The tourism region of Banat has many tourist attractions.
The term Banat applies to a geographical region spreading across 3 countries – Romania, Hungary, and Serbia, with the city of Timisoara as the historical capital. Serbian Banat is located in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and its largest city is Zrenjanin. This part of Banat used to be referred to as Tamiš Banat, or Timisoara Bvanat.rski Banat.
Nature attractions in Banat
Banat has a lot of natural attractions at its disposal, especially the ones near water, as well as Vršac Mountains which literally “spoil” the plains of Banat. The most famous, and the most commonly visited nature attraction is Carska Bara. This nature reserve, which is listed as a UNESCO site, and is also a part of Ramsar Convention, is located in the vicinity of Zrenjanin, between the rivers Tisa and Begej.
If you are a tourist whose motivation for choosing a travel destination includes bird watching, photo safari, or a boat ride, with a guide who is familiar with every corner of this unique swamp with abundance of rare bird species and a large amount of various plants, Carska Bara is a destination that needs to be on your list.
Special nature reserve Slano Kopovo is located near Novi Bečej. This reserve is one of many wetland territories in Banat. This region is one of the most important bird habitats and represents a popular attraction with organized photo safari and birdwatching. By paying a visit to Slano Kopovo you will get an opportunity to see different species of mammals, mostly the ones that are on the protected species list.
Vršac and Vršac Hill
Vršac is located in Southern Banat and it is one of the biggest cities in this region. The city of Vršac with its wider city region makes a complex offer because except for the city itself with its landmarks and festivals, it includes Vršac Mountains and Vršac vineyards.
The attraction you absolutely have to see when in Vršac is the Bishop’s Palace. This is the oldest Bishop’s palace belonging to the Serbian Orthodox church and the only one that was built during the baroque period. The palace is the residence of Banat’s bishops and it holds a large collection of manuscripts, icons, and books.
Vršac mountains, or as some call it, Vršac Hill, is the primary getaway place for the locals, as well as the tourists who visit this Banat city. The highest peak in Vojvodina is located here – the Gudurica Peak, at 641m above the sea level. Vršac Hill is a remain of what used to be an island in the Pannonian Sea. By visiting this landmark you will be able to see the panorama of Vršac, Vojvodina and Romania. The mountains also offer extreme sports, especially paragliding.
The Vršac tower is surely the most well-known attraction on Vršac hill, and probably the most well-known symbol of Vršac and its region. From the tower you will be able to get a wonderful view of the city. The tower was built in 15th century, and it is believed to have been built by Đurađ Branković after the fall of Smederevo, with the goal to protect his properties on the territory of Vojvodina from the Ottoman invasion. The best preserved part of this fortress is Donžon tower, 20m high, which has recently been completely restored.
Vineyards and wineries of the Vršac region
The Vršac region, alongside the Fruška Gora region and Subotica Sands, belongs to the most developed regions in Vojvodina, and its wine has been known for its quality all over Serbia and the Balkans. At the end of 19th century these vineyards were the largest in the whole Europe, until they were completely destroyed by phylloxera.
Nowadays there are a lot of wine cellars and wineries in this region that you can visit, as well as take part in the wine tasting, or join the farmworkers in picking grapes and later get familiar with the process of wine production. By far the most famous wine is the Banat riesling, which is widely known and is made of an autochthon kind of white grapes – kreaca, which originates from vineyards near Vršac. Wine made of kreaca is very refreshening and the taste resembles Italian riesling.
Whether you are a wine and grapes connoisseur, or simply somebody who enjoys wine, you should visit these wineries: Konte Valone, Sočanski, and Marinković winery.
Festivals in Banat
The most visited festivals in Banat are “Beer Days” in Zrenjanin, and “Assumption of Mary Days” in Novi Bečej.
“Beer Days” in Zrenjanin are a traditional festival that takes place annually at the end of summer on the main city square. If you like beer and exquisite cuisine, as well as live rock concerts, you should make use of the nice summer weather and visit this festival.
“Assumption of Mary Days” is the largest festival in Banat. It takes place in Novi Bečej, during the celebration of a christian holiday – the Assumption of Virgin Mary, on August 28. The festival spreads across a couple of days, when Novi Bečej receives a lot of visitors. During the day there are competitions in cooking fish soup and a competition of traditional string orchestras, while in the evening there are concerts of popular Serbian, Hungarian, and regional bands and artists.
Naive art gallery
Naive art is well known worldwide and it’s closely connected to the Slovak nation. Naive art gallery is located in Kovačica, where the majority of inhabitants are Slovaks, and therefore the gallery itself was founded by Slovaks. The gallery in Kovačica is commonly called “the world capital of naive painting”, mainly thanks to Zuzana Halupova and Martin Jonaš, whose oil on canvas are a part of the permanent exhibition in the gallery.
The Mihajlo Pupin Museum
Mihajlo Pupin was a well-known Serbian scientist, inventor and professor on the prestigious Columbia University and is the most famous person from Banat. While living in the United States of America he added Idvorski to his last name, which shows how much he loved his hometown Idvor and his ancestry.
The house in which he was born is located in Idvor and is a the part of the Museum complex which is dedicated to Pupin. The house was renovated in 2004, on the 150th anniversary of Pupin’s birth. Some of his most important inventions can be seen in the elementary school which he himself attended, accompanied by a professional guide.
