Spirit of Place – A Century of the District

What was once a neglected industrial complex, with crumbling and aged factories silently preserving the city’s heritage, is now one of the most promising centres for cultural production. The District, as its name suggests, is a new hub for the city’s alternative art scene and a home to organizations and independent artists. The spirit of this place is reflected through a tumultuous century-long history that is worth exploring.

Memories of past times, when Novi Sad’s industrialization thrived before the horrors of war, have not faded. This is thanks to the multimedia exhibition Spirit of Place – A Century of the District, created by Monika Bilbija Ponjavić, PhD and Nemanja Milenković. The exhibition opened during the 2023 Kaleidoscope of Culture. Spanning from the early decades of the last century to the present day, it is divided into six artistic segments, each representing a key chapter in the history of the District.

This interactive multimedia exhibition immediately invites visitors to engage with a map of the District, tracing decades of transformations that have shaped the area.

What sets this permanent display apart is its focus on storytelling and the creation of new experiences, rather than a simple presentation of facts and artifacts. Through the use of audiovisual technology, visitors can delve into personal stories, such as that of a mother sharing her painful tale of the children’s lives lost during the tragic Raid in Novi Sad.

A key feature of the exhibition is its multimedia approach, which has drawn significant public attention. Visitors journey through six thematic segments, learning about the history of the District—from the founding of the factory and its experience during World War II and the NATO bombing, to its transformation into the European Capital of Culture.

The exhibition is not merely a recounting of local history; it also offers insights into global changes that influenced Novi Sad’s industrial development and the District itself, reflecting the cause-and-effect connections with worldwide events.

Photo: Srđan Doroški