ХЕРАЛДИЧКЕ ПРЕДСТАВЕ НА ЗДАЊИМА ПЕТРОВАРАДИНСКЕ ТВРЂАВЕ
HERALDIC REPRESENTATIONS ON THE BUILDINGS OF THE PETROVARADIN FORTRESS

Summary/Abstract: Since the first years of the Petrovaradin fortress’ construction, heraldic images have decorated the façades of its various structures, communicating to its inhabitants, visitors and observers. The key symbols were removed, destroyed, or replaced with more appropriate ones, in accordance with the historical circumstances. The earliest heraldic images dated to the first decades of the 18th century are the Jesuit emblems on the monastery of St. George and a composite coat of arms on the fortress commander’s residence, consisting of the coat of arms of the Neheim zu Berstrate family and of one unknown coat of arms. Double-headed Imperial eagles landed on three newly built fotress gates in the middle and the second half of the 18th century. The coat of arms on the former bishop’s residence belongs to the same time period. The wooden coat of arms from the building at 2 Beogradska Street, on a loose foundation attributed to the Czaikisten Battalion, was discussed in detail but remains unknown. Between the two World Wars, the Imeprial eagles on New and Leopold’s gates were destroyed, and the one on the Belgrade gate was replaced by the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A memorial plaque was placed on the front façade of both the church of St. George and the Belgrade gate: the first with the coat of arms of the Triune Kingdom dedicated to the coronation of the first Croatian king; the second containing the coat of arms of the Society of the Reserve Officers and Warriors dedicated to the entry of the Serbian army into Novi Sad in 1918. Plaques and coats of arms on them represent the duality between the official state ideology and the sentiment of the local population. The symbols of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were destroyed during the Second World War, and the new ones appeared in the post-war period, reflecting the socialist ideology of the time. The recent placement of the replica of the memorial plaque dedicated to the victorious Serbian army in its original place is a testimony of the continued importance of the public façades of Petrovaradin fortress for the transmission of ideological messages.

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