Public squares in Southern Pannonian cities as a legacy of Habsburg regulations: the case of Holy Trinity Square in Sombor, Serbia

Branislav Antonić, Aleksandar Grujičić, Djordje Mitrović, Nikola Mitrović

doi:10.37190/arc250205

Abstract

Settlements in southern Pannonia are known for their well-regulated urban matrix, which developed after the Habsburgs regained this peripheral region of Central Europe from the Turks in the 17th-18th centuries. Previous destructive wars left this land as a “tabula rasa” – barren and seriously underpopulated. Hence, it was an excellent “testing ground” for Habsburg military engineers to enforce complete regulation of land and settlements, focusing on the then-modern, colonial, strict orthogonal organization. However, some, though rare settlements and their basic elements, such as public squares, city blocks, or streets, retained their organic matrix from medieval and Ottoman times. In these cases, a gradual process of strict regulation was implemented as a compromise, resulting in the present historical urban atmosphere with overlapping urban heritage – their organic layer is usually “under” a relatively simplified and regulated form.

This study focuses on public squares in the historical centers of southern Pannonian cities in Serbia. The research first defined the historical context and general typology regarding their urban morphology. Subsequently, a case study of Holy Trinity Square in the city of Sombor was presented. This square is suitable for historical-morphological analysis because it has not changed significantly over the past 150 years, thus providing insight into the past after the mentioned Habsburg urban regulation. This means that this study covers specific remnants of colonial urbanism in Central Europe.

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Branislav Antonić*, Aleksandar Grujičić**, Djordje Mitrović***,

Nikola Mitrović****

Public squares in Southern Pannonian cities

as a legacy of Habsburg regulations:

The case of Holy Trinity Square in Sombor, Serbia

DOI: 10.37190/arc250205

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

Abstract

Settlements in Southern Pannonia are known for their well-regulated urban matrix, which was developed after the Habsburg reconquest of this

peripheral region of Central Europe from the Ottomans in the 17

–18

centuries. The previous destructive wars left this land as a “tabula rasa” – bar-

ren and severely underpopulated. Hence, this was a “perfect polygon” for Habsburg military engineers to enforce the complete regulation of land and

settlements, focusing on then-modern, colonial-style strict orthogonal organisation. However, some albeit rare settlements and their basic elements,

such as public squares, urban blocks or streets, had preserved their organic matrix from medieval and Ottoman times. In these cases, a gradual process

of strict regulation was implemented as a compromise, resulting in the present-day historical urban ambience with overlapping urban-planning legacy

– their organic layer is usually “beneath” a relatively simplied and regulated form. The spotlight of this research is on public squares in the historic

cores of Southern Pannonian cities in Serbia. The research rst denes a historical context and general typology regarding their urban morphology.

Then, a case study on Holy Trinity Square in the City of Sombor is presented. This square is appropriate for a historical-morphological analysis, as it

has not physically changed for the last 150 years, so the square represents an insight into the past after the aforementioned Habsburg urban regulation.

This means that this research embraces the specic remnants of colonial urbanism in the middle of Europe.

Key words: public square, urban morphology, colonial urbanism, early modern city, Habsburg Empire

Introduction

Pannonian Plain in the southern corner of Central Eu-

rope (Fig. 1) has been a borderland region since the be-

ginning of civilisation. In antiquity, the Danube, the major

river in the plain, served as a “Limes”, a border between

the Roman Empire to the southwest and barbarian tribes

to the northeast (Frontiers… 2011; Remenyik, Szabo and

Guth 2016). In the deeply religious Middle Ages, the plain

divided the realms of Western and Eastern Christianity,

contributing to persistent local instability (Lemajić 2008).

Later, the Pannonian Plain was a major battleground be-

tween the Habsburg and Ottoman empires for almost three

centuries (1520s–1800s). Several Austro-Turkish wars

completely devastated much of the communities, settle-

ments and economy in the plain (Aksan 2007). In the af-

termath, the Pannonian Plain was left barren and severely

underpopulated.

Habsburgs made the main territorial gains in the third

Habsburg-Ottoman War (1683–1699), conquering the cen-

tral and southern thirds of the Pannonian Plain

. The previous

This area is currently divided between four states: the central part

of the Pannonian Plain makes southern Hungary, whereas its southern

part is northern Serbia. The smaller southwestern part is eastern Croatia,

while the southeastern one belongs to westernmost Romania.

* ORCID: 0000-0002-2675-9264. Faculty of Architecture, Uni -

versity of Belgrade, Serbia, e-mail: antonic83@gmail.com

** ORCID: 0009-0000-8616-1195. Faculty of Architecture, Uni-

versity of Belgrade, Serbia.

*** ORCID: 0000-0001-5156-6133. Faculty of Architecture, Uni-

versity of Belgrade, Serbia.

**** ORCID: 0000-0002-3721-8842. Faculty of Architecture, Uni-

versity of Belgrade, Serbia.

48 Branislav Antonić, Aleksandar Grujičić, Djordje Mitrović, Nikola Mitrović

destructive wars left this land as a “tabula rasa” for new

development (Simonović, Ribar 1993). The well-organ-

ised Austrian military, over-present in this newly-acquired

borderland region, also took a major task in its territorial

arrangement and redevelopment (Good 1984). During the

century, Austrian military engineers remodelled the

southern half of Pannonia in a multi-layer manner. First,

numerous ponds and swamps were drained with new-

ly-built canals, river courses were regulated and shortened

by cutting numerous meanders, and protective causeways

were built (Dragović et al. 2005). Military engineers used

the then modern tenets of colonial urbanism as a role-mod-

el, where an orthogonal territorial organisation was seen

as ecient, orderly, and hierarchical (Home, King 2016).

They implemented these tenets swiftly; the whole territo-

ry – settlements and agricultural land – was organised in

a rational orthogonal manner, which was customised only

in the case of natural limitations (rivers, hills, etc.).

The focal point of these planned settlements with an or-

thogonal matrix in southern Pannonia has been a central

square, which also tended to be shaped in a strictly reg-

ulated form – as a square or rectangle (Simonović, Ribar

1993). However, some public squares, especially in major

settlements with rich albeit hidden previous morphologi-

cal strata, were more developed gradually, from an organic

to a more regulated form (Pušić 1987). Today, many such

public squares look like completely regulated and formed

in the Habsburg times. Although this is a common over-

simplication, precise research on this topic is extremely

rare and internationally unknown, especially in the context

of this time – the utilisation of a colonial urbanism in the

middle of Europe.

This research aims to bring this neglected scientic

topic in regional urban morphology into the international

spotlight. The research subject is Holy Trinity Square in

the City of Sombor, Serbia. This square is appropriate for

a historical-morphological analysis, as it has not physically

changed for the last 150 years, so the square represents

an insight into the past after the aforementioned Habsburg

urban regulation. Hence, the research is a case study with

the contextual analysis of the urban morphology of public

squares in the southern Pannonian Plain. This approach

was somewhat driven by practical needs, as it stemmed

from preparatory research conducted for an urban design

competition for this public square in Sombor, with a pur-

pose to set up the design idea based on the local urban

legacy and inherited identity. However, the contribution

of this research is reframed to be a scientic one – to shed

light on this internationally hidden topic about the urban

morphology of cities in southern Pannonia and its key ele-

ments. This means that the explanation of the genesis and

morphology of the case-study public square is a key to em-

bracing this specic remnant of colonial urbanism in the

middle of Europe.

The state of research – public squares

within urban morphology in Southern Pannonia

This research rst had to dene the historical context

and general typology regarding public squares as the im-

portant elements of regional urban morphology before

a focus on the concrete case.

First, it should be emphasised that regional urban mor-

phology has many other specic elements. The orthogo-

nal matrix of urban blocks and streets in new settlements

in southern Pannonia has had many advantages, such as

a simple and fast implementation, unlimited form for

physical expansion and reconstruction, and the ecient

control of the whole space (Djukić, Stupar and Antonić

2018a). This military-developed orthogonal order was re-

ected in all elements of such settlements: urban blocks,

streets, squares, building plots, and ultimately, the build-

ings themselves (Fig. 2). The shape of urban blocks was

mainly square or rectangular. Streets were straight and

very wide, sometimes even 30–40 m, due to several rea-

sons: to prevent the spread of re between blocks, to leave

place for urban trees in a naturally deforested plain with

strong winds, and, in rural settlements, to enable the pas-

sage of the herds of cattle. Building plots also tended to be

rectangular with one shorter side on the street. They were

divided into several sections from the street, so economic

buildings, especially with a “smelly content”, could not be

built in the rst/street section. This section was reserved

for a house that had to be oriented in such a way so as to

be exposed to insolation as much as possible to enhance

public health measures (Simonović, Ribar 1993).

As it was explained, the focal point of these planned

settlements with an orthogonal matrix in southern Panno-

nia has been a central square, also shaped as a square or

rectangle (Simonović, Ribar 1993). There were two ap-

proaches to form it (Fig. 2); (1) the square that was the

“left out block” surrounded by four streets, and (2) the

square formed by chamfering four blocks that form the

main crossroad in settlement. Public buildings were built

around the square, while the most important ones, such

Fig. 1. Pannonian Plain (light green area) with the current international

borders, major rivers and cities. The case-study city – Sombor

– is marked with a red dot (elaborated by A. Grujičić)

Il. 1. Nizina Panońska (obszar jasnozielony) z obecnymi granicami

państw, głównymi rzekami i miastami. Miasto będące przedmiotem

studium przypadku – Sombor – jest oznaczone czerwoną kropką

(oprac. A. Grujičić)

Public squares in Southern Pannonian cities 49

as a church(es), were often situated in the middle. These

two approaches make the core of the typology of central

squares in planned settlements with an orthogonal matrix.

However, some settlements in southern Pannonia had

preserved the remnants of their previous organic ma-

trix from medieval and Ottoman times. The same can be

said for their basic elements, including public squares. In

these cases, a gradual process of strict regulation was im-

plemented as a compromise, resulting in the present-day

historical urban ambience with overlapping albeit hidden

urban-planning legacy – their organic layer is usually “be-

neath” a relatively simplied and regulated form (Pušić

1987). In some cases, the level of urban orthogonality and

regulation in bigger settlements was reected in a local

ethnic picture. More regulated and centrally located urban

parts were more settled by Germans, who traditionally

were better educated and controlled local administration

and government, while other ethnicities (Hungarians,

Serbs, Jews, Romanians, Croats, Slovaks, etc.) were more

into agriculture, crafts and trade.

Considering central squares, the attempts of their forced

regularisation can be found mainly in cities, where this

process targeted more regular forms – rectangular or tri-

angular. Nowadays, they present a variety of morpholog-

ical shapes with an interesting genesis in the background

(Fig. 3) (Djukić, Stupar and Antonić 2018b). In addition,

they also vary regarding other integral elements, such as

focal elements, openings, size, etc. (Đokić 2009). This ra-

tional approach in balancing between forced and gradual

urban regulation was later copied in the establishment and

regulation of new settlements in 19

-century Principality

of Serbia, as well as their central squares (Kojić 1970).

Methods

The method used in this research is a single-case study.

This method, in contrast to multiple-case study, does not em-

ploy a comparative approach. Therefore, it requires the con-

textualisation of the research to establish the inputs on how

to examine the case study (Gustafsson 2017). Therefore,

Fig. 2. The examples of planned settlements with an orthogonal matrix and the squares formed in two different ways:

Type 1 – Kovačica, Type 2 – Crepaja (elaborated by B. Antonić)

Il. 2. Przykłady planowanych osiedli z macierzą ortogonalną i kwadratami utworzonymi na dwa różne sposoby:

typ 1 – Kovačica, typ 2 – Crepaja (oprac. B. Antonić)

Fig. 3. Initially organic, then regulated central squares in Serbian cities of Southern Pannonia (elaborated by B. Antonić)

Il. 3. Początkowo organiczne, później uregulowane place centralne w serbskich miastach południowej Panonii (oprac. B. Antonić)

50 Branislav Antonić, Aleksandar Grujičić, Djordje Mitrović, Nikola Mitrović

this research has already dened the historical urban context

of the Southern Pannonian Plain and the general typology

of the central public squares in this region in line with their

urban morphology. In the next section, the research is con-

tinued through the single case study on Holy Trinity Square

in the historic core of Sombor. This analysis is tailored as

historical-morphological to explain both the geneses of the

historic core of the city and the square within it in paral-

lel. The temporal limits of the analysis are approximately

the last three centuries, as the radical urban regulation of

Sombor began with the Habsburg conquest of this region

in 1699. The last section of the research is discussion and

conclusion, where the importance of this research is high-

lighted to address the possibilities of its exploitation and

the future urban (re)development, especially regarding the

aforementioned upsurge of cultural tourism as a prospect to

regenerate and revitalise the historic core of Sombor as well

as the city in general.

Case study

– Holy Trinity Square in Sombor, Serbia

Holy Trinity Square is one of two main public squares

in Sombor. The city is one of 28 ocial cities in Serbia and

the administrative seat of Western Bačka District. Som-

bor is located in the southern-central Pannonian Plain and

close to the Danube River (Fig. 1). In Serbia, it is in the

north-westernmost corner of the country, close to Hungary

and Croatia. The borderland peripheral position of the city

for more than a century has slowed the economic devel-

opment of Sombor, so it has been one of the most shrink-

ing Serbian cities in the last 20 years (Antonić, Djukić and

Marić 2020). Currently, the city has 42,000 inhabitants. In

contrast to the dire economic and demographic situation,

the city possesses the most preserved historic core among

medium-sized cities in Serbia, which has inuenced the

rise of cultural and slow-city tourism in recent years (An-

tonić, Djukić and Marić 2023).

By its genesis patterns, Holy Trinity Square ts into the

regional type of the aforementioned Southern Pannonian

city, developed in the 18

–19

centuries. One of the pe-

culiarities of this city type is the so-called dual or bipolar

centre (Pušić 1987). The regional cities of this type have

two important traditional public squares in their core. The

reason for the existence of the dual centre is historical and

religious. While the cities in the other parts of the Panno-

nian Plain were predominantly Roman Catholic, most of

the cities in its south had a signicant share or a majority

of the Orthodox (mostly Serbian) population from the very

beginning of the Habsburg rule. As the Orthodox inhabi-

tants were mainly employed in trade, crafts, and services,

they settled around the main market square and the main

street. The Roman Catholics, mainly Germans and, later,

Hungarians, held administration and government in the

city, as well as across the Austro-Hungary (Taylor 1948).

Hence, they were settled in the administrative part of the

historic core, centred in the other square dedicated for

events and manifestations.

There are regional cities where these two squares are

spatially signicantly apart from each other, up to 500 m.

In other cases, they are closer, like “antipodes” at the ends

of the main street. The second pattern is evident in the his-

toric core of Sombor. as Holy Trinity Square is next to the

city hall (Fig. 4), which makes its eastern side and separates

Fig. 4. The current state of Holy Trinity Square with the city hall of Sombor (photo by D. Mitrović)

Il. 4. Obecny stan placu Świętej Trójcy z ratuszem w Somborze (fot. D. Mitrović)

Public squares in Southern Pannonian cities 51

this square from also important St. George Square (Fig. 5).

These two squares with the city hall in between make the

aforementioned dual centre in Sombor. This duality had

a deep historical meaning. According to Milan Stepanović

(2019), (A)s the Square of St. George was a place for spir-

itual, political and social gatherings of Somborian [Ortho-

dox] Serbs, on the Square of Holy Trinity… the citizens of

Sombor of the Roman Catholic faith (Bunjevacs

, Hungar-

ians and Germans) gathered.

Hence, Holy Trinity Square is not important just for its

excellent location in the historic core of the city; it also

occupies an extremely important place in Sombor history

and present-day life. The importance of the square arose

during the most vibrant period of Sombor after obtain-

ing the status of a free royal city

in 1749 (Ćirković et al.

2017). The formation of the present-day square began that

year with the construction of the town hall (Fig. 4) on the

site of the former yard of the “castle” of Jovan Branković,

a local border military ocer. This space transformed into

an open space for larger events and outdoor gatherings –

a manifestation square. The square got its name from the

centrally situated Monument of the Holy Trinity, erected in

1774 (Stepanović 2018).

The current shape of the square dates back to 1840s,

when the extension of the town hall with a new tower was

added on its eastern side (National Center for Digitization

[Gradska Kuca]). The design of the square that is basically

visible today was carried out in the 2

half of the 19

cen-

tury by lling it with cobblestones and partial greening.

Somewhat more significant modifications were made

during the 2

half of the 20

century, when the Monument

of the Holy Trinity was removed from the square, and the

area was transformed into an urban park. The last changes

from a few decades ago were aimed at returning the state

of the square to its previous state from the late 19

century

(Stepanović 2019).

The previous historical data clearly underline that the

genesis of Holy Trinity Square in many respects followed

the fate of Sombor. Its socio-economical boom as a free

royal city in the 2

half of the 18

century was followed

by the initial development of the square as a key gather-

ing place for the people of Sombor. The local aspirations

towards beautication and urbanisation, typical for this

period of Austro-Hungary during the rst industrialisation

in the last third of the 19

century (Good 1984), were also

reected in this square through its modernisation and re-

design. On the other side, industrialisation contributed to

social stratication and even worse living conditions in the

cities of the then-Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thus, paving

and planting trees in the square should be understood as

the rst attempts at the then-modern sanitary and hygienic

upgrading of the city (Pušić 1987). This sanitary-hygien-

ic-driven urban design reached its peak through mod-

Bunjevacs are a small Roman Catholic South Slavic ethnicity in

the border region between Hungary and Serbia.

Free royal city was an ocial term for the most important cities in

the Kingdom of Hungary from the late 12

century until its dissolution after

World War I. This status granted certain privileges for a settlement, which

eventually led to its faster economic development (Bácskai, Nagy 1984).

Fig. 5. The location of Holy Trinity Square in the city historic core

(elaborated by B. Antonić)

Il. 5. Położenie Placu Świętej Trójcy w historycznym centrum miasta

(oprac. B. Antonić)

ernist urbanism in the middle of the 20

century, which

was (fortunately) only indirectly applied to Holy Trinity

Square through its transformation into an urban park, with-

out more radical moves. The change in the political system

after World War II was clearly reected in the replacement

of the Monument of the Holy Trinity as an important re-

ligious landmark in its central place with an “atheistic”

fountain (Stepanović 2019).

At the end of the 20

century, the awareness of urban

heritage revived the general willingness to preserve a tra-

ditional city. This had an impact in well-preserved cities in

northern Serbia (Djukić, Stupar and Antonić 2018b). In the

case of Holy Trinity Square in Sombor, the park was re-

modelled into a pedestrianised square (Fig. 5). This modern

time-frame in question is the year 1972, when Holy Trinity

Square was once again, and nally, reconstructed. Large

elements from the central part of the square were removed,

such as the already mentioned fountain and trees, and the

paving with cobblestone was restored. This new, “bare”

square has received a recognisable local nickname – “Bald

Square” (Stepanović 2019). Close to that year is the year

1969, when the entire historic core in Sombor (known as

“Venac/Coronet”), including Holy Trinity Square, was rst

registered in the register of cultural monuments (i.e., pro-

tected cultural heritage) (National Center for Digitization

[Venac]). The mentioned measures applied in Sombor tted

properly within this new protection status. Around the same

time, the functional conversion of surrounding buildings

happened – the former administrative buildings and “ur-

ban palaces” (Gale House, Grašalković Palace) were trans-

formed into cultural institutions.

52 Branislav Antonić, Aleksandar Grujičić, Djordje Mitrović, Nikola Mitrović

The Square has not experienced significant spatial

changes after the 1970s. However, it completely regained

the functional attributes of a square for public events and

manifestations. Surrounding urban fabric did not change

signicantly for a long time, until the third millennium. In

the mid-2000s, the main street in Sombor was completely

renovated and pedestrianised, which signicantly revit-

alised it in a functional sense. Previously, the short Zmaj

Jova Street, located west of the square, was turned into

a pedestrian street in 1996. The pedestrianisation process

was completed a few years ago, through the comprehen-

sive urban regeneration of the area of the Square of Kosta

Trifković and Republican Square in the western part of the

core. With these interventions, a relatively large and dif-

fused pedestrian zone was created in the historic core of

Sombor (Antonić, Djukić and Marić 2023), which is inter-

estingly cut into two halves by the carriageway along the

western perimeter of Holy Trinity Square (Fig. 6a).

In the last years, more and more old buildings around

Holy Trinity Square are being refurbished. In addition, it

is also noticeable that historic quarters around the square

have been gradually “proled” according to their prevail-

ing contents. This spatial thematisation is typical for re-

generated old urban parts in the post-industrial era (Vaništa

Lazarević, Koružnjak and Devetaković 2016): (1) south

– administrative and high-level service zone (banks, agen-

cies, insurance, etc.); (2) east – retail zone around the main

street; (3) north – education and school zone; and (4) west

– cultural-bohemian zone (Fig. 6c). Finally, there is also

a local innovative plan to turn the part of the spacious

Fig. 6. The axonometric schemes

of Holy Trinity Square within

the western part of the “Venac”

historic core of Sombor:

a) a pedestrian zone,

b) urban fabric,

c) the recent functional

thematisation of the surroundings

of the square

(elaborated by B. Antonić)

Il. 6. Schematy aksonometryczne

placu Świętej Trójcy w zachodniej

części historycznego centrum

Somboru „Venac”:

a) strefa dla pieszych,

b) tkanka miejska,

c) niedawna funkcjonalna

tematyka otoczenia placu

(oprac. B. Antonić)

Public squares in Southern Pannonian cities 53

Grašalković Palace on the western side of the square into

a hub for creative industries and startups

. This will open

up completely new prospects for the future use and design

of the square. Moreover, such plans and the extraordinary

location highlight Holy Trinity Square as an important

place in the future development of the historic core of

Sombor and impose its further sustainable renovation and

modernisation as an imperative.

Morphological analysis of the square

Public urban squares and their genesis are among the

most prominent research topics in urban morphology

(Moughtin 2003). Since the spatial changes of Holy Trin-

ity Square in Sombor have been relatively small in the

last 150 years, the morphological analysis of the square

focuses on its current state. It was carried out according

to the principles of the urban typology of urban squares

in Serbia done by Vladan Đokić. According to this typol-

ogy, the key parameters of the morphological analysis of

squares in the national context are (Đokić 2009):

1) formal regularity and shape of a square,

2) the existence of the privileged elements of the square,

3) closings and openings of a square,

4) the existence of landmarks in a square,

5) character of a square surface: pedestrian area, green-

ery or roadway,

6) number and location of accesses to/from a square,

7) the possibility of division into smaller zones within

a square, and

8) location and size of the open paved area of a square

(“plateau”).

Based on the given parameters, Holy Trinity Square in

Som bor belongs to the type of a square of an orthogonal

con stitutionality with privileged elements, because, as it was

afore explained, it was modelled (“constituted”) during the

pro cess of radical regulation of the matrix of already existing

or ganic cities in southern Pannonian Plain during the 18

cen-

tury. This can be considered a counterpart to the orthogonal

matrix of completely new planned cities in the same region.

Its privileged element is the tower of the city hall (Fig. 5).

The analysis, according to the adopted morphological

parameters, is as follows (Fig. 7).

The analysed square has the shape of a slightly prom-

inent rectangle, placed in a lightly oset north-south di-

rection (Fig. 7-I). Its approximate size is 100 × 70 m, so

the total area of the square is about 0.71 ha. The square

is formed morphologically according to the principle “left

out urban block” surrounded by four streets, so that almost

all access streets tangentially enter it (except Zmaj Jova

Street).

Furthermore, the only privileged element on the square

is the tower of the city hall on its eastern edge, additionally

emphasised by the monumental facade of the building be-

low it (scheme IV). The belfry of the large Roman Catholic

church is somewhat prominent, although it is not situated

on the square itself, but north of it.

From a conversation with local experts.

The square is fairly closed because buildings completely

surround it on three sides – south, east and west (Fig. 7-II).

Only its northern side is partially open towards the pre-

viously mentioned Roman Catholic church (Fig. 7-III).

However, the prominence of the church tower contributes

to an impression of visual closure from the north.

The square currently has no landmarks, although it had

them previously – rst the monument of the same name

dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and then, much shorter, the

fountain. Actually, it owes its nickname to the absence of

landmarks – “Bald Square”.

Holy Trinity Square can be accessed from as many as

9 directions (Fig. 7-V) – three from the east, two from the

south, three from the west and only one from the north,

although the widest access of these four approaches is with

carriageway (red), two are pedestrian only (grey), and three

represent a shared space (blue). Interestingly, two integrat-

ed approaches are covered at the same time, i.e., these are

public passages through buildings – the passage through

the city hall (east) and the passage through Grašalković

Palace (west). While the rst has been in constant use for

decades, the second is promising, and its greater use is re-

lated to the further refurbishment and reuse of this urban

palace and its spacious courtyard.

The square is quite compact – there are no visible subdi-

visions within it. This perception is particularly created be-

cause the large and central part of the square is in the form of

a spacious open pedestrian plateau without any landmarks,

even without urban furniture (Fig. 7-VI). The present furni-

ture elements and urban greenery are on the square edges,

so they do not create a feeling of independent subdivisions.

Finally, according to the character of its surface, the

square is mostly a pedestrian zone – 71% (Fig. 7-VII).

This zone occupies the central and eastern parts of the

square. A carriageway with associated car parking runs

along the southern, western and northern perimeters of the

square, making up approximately one quarter of its surface

(Fig. 7-VIII). The smallest part of the square consists of

urban greenery – only 5% of the surface. It is mostly locat-

ed on the perimeter of the square (Fig. 7-IX). Although it

contains both low and medium vegetation (owers, grass,

and bushes), locally specic hackberry trees visually stand

out on the square.

Instead of an ordinary conclusion

– a vision of Holy Trinity Square for tomorrow

All the activities about the regeneration of the historic

core of Sombor and the refurbishment of old buildings and

open public space around Holy Trinity Square have recent-

ly prompted a new local interest to genuinely revive and

redesign the square while preserving its historical values

and acquired identity. There is no doubt that the renewal

and revitalisation of the square is necessary. Nevertheless,

there are discussions on how these future urban interven-

tions should be chosen and carried out. Inter alia, there are

a few big questions to be addressed, namely:

1. The square is currently a typical one for events and

manifestations, i.e., without internal landmarks and urban

equipment and greenery in its central segment. Although

54 Branislav Antonić, Aleksandar Grujičić, Djordje Mitrović, Nikola Mitrović

this situation enables its exibility for dierent happenings

(concerts, ower market, old-timer day, ice rink during

winters, etc.), it also makes the square rather inert during

in-between periods, as well as sensitive during more and

more present extreme weather conditions (heat, winds,

drought or excessive insolation).

2. The square is surrounded by the busy zone of the his-

toric core, close to the main retail street and traditionally

very vibrant farmers’ market and with many cultural and

education institutions in its vicinity. Although the widening

and interconnection of the city pedestrian zone is planned

as desirable, there is a challenge to deal with vehicles and

their parking, which is a precondition of preserving local

economic vibrancy.

3. The Monument of the Holy Trinity was the key ele-

ment of the square identity for almost two centuries. With

the fall of religiously oppressive socialism in the 1990s,

there have been calls to return and reinstall the monument

in its location in the centre of this same-name square. How-

ever, others believe that this is not viable, as the monument

is more an urban memory today.

4. Most of the buildings around the square are cultural

institutions with a signicant potential for rising cultural

tourism. Therefore, the element of cultural and tourist pro-

motion is becoming a must in any future intervention re-

lating to the square. However, there are visible limitations

to implementing it due to the status of the square as pro-

tected heritage, as well as due to the previously explained

reasons.

Local representatives and experts have initiated sever-

al activities to address these questions. Firstly, they began

with the creation of a new general urban plan for the “Ve-

nac” historic core, including the square. The plan is cur-

rently in a draft version. Secondly, local experts have been

recently involved in several international and cross-bor-

der projects where the topics of cultural heritage, urban

Fig. 7. Characterisation of Holy

Trinity Square in Sombor,

Serbia, according to key

morphological parameters

for typology of public squares

in Serbia, by Đokić

(elaborated by B. Antonić)

Il. 7. Charakterystyka placu

Świętej Trójcy w Somborze

w Serbii na podstawie kluczowych

parametrów morfologicznych dla

typologii placów publicznych

w Serbii, autorstwa Đokica

(oprac. B. Antonić)

Public squares in Southern Pannonian cities 55

morphology, tourism and sustainable transport have been

explored, with aspirations to form thematic city networks

and partnerships and to learn the best practice from oth-

er countries. Finally, the city authority organised an open

public design competition for a conceptual arrangement

of Holy Trinity Square in 2023, to “screen” professional

opinion about the future (re)development of the square. All

these activities are thought to be a prerequisite for the main

ones – a new urban design project for the square and its

implementation.

Although the underlined challenges are still unresolved,

some inputs and ideas for the future of Holy Trinity Square

in Sombor are under discussion. They are in line with the

main inputs from this morphological analysis, which present

a very clear picture of a well-dened historic square, which

can be sensitive to any signicant physical disturbance.

Therefore, future interventions should be subtle and mostly

related to its non-physical modications and upgrades.

For instance, the marking of the place of the former

Monument of Holy Trinity in the pavement on the square

can be a compromise between two quite dierent opinions

of its complete reconstruction and status quo. Secondly, an

underground car garage beneath the square is suggested as

a solution to mediate pedestrianisation plans and local eco-

nomic viability. Thirdly, densication of the urban green-

ery on the peripheral parts of the square is recommended,

so as to preserve a clear space in the middle for events

and to protect the square from extreme weather at the same

time. Fourthly, it is advisable to use the possibilities of

fast-developing digitalisation and ICT-driven urban design

(QR codes, hotspots for oine data, augmented reality,

etc.) to promote the culture, heritage, and tourism of Som-

bor in a more innovative and sophisticated way, without

the signicant physical disturbance of the square design.

In the end, it seems that the local representatives, ex-

perts and citizens will need to speed up this decision pro-

cess, as Sombor with its historic core and cultural heri-

tage is becoming a “magnet” for booming cultural tourism

along the nearby Danube River, as a major tourist route in

this part of Europe.

Acknowledgements

The case study in this paper serves as preparatory research for the Ur-

ban-Architectural Design Competition for the Conceptual Arrangement

of the Site Plan of Holy Trinity Square in Sombor, Serbia. The authors

of this paper participated in this competition and won the 2

prize. The

authors-competitors thank the competition organiser – the authorities of

the City of Sombor – for their support in publishing this piece of research

and allowing the use of competition material for this paper.

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