“Welcome to Gradić, the Lower Town of the Petrovaradin Fortress. This is the place where of the history modern Novi Sad began, as well as my life.
When you cross the bridge, just below the Drunk Clock, Gradić is located. The town is more than two hundred years old. It persisted intense moments in history. In order to show it to the generations to come, it is necessary to protect it.
I don’t think I understood this place in the best way while I was growing up, I didn’t give it enough importance. This was our safe place.
“Watch the car!”. These are the words we have not heard many times while playing in the side streets. We were carefree, we enjoyed our childhood here. It was like that everywhere, except in one – the main street.
I remember: for a very long time I didn’t dare to cross that street alone, because cars were always speeding. This didn’t change.
The moment when I felt safe in the main street for the first time was when it was closed to traffic due to the EXIT festival.
Everything slowed down. Instead of fast cars, there was a river of people on the street who sang, rejoiced and enjoyed themselves. I wondered why it couldn’t be like this every day.
Today I am aware of the importance of this place. There is an initiative among the residents to turn our neighbourhood into a pedestrian area. I have decided to support this initiative.
I decided to do a research on this topic and start the story of turning it into a pedestrian zone, to preserve this cultural heritage so that all generations feel safe, today and in the future.”
Author: Jovana Miljković, student, tourist guide