Bački Monoštor - A Village on Seven Danube Banks

Bački Monoštor, a village in the northwest of Vojvodina, is surrounded by forests of the UNESCO biosphere reserve “Bačko Podunavlje” and the Special Nature Reserve “Gornje Podunavlje”, as well as the Danube River with its numerous distributaries, the Grand Bačka Canal and the Dunav–Tisa–Dunav Canal.

Throughout its history, Bački Monoštor changed its name and even its location – it was caused by the overwhelming power of the Danube. It finally settled about thirty kilometers from the Croatian and Hungarian borders, 15 km from Sombor, 100 km from Novi Sad and 200 km from Belgrade, in the Bačka plains and the “Bačko Podunavlje” UNESCO biosphere reserve.

One of the key features of this village is its multiculturality and multi-ethnicity, as it is populated by Šokci, Serbs, Roma, Hungarians, and Germans, who all agree on being Monoštorians first.

If you ask them about their village, they will talk at length about a nostalgic past which will be summoned by the scent of quince from cabinets in old houses. This aromatic fruit is a faithful keeper of ancient times of spinning wheels, divans, girls’ songs and colorful traditional clothing.

In the unique present-day Monoštor, you can sail through the Danube’s distributaries and canals, exploring in deep silence the mysterious remnants of the medieval city and fortress Bodrog, once the seat of the Bács-Bodrog County located in the area of today’s Bački Monoštor. Today this town is lost in Danube’s waves. By bicycle, you can rediscover all the marked and unmarked trails of the vast plains or endless forests. Perhaps here you’ll find your very own hidden fishing spot. In September you can listen to the mating call of the red deer and find yourself standing in awe in front of these magnificent animals, or you can catch a glimpse of a black stark’s or heron’s eye through your binoculars. A fitting ending to this romantic journey would be a carriage ride through the village and freshly plowed fields, discovering the eternal

melancholy of quiet plain nights echoing in the galloping horseshoes.