Petrovaradin

Petrovaradin is a historic town on the right bank of the Danube in Vojvodina, Serbia, built around the Petrovaradin Fortress. Archaeological evidence reveals Paleolithic settlement dating from 19,000-15,000 BC, with Middle Paleolithic artifacts representing the most convincing evidence of Neanderthal settlement in the Serbian Danube Basin. Bronze Age ramparts (c. 3000 BC) confirm early fortification. The Celts established a fortress in the 4th century BC, and the Romans built the Cusum fort over it. In 1235, Cistercian monks constructed the Belakut monastery on the Roman remains, and the present 112-hectare fortress -- Europe's second largest -- was completed in 1776.