History of Novi Sad - Other Older Settlements

Other Older Settlements

Before the foundation of Novi Sad (Ratzen Stadt) in 1694, several other settlements existed on the left bank of the river Danube in the territory of present-day Novi Sad (besides Petrovaradin and Sremska Kamenica on the right bank of the Danube). In 1237, several settlements were mentioned to exist at this location. Between the 13th and 16th century, the following settlements existed in the territory of modern urban area of Novi Sad:

• Baksa or Baksafalva (Serbian: Bakša or Bakšić) - this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Stari Grad.
• Kűszentmárton (Serbian: Sent Marton) - this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Telep.
• Bivalyos or Bivalo (Serbian: Bivaljoš or Bivalo) - this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Slana Bara.
• Vásárosvárad (Serbian: Vašaroš Varad or Varadinci) - this settlement was located in the periphery of modern neighborhood of Klisa.
• Zajol I (Serbian: Sajlovo I, Gornje Sajlovo or Gornje Isailovo) - this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhoods of Klisa and Gornje Livade.
• Zajol II (Serbian: Sajlovo II, Donje Sajlovo or Donje Isailovo) - this settlement was located in the area of modern neighborhood of Sajlovo.
• Bistritz (Serbian: Bistrica) - this settlement was (maybe) located in the area of modern neighborhood of Bistrica (Novo Naselje).

Some other settlements existed in the suburban area of Novi Sad:

• Mortályos (Serbian: Mrtvaljoš) - this settlement was located in the northern suburban area of Novi Sad.
• Csenei (Serbian: Čenej) - this settlement was located in the area of modern village of Čenej.
• Keménd (Serbian: Kamendin) - this settlement was located in the area of modern Kamendin, which is part of the village of Sirig.
• Rév (Serbian: Rivica) - this settlement was located in the northern suburban area of Novi Sad.

Etymology of the settlement names show that some of them are of Slavic origin, which indicate that some of them were initially inhabited by Slavs. For example, Bivalo (Bivaljoš) was a large Slavic settlement that dates from the 5th-6th century. Some settlement names are of Hungarian origin (for example Kűszentmárton, Vásárosvárad, Rév), which indicate that these settlements were inhabited by Hungarians before the Ottoman invasion. Names of some settlements are of uncertain origin, or it is not clear weather their names are of Slavic or of Hungarian origin.

Tax records from 1522 are showing a mix of Hungarian and Slavic names among inhabitants of these villages, including Slavic names like Bozso (Božo), Radovan, Radonya (Radonja), Ivo, etc. Following the Ottoman invasion in the 16th-17th century, some of these settlements were destroyed and most Hungarian inhabitants have left this area. Some of the settlements also existed during the Ottoman rule, and were populated by ethnic Serbs.

In the year 1590, population of all villages that existed in the territory of present-day Novi Sad numbered 105 houses inhabited exclusively by Serbs. However, Ottoman records mention only those inhabitants that paid taxes, thus the number of Serbs that lived in the area (for example those that served in the Ottoman army) was larger.