Novi Sad

Novi Sad, city in north-western Serbia, on the River Danube near Belgrade. Novi Sad is the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is the commercial centre of an important agricultural area. Industries include the manufacturing of electrochemical equipment, industrial porcelain, confectionery, and agricultural machinery. Novi Sad also has factories engaged in the manufacture of electrical equipment, textiles, chemicals, and pottery.

Founded in 1670, the city was the cultural centre of the Serbs in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was incorporated into the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) in 1918. After Yugoslavia broke apart in 1992, the city became part of the newly founded nation of Serbia and Montenegro and it remained part of Serbia following Montenegro’s declaration of independence in 2006. During the 1999 Kosovo conflict the city of Novi Sad was bombed by NATO forces and significantly damaged. All the bridges crossing the Danube were destroyed. Population 190,602 (2002).