the laying of wreaths at the monument on the hill Vezirac, in the presence of the Knights of the Knights Order of “St. George „from Austria. The event, supported by the City of Novi Sad, was organized by Association “Vezirac 1716 “ and was also attended by the ambassadors of Hungary, Austria, Turkey and representatives of the European Union Delegation to Serbia and the Provincial Government.
– The Battle of Petrovaradin, according to historians, was one of the largest that have taken place in this area, and had a huge impact on the socio-political conditions of the time. It speaks of the maturity of a society and therefore it is good to cherish the memory of crucial historical events that determined the direction of demographic, geographic, or civilization movements. However, it is such an important opportunity to emphasize a policy of peace, tolerance and mutual respect as the only one true – said a Member of the City Council for Culture, Mr. Dalibor Rozic.
– This is a significant event for Novi Sad which is in the finish of the candidacy for the title of European Capital of Culture 2021, and we as an association „Vezirac“ closely cooperate in this project which is of great importance for our city and we welcome the initiative and decision of the City of Novi Sad and the Organizing Committee of the ECoC to involve non-governmental organizations and civil societies in the process of candidacy. Not every city can be proud of its past and to be able to say that a battle in which Europe was defended exactly three centuries ago took place here. It was one of the greatest battles in history between the Ottoman Empire and Austria, and certainly one of the most important for the subsequent course of history all over Europe because the battle stopped penetration and ambition of the Ottoman Empire to conquer Europe, especially Vienna, said on the occasion of the Great Jubilee Mr. Petar Mudri, President of the association „Vezirac“ which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
On the occasion of this anniversary, the organizer of the event has prepared an exclusive gift – 40 facsimiles of original documents from the Ottoman Museum in Istanbul relating to the period before and after the Battle of Vezirac, which are now for the first time presented to the public in Serbia.
To add, Petar Mudri is participating in the project EU Danube Strategy, and recently has participated in the Conference of local governments “BACID“ in Vienna where he met with Mr. Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, who in their later correspondence confirmed that he fully supports the candidacy of Novi Sad for the European Capital of Culture 2021, and that during his next visit to Serbia he will visit Novi Sad again.
