Vršac

Eighty five kilometres away from Belgrade at the borders of Romanian Transylvania, a town of 40,000 population being a long time the economic and cultural centre of the region. Vrsac has been known by its young and fruited wine, but also by its agreeable climate. In fact, lent to the greenish hills of Vrsacki Breg (641 m high) the town has been emanating an agreeable atmosphere favourable to walks. Thus, passing the palaces and churches constructed in XIX century, then the hills till the height of the town, wherefrom there is a splendid view of the planes of Banat. This greenish framework and the clean air at an hour on the road from the Serbian capital have been explaining numerous sport successes of the national teams in the basket ball and the volley ball, as well as the first most Westward hotel in Serbia-Montenegro.

History

Since the Middle Ages Vrsac has been the capital of Banat, and its contacts with Romania had always allowed it to develop a flourishing commerce. This is what could be seen in the beauty and richness of particular public buildings.
Since the Neolithic period the site of Vrsac, like those of Vatin and Mesic in the close environment, had developed a particular form of dwelling and of the community life. In the Roman period the hill of Vrsac had been utilised to install a watch tower, and nowadays this is a favourite place to the inhabitants to take walks in. This particular place has been explaining the development of a commercial town since the XIV century when the name of the town appeared for the first time in the official register. In XIV and XV centuries the town had alternatively passed from the Serbian suzerainty to the Hungarian domination. Between 1552 and 1717 Vrsac had been under the Turkish domination. In that period there were two towns: the Serbian upper town and the German lower town. In 1804 the Austrian Emperor had granted to it the status of a free town. This would give the town a commercial impulse. In XIX century it had got many theatres and lyceums and had seen the flourishing of great Serbian names of arts and literature: the painters Nikola Neskovic and Paja Jovanovic, the dramaturge Jovan Popovic, and additionally the poet Vasko Popa. Still today there are numerous cultural manifestations such as the “Golden Autumns” or the “Biennale of the Youth”. They are the signs of a never stopped vitality

THE TOURIST SITES

Monuments

MAGISTRAT – Mayoralty. In what today is the Mayoralty there is a surprising edifice being the symbol of the town. Constructed in 1860 by the German engineer from Temisuara, this red and white palace overhead by a very Venetian dome in a corner has been of the purest New Art style.

COFMANOVA PALATA – Cofman’s Palace. In front of the Mayoralty a larger neo-Renaissance edifice built in 1872 by the brewer Jovan Cofman destined to receive his offices and to represent his beer brand this two story had later served as a merchant gallery with the shops rented by the rich German entrepreneurs.

VLADICANSKI DVOR – The Bishop’s Palace, Dvorska ulica 20. This very nice neoclassical palace had been built from 1750 to 1757 by the orthodox bishop Jovan Georgijevic to establish here the residence of the eparchy of Banat. With the chapel of St. Michael and Gabriel the palace makes an ensemble approaching the palaces of Venice, with its monumental entrance in the forged iron and its slate roof in the selected shapes. In the inside the chapel contains an iconostasis in the baroque style organized around a great representation of Christ. It has been the work by the painter Nikola Neskovic. In the palace there has been a gallery with the pictures of the bishops since the XVIII century, as well as numerous manuscripts and religious objects.

KULA Donjon. On the hill dominating the East of the town there is a donjon from the XV century offering a magnificent view. Seventeen meters high and 6 meters wide, this tower, constructed in the place of the Roman garrison made part of the destroyed fortress of the “Belgrade Peace” signed by Turks and Austrians in 1739. In fact, the Turks having been engaged three times to take it, had lost it finally in 1717 to the Eugene of Savoy troops. This is today the favourite by the people of the town.

Churches

SVETI NIKOLA - The orthodox cathedral. Recognizable by its baroque clock tower, the church St. Nicholas had been erected between 1785 and 1805, the time it had been promoted a cathedral. This ensemble, a sole whole, in the shape of an inverse boat contains the treasury of the Serbian religious paintings, with an iconostasis painted by Pavel Djurkovic, the wall paintings by masters Jaksic and Popovic, not to forget two great pictures by the celebrated Paja Jovanovic. One should also notice ten icons by Nikola Neskovic.

SVETI GERHARD – A catholic church. Constructed in 1861 in the neo-gothic style, its façade interesting by two high and pointed belfries, as well as the great rosette elements infrequent in these regions. The Viennese architect wanted to give it the gothic elements: the elevated columns and the Latin cross. In the inside the glass cases and numerous sculptures reminding the belonging to this medieval period.

USPENSKA – The church of the Virgin’s Dream. This little church had been constructed in many stages. The main body had been finished in 1764, but one had to wait until 1786 to see the belfry. Erected in 1814. the roof is typically baroque. One should see the inside for its iconostasis realised by Arsa Teodorovic aided by the painters Josif Rakov and Aksentije Popovic.