Fruška Gora National Park

Fruška Gora is an isolated ridge about eighty kilometres long rising to 539 metres out of the otherwise flat Pannonian plain, and it was an island in the Pannonian Sea, which is why fossils turn up in its slopes. It was declared a national park in 1960 and is covered in lime, oak and beech forest, cut by marked walking trails and by a road along the crest that cyclists use. What distinguishes it is the monasteries: sixteen survive of a larger number founded from the fifteenth century onward, when the ridge became a refuge for Orthodox monastic life, and several hold significant frescoes and icon screens. Vineyards run along the southern slopes and the villages below them make wine. Novi Sad sits at the northern foot, so the whole park is a short trip from the city.

History

The Romans took the area in 31 AD and built border forts along the Danube on its northern side, and the Franks, who later held it as the southern edge of their empire, gave the mountain its name. A notable group of Serbian medieval monasteries grew up here, and the poet Branko Radičević was reburied at Stražilovo in 1883 (Wikipedia, Fruška Gora).

The landscape

• The monasteries - sixteen Orthodox houses scattered through the forest.
• Ridge forest - lime, oak and beech over the whole crest.
• Vineyard slopes - wine villages along the southern edge.
• Marked trails - a well-used network of walking and cycling routes.

When to go

April to October; May for wildflowers and orchid meadows, September and October for vintage and colour. The park is used year round by walkers from Novi Sad. Some monasteries limit visiting hours.

Before you go

The hills are gentle and the walking is easy rather than dramatic; anyone expecting mountains will be underwhelmed. Monasteries are working communities with dress codes and restricted photography. A car helps, as public transport between the monasteries is sparse. Weekends bring heavy day-trip traffic.

Nearby

Krušedol monastery is in the park; Sremski Karlovci lies at its eastern end.

Key facts