Novi Sad City Hall

18th century On 1 February 1748, Novi Sad gained the status of a royal free city of the Kingdom of Hungary within the Austrian Empire, yet it lacked an administrative building. The Magistrate was first housed in the rented house of senator Peter Ferenci. The so-called Ferencijana (or Domus Ferenciana) was located at the site of the current city hall at the main city square. On 3 January 1895, the first meeting of the Assembly was held in the ceremonial hall, which would later be the gathering spot for the famous Novi Sad balls that lasted until the end of the Second World War. On 5 November 2024, protests over the canopy collapse disaster that occurred at the Novi Sad railway station were held in front of the railway station and other locations in Novi Sad such as Freedom Square, leading to clashes with police and at least twelve people, ten of whom were police officers, being injured. Projectiles and red paint were thrown at the regional offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and later at the city hall, vandalizing the exterior and interior of the buildings. At least nine people were arrested, along with the former president of Inđija municipality Goran Ješić, member of Bravo movement Miran Pogačar, and member of Heroes movement Miša Bačulov. The incident prompted a visit by Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić. ==Characteristics==

The representative neo-renaissance palace with the tower is one of the most beautiful and representative buildings in the city. The front façade is owned by a protruding avant-corps with strong columns decorated with plaster stucco and an arcade on the ground floor. The center of the building is designed as an atrium space, which in modern times was covered and transformed into an administrative area. The façade of the palace, especially the window frames of the first floor feature beautiful allegorical figures of Greek goddesses. The sculptures were made by local sculptors Julije Anika and Jovan Kistner. On all four corners of the palace there are four-flux domes partially sheltered by low atoms, and above the avant-corps is a penthouse flat roof. The building is dominated by a tall tower with a balcony on which is placed a replica of the Matilda bell from 1907. The courtyard façade of the building is simple, with no decorative elements, with a series of windows that allow daylight to the upstairs corridors. The layout of the premises within the facility is in the administrative business function. From a crisscrossed hall with pillars on the ground floor, a representative staircase with a walled balustrade leads to the first floor. The ceremonial hall on the first floor has a taped ceiling, with richly decorated walls with stucco-decorations and painted compositions by the local painter Pavle Ružička from 1911. The wall compositions show a variety of human activities, such as field work, chimney factories, hay wagons, craft making, and trade. After the Second World War, one of the paintings was replaced by the state coat of arms. The building is well preserved and maintained throughout the centuries. ==In popular media==

Square of Violence is an American drama film shot in Novi Sad in 1961. The film is set in Italy during the Second World War, with major events shot at Freedom Square in Star Grad neighborhood, along with several scenes inside the city hall. ==Gallery==

Image:Konkursni plan zgrade Gradske kuće u Novom Sadu arhitekte Jozef Coceka.jpg|Proposed plan for City Hall in Novi Sad by Jozef Cocek, 1890 Image:Razglednica Novog Sada 4.jpg|Postcard of Novi Sad, 1897 Image:Újvidék Városháza 1900.jpg|City Hall at Franz Joseph Square (now Freedom Square), 1900 Image:Razglednica Novog Sada 1.jpg|Postcard of City Hall, 1917 Image:Novi Sad mayor office.jpg|Mayor office written in Serbian, Hungarian, Slovak, and Rusyn, November 2006 Image:Novi Sad 2010 (4836668377).jpg|City Hall, July 2010 Image:Gradska kuca u Novom Sadu.jpg|City Hall, September 2012 Image:Gradska kuca u Novom Sadu.JPG|City Hall façade details, September 2012 Image:Novi Sad (29841903470).jpg|City Hall at night, October 2016 Image:Gradska kuca u Novom Sadu 2.jpg|City Hall at night, December 2019 Image:Wiki.Vojvodina II Freedom Square (Novi Sad) 069.jpg|City Hall façade details, May 2020 Image:Wiki.Vojvodina II Freedom Square (Novi Sad) 068.jpg|City coat of arms on City Hall, May 2020 Image:Wiki.Vojvodina III Freedom Square (Novi Sad) 223.jpg|City Hall entrance passage, June 2020 Image:Wiki.Vojvodina III Pozorišni trg (Novi Sad) 227.jpg|City Hall from Pozorišni Trg (Theater Square), June 2020 Image:Gradska kuća u NS 02.jpg|City Hall from Kralja Aleksandra street, September 2020 Image:City house Novi Sad.jpg|City Hall at night, February 2021 Image:Novi Sad City Hall 01.jpg|City Hall main entrance, October 2022 Image:Gradska kuca u Novom Sadu 1.jpg|City Hall, November 2022 Image:20230429.Ansichten in Novi Sad.-046.15.jpg|City Hall, April 2023 == See also ==