The Flatland City with Many Names and One Heart

In the very heart of Banat, about 70 kilometers from Belgrade, lies Zrenjanin – a city that has changed its name, but never its spirit. Once known as Bečkerek, then Great Bečkerek, later Petrovgrad, and since 1946 – Zrenjanin. Each of these names left its mark, like a layer in the historical cake of a city that knows how to blend the past and the present. On the banks of the Begej River, surrounded by endless plains, Zrenjanin breathes with the calm of the north, the scent of wheat, and the rhythm of good living.

The city center, with its magnificent City Hall and the Cathedral of St. John of Nepomuk, reveals how many styles and eras meet here. Baroque, Secession, and Neoclassicism speak softly in the shade of tree-lined streets. The people of Zrenjanin are true Banatians – cheerful, witty, and hospitable, living life slowly but with balance and taste. Along the bridges and riverbanks of the Begej, life unfolds at its own pace: fishermen, cyclists, and walkers all moving to their rhythm, as if to say that in the plains, there is no rush – everything here is just as it should be.

Zrenjanin is a city where theatre has a soul and festivals have tradition. The National Theatre “Toša Jovanović,” one of the oldest in Serbia, still fills its hall, while the annual “Days of Beer” festival gathers tens of thousands of visitors in a joyful celebration of concerts, craft beer, and local cuisine. Summer festivals, exhibitions, and ethno fairs make Zrenjanin pulse year-round between tradition and modern energy. Thanks to this rich cultural life, Zrenjanin has been declared Serbia’s National City of Culture for 2025, a recognition that confirms its importance on the country’s cultural map.

The Banat table is rich yet simple – full of the aromas of paprika, homemade sausages, and poppy seed strudel. Here you’ll find fish stew and paprikaš carrying the spirit of the Begej River, best enjoyed with an essential glass of beer – because in Zrenjanin, beer isn’t just drunk, it’s respected. Only a few kilometers away lies the Carska Bara Nature Reserve, offering peace for the soul and a view to remember. That’s why Zrenjanin isn’t a city to rush through – it’s a place to experience in the rhythm of the plains, with a smile and a heart as wide as Banat.