[Part 1] Sremski Karlovci is one of the most historically significant small towns in Serbia. The town experienced its rise after the end of the Great Turkish War (1683-1699), which was fought between the 'Holy Alliance' led by the Holy Roman Empire and its allies on one side and the Ottoman Empire on the other. The peace treaty was signed in Sremski Karlovci in 1699, and on the site where the negotiations took place (ten-minutes walking distance from the center), the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace was built in 1817. From the 18th century until the early 20th century, Sremski Karlovci was a religious and educational center for Serbs in the Habsburg Empire. Until 1920, it was the seat of the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the location of the first Serbian gymnasium, established in 1791. The "Four Lions" fountain, erected in 1799, is the symbolic center of the town. Across the road from the fountain is the Magistrate building, erected in the early 19th century. From its balcony, Serbian Patriarch Josif Rajačić declared the Serbian Vojvodina as an autonomous national territory within the framework of the Habsburg Empire in May 1848. This declaration marked the beginning of conflicts with the Hungarian authorities, who were also engaged in a national liberation struggle for the independence of Hungary. Right next to the fountain stands the impressive Orthodox Cathedral, whose interior was painted by numerous well-known Serbian artists. Adjacent to it is the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity, which attests to the multicultural history of the place, where, alongside Serbs, a large number of Croats and Germans also lived. (...)
[Part 2 in the next tip.]