View of Petrovaradin Fortress

The Petrovaradin Fortress, also known as the "Gibraltar on the Danube," is one of the largest and most impressive military fortifications in this part of Europe. The Habsburg authorities began constructing the fortress in 1692, after the Ottoman Empire was permanently expelled from these territories during the Great Turkish War (1683-1699).
The construction of the fortress lasted nearly a century (1692-1780) and it covers an area of 112 hectares, with a system of underground tunnels extending 16 kilometers beneath it. Archaeological research has shown that the area of today's fortress has been continuously inhabited since the Paleolithic era. During the Roman period, the first military fortification known as "Cusum" was established here.
During World War II, the Petrovaradin Fortress was an important military stronghold for the NDH (Independent State of Croatia). It housed several Croatian Home Guard institutions, including the Artillery School and the Air Force Regiment. Throughout the war, several thousand Ustashe and Home Guards were stationed here. In September 1944, just before the liberation of the country, and following Tito’s call to join the National Liberation War, many Home Guards and their officers joined the partisans in Fruška Gora and entered the ranks of the newly formed Vojvodina brigades. From the Petrovaradin Fortress and other military strongholds in Srem, 2,500 Home Guards and 115 officers joined the partisans.
During the retreat in October 1944, Ustaše and German units attempted to blow up the railway tunnel under the Petrovaradin Fortress. The destruction was halted by an Italian prisoner of war, Gildo Pesapane, who was working on placing dynamite in the fortress's tunnels. Knowing the occupiers' ultimate intention, he cut the wires and prevented the explosion of 30 tons of explosives, which would have certainly caused enormous damage and destruction. Gildo Pesapane remained in Petrovaradin after the war, where he married and had a daughter.[This site is part of the Liberation Routes cycling tour "The Danube to Victory Route" (58km)]
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