The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Nacionalni Park Fruska Gora

A tall stone pillar with a statue of a Soviet soldier on top, surrounded by bronze figures below — a tribute to World War II heroes.

At this site, in September 1941, the first two partisan units were formed in the village of Rakovac. The first unit was established on September 19, 1941, in the shelter of the communist Nikola Mojić and in the presence of the first commander of the Fruška Gora partisan detachment, Sima Relić. The second unit, composed of workers from the Rakovac quarry, was formed on September 24. On that occasion, both of these units took the ceremonial "partisan oath". After the war, this date was designated as the Day of the Uprising in Rakovac. Rakovac also remembers October 18, 1943, when a punitive expedition led by Anton Bauer arrived in the village. After two days of arrests and terror, they set fire to the entire village, including the Rakovac monastery. Three decades later, a memorial complex was erected, dedicated to the "Partisan Oath" and to the fallen fighters and victims of fascist terror. Near the road is a small plateau with an architectural composition made up of five concrete walls of different sizes and shapes. The walls were decorated with plaques that had been stolen in the past twenty years. One of them bore the verses written by the poet Mika Antić: "At this place in September 1941, the heart of Srem pounded with the beat of the Revolution." Behind the entrance plateau is a stone wall with a tunnel-like shelter. Above the shelter is a mosaic created by the eminent artist Boško Petrović. After the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, another mosaic featuring Tito's portrait was added above the entrance to the shelter. On the inner wall of the shelter is the inscribed text of the Partisan Oath to remind visitors of this event. Within the complex is also a crypt and memorial tablets inscribed with the names of the fallen fighters and victims of fascist terror in Rakovac. [This site is part of the Liberation Routes cycling tour "The Danube to Victory Route" (58km)] https://www.komoot.com/tour/1933369594?share_token=aRc7kQYJ01cywoOlRPXzWvplRxrDI3K22D17Rs90xCFiVo5TvF&ref=wtd

At this site, in September 1941, the first two partisan units were formed in the village of Rakovac. The first unit was established on September 19, 1941, in the shelter of the communist Nikola Mojić and in the presence of the first commander of the Fruška Gora partisan detachment, Sima Relić. The second unit, composed of workers from the Rakovac quarry, was formed on September 24. On that occasion, both of these units took the ceremonial "partisan oath". After the war, this date was designated as the Day of the Uprising in Rakovac. Rakovac also remembers October 18, 1943, when a punitive expedition led by Anton Bauer arrived in the village. After two days of arrests and terror, they set fire to the entire village, including the Rakovac monastery. Three decades later, a memorial complex was erected, dedicated to the "Partisan Oath" and to the fallen fighters and victims of fascist terror. Near the road is a small plateau with an architectural composition made up of five concrete walls of different sizes and shapes. The walls were decorated with plaques that had been stolen in the past twenty years. One of them bore the verses written by the poet Mika Antić: "At this place in September 1941, the heart of Srem pounded with the beat of the Revolution." Behind the entrance plateau is a stone wall with a tunnel-like shelter. Above the shelter is a mosaic created by the eminent artist Boško Petrović. After the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, another mosaic featuring Tito's portrait was added above the entrance to the shelter. On the inner wall of the shelter is the inscribed text of the Partisan Oath to remind visitors of this event. Within the complex is also a crypt and memorial tablets inscribed with the names of the fallen fighters and victims of fascist terror in Rakovac. [This site is part of the Liberation Routes Hiking Tour "The Trails of the Partisans" (24 km)] https://www.komoot.com/tour/1911737951?share_token=aP7evlz2h5M8iHJoYSX8D77qncu9RVYx9UzA9S7GQ4fCLoFlbd&ref=wtd

The quarry was a state-owned stone mine for the extraction of trachyte stone. Its modern exploitation started in 1937. After the occupation in 1941, the quarry was placed under military control and came under the command of the local Ustasha organization. The director of the quarry, engineer Josip Suić, had a pro-Yugoslavian and anti-fascist orientation, as was the case with most of the workers in the quarry. Suić opposed the violent methods of the Ustasha in Rakovac village and the miner's colony. He had constantly been writing letters to higher authorities and to the Ministry of Public Works in order to prevent the oppression conducted by the Ustasha and German troops in Rakovac quarry. In this way, he managed to save the lives of many locals, including those of numerous partisan activists and supporters. He also succeeded in removing the military commander of the Rakovac quarry, Josip Milanković (who subsequently committed suicide), and installing a new commander, Dr. Melvinger, a staunch supporter of the partisans. Although the quarry was owned and run by the Independent State of Croatia, the place became a significant stronghold for the partisans. The workshop of the quarry was used for the repair of partisan weapons, served as a hideout for the ill and wounded, and, after the villages of Ledinci and Rakovac were burned in 1943, many homeless villagers were assisted by the quarry administration. They were given jobs (real or fictitious), as well as a place to live and eat. By the end of 1943, the quarry had established a partisan school for children from Ledinci and Rakovac, as well as the first pioneer organization. Workers from Rakovac quarry did not just help the partisans. From the beginning of the war, more than 50 workers joined the partisan units, and 25 of them died in combat. Additionally, 17 workers fell victim to fascist terror in Rakovac. Memorial plaque in Rakovac Quarry // „U ovoj zgradi radila je Partizanska škola u NOB-u od septembra 1943. godine.“ „From september 1943 in this building operated the Partisan School during the NOB (People's Liberation Struggle).“// [This site is part of the Liberation Routes Hiking Tour "The Liberation Walk" (6km)] Tour: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1881448190?share_token=aQX2irH9OHv16zbghqkWFCaaumiVA4C634I6ri4nXXDKLs8eSK&ref=wtd

"Beli Majdan" (which means "White Quarry"), also known as the Rakovac Cave, is a stone quarry where granite stone was likely dug, probably since the Middle Ages, and used as building blocks for the nearby Rakovac Monastery, houses in the Rakovac village, as well as for tombstones at the local graveyard. By digging out granite blocks, a unique cave complex was formed, with 4-meter-high galleries supported by stone pillars. During World War II, the "Beli Majdan" cave was used as a common hideout for the local population of the village of Rakovac and workers of the Rakovac quarry during raids organized by the occupiers. This was also the case during the Great Enemy Offensive on Fruška Gora on August 28, 1942. Those who hid in the „Beli Majdan“ remained safe, whereas 58 workers from the Rakovac quarry were arrested. The director of the Rakovac quarry, Ing. Josip Suić, intervened and managed to liberate 32 workers, but the rest were sent to the internment camp in Sremska Mitrovica, where most of them were killed. [This site is part of the Liberation Routes Hiking Tour "The Liberation Walk" (6km)] Tour: https://www.komoot.com/tour/1881448190?share_token=aQX2irH9OHv16zbghqkWFCaaumiVA4C634I6ri4nXXDKLs8eSK&ref=wtd

This viewpoint offers a view of the southern slopes of Fruška Gora, with the Vrdnik Tower visible on a nearby hill. The tower is a remnant of a 14th-century fortification destroyed during the Turkish conquests in the 16th century. Although no extensive archaeological research has been conducted, indications suggest that the medieval fortress may have been built on older foundations, possibly dating back to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus (3rd century AD), who was originally from this region. Beyond the foothills of Fruška Gora, the plains of Srem stretch southward for about 30 kilometers to the Sava River, which marked the boundary between the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) and occupied Serbia during World War II. Although the anti-fascist movement had significant support in most villages of Srem, and despite the villages being well connected with alternative route networks, the plain presented challenging terrain. The greatest threats came from larger cities like Ruma and Sremska Mitrovica, as well as key roads and the heavily guarded Belgrade–Zagreb railway, where fascist units, bunkers, and armored trains were stationed. [This site is part of the Liberation Routes cycling tour "Fruška Gora Liberation Circuit"] https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/1870928931?share_token=arNOGj2dKOO605JTe2ZpbVW7s7N624smYsy5No7bVl78oCzjv4&ref=wtd

Before World War II, Iriški Venac was one of the central points of Fruška Gora, located at the intersection of Grebenski Put (Ridge Road), today called the Partizanski Put, and the road between Irig and Sremska Kamenica. As an important communication center, Iriški Venac was under the armed control of the occupiers throughout the war and was only liberated in October 1944 by the units of the 7th Vojvodina Brigade. The monument known as "Freedom", dedicated to the fallen fighters and the National Liberation Movement (NOP) of Vojvodina, is one of the first more representative monuments erected in the territory of Vojvodina, and it is also among the most impressive monuments erected in the first decade after liberation across the entire territory of Yugoslavia. Even though Iriški Venac was not of major importance for the Fruška Gora partisans, it was chosen for the location of this monument, being the tourist and traffic center of the mountain. It was unveiled on July 7th, 1951, on the 10th anniversary of the Uprising in Serbia, in the presence of around 100,000 citizens. The author of the monument is the renowned sculptor Sreten Stojanović. "Freedom" belongs to the group of figurative-architectural monuments. The monument is built of Belovac stone and paved with Motajnica granite. The total height of the monument is 36 meters, and the figure of a woman - the personification of the ideal of freedom - at the top of the obelisk is 7 meters high. By some accounts, the figure of the woman is oriented towards Bosnia, because that is where most of the partisans from Srem and the entire Vojvodina province went to combat. In front of the obelisk, on a high pedestal, there is a composition made up of six figures, symbolizing the people of Srem and Vojvodina who rose up in revolt. The base of the monument is framed by a bronze relief 50 meters long, which, through several chronological and thematic units, presents the development and course of the People's Liberation Struggle (NOB) in the area of Srem. Among other things, the relief depicts the entry and terror of the occupiers, the beginning of the uprising, the cooperation between the common people and the partisans, armed conflicts with the occupiers, and the final victory. [This site is part of the Liberation Routes Hiking Tour "The Liberation Walk" (6km)] https://www.komoot.com/tour/1881448190?share_token=aQX2irH9OHv16zbghqkWFCaaumiVA4C634I6ri4nXXDKLs8eSK&ref=wtd

resorts on May Day