Pančevo is one of those cities that has always remained under my radar. It has always been in the shadow of much larger Belgrade nearby, holding a reputation of a scruffy industrial town (nitrogen fertilizer facility, oil refinery, etc.). However, I've decided to use the weekend to explore the city where Georg Weifert (1850-1937) was born. He is the good-natured old fellow found on the 1000 dinars' banknote and every beer-drinker surely knows him well. He was a rich Serbian industrialist with German roots, the governor of the Serbian National Bank, brewer, founder of modern industrial mining in Serbia. This trip aimed to bring us closer to a man who was equally important for Serbia's wine industry.

Since we set out on Saturday morning, the right place for breakfast was the famous Stankoski bakery (address: Miloša Obrenovića 31, Pančevo). You are probably wondering why someone from Belgrade would go to Pančevo to have breakfast in a bakery... The secret is that they patented "fusion" burek, modern interpretations of burek that you will not come across in other bakeries, not only in Serbia but also in the Balkans ( I feel that Bosnians are already shivering at the very mention of burek with anything else but minced meat). However, Pančevo bakery offers burek with pork knuckle, burek with feta cheese and pepper, burek with three types of cheese, burek with gorgonzola, burek with sauerkraut (winter edition) ...

When we arrived in front of the bakery, due to corona epidemic, the bakery still hadn't started working regularly, so we couldn't sit inside to have breakfast. We were surprised that we were not the only ones who thought of having an unusual version of Pančevo burek for breakfast... There was a queue in front of the bakery, some 25-30 people. Some Belgraders kept complaining about waiting, but they didn't quit. After about 20 minutes of waiting, we reached the counter. We opted for burek with pork knuckle and burek with feta  cheese and pepper...

The ideal place for breakfast is Ponjavica. Saturday, morning sun, a pond surrounded by a walking path almost 3 km long with benches. It's time for breakfast with a view. While we had Pančevo burek paired with yoghurt from a local dairy for breakfast, we observed a fisherman who had already taken his place on the pondside, amidst reed. We didn't disturb him.  After a delicious breakfast and the conclusion that it would be worthwhile to return to Pančevo some day to taste other versions of burek, we continue our trip.

We headed to Ivanovačka Ada. It's a Nature Reserve on the Danube, 2.5 kilometers away from the village of Ivanovo. We leave the car next to the ramp at the entrance, determined to walk around the peninsula. The poplar forests were planted systematically, but nature still imposed its order and harmony... A pond overgrown with bushes attracted two swans who remained undisturbed despite our presence. Suddenly, a roe deer crosses our path. The Danube in all its beauty surrounds the banks of Ivanovačka Ada. A walk around Ada was a real anti-stress therapy. We also noticed that the entire peninsula is overgrown with wild vines.

As we drive through the village of Ivanovo (in Hungarian language the village is called Sándoregyháza), we noticed the Catholic Cathedral of St. Wendelin and the primary school built in 1888. The majority of population in Ivanovo are Hungarians and Bulgarian Catholics. You are probably wondering how come the Bulgarians are Catholics, but these are descendants of the Bulgarians who moved to Austria-Hungarian Empire fleeing from the Turks and accepted the Roman Catholic religion there.

On the way back, we stopped by Vojilovica monastery. According to a legend, it was built in the 14th century by Despot Stefan Lazarević, but today this monastery looks surreal because it has been surrounded by oil pipes and oil refinery facility from all sides. The very entrance to the monastery is also the entrance barricade of the oil refinery, which comes as a surprise... But, once you enter the monastery yard, you feel peace and quiet. A tall gilded baroque iconostasis from the 18th century dominates the church's interior.

Coming to Pančevo means coming to Weifert's town. Once downtown, we start the sightseeing tour from Georg Weifert's birth house where he was born in 1850, in the vicinity of the Tamiš quay and brewery. 

Further down the street, there is Weifert's brewery, a giant industrial facility that bears witness to former economic power of Pančevo. The building erected in 1722 has been partially reconstructed, and if you have time, you can also refresh yourself with a mug of cold beer in the garden of the brewery, which is now located there. Just like residents of Belgrade who once travelled by boat to Pančevo during weekends to enjoy pretzels and Pančevo beer.

A tour of the city center means a visit to Pančevo churches. Uspenska Crkva (Church of the Assumption), built between 1807 and 1810, can be seen and recognized from a distance by its two towers. The church must be visited because of the iconostasis made by Konstantin Danil in 1830.

The Catholic church of St. Karl Borromäus was built in 1758.

Preobraženska Crkva (Church of the Transfiguration) from the period 1873-1878 is really impressive and captivates with its neo-Byzantine architecture. The iconostasis in the church was made by Uroš Predić in the period from 1906 to 1911.

It is really pleasant to walk along the streets of Pančevo and explore local architecture that resisted the wave of new development projects.

Then we proceed to visit the Catholic church of St. Anne, built in the Art Nouveau style. It was built in 1923 by Georg Weifert, and he celebrated 50th wedding anniversary with his wife there. His funeral service was also held in that church on January 14th, 1937, the day before Georg Weifert was buried in the Catholic cemetery in Pančevo.

The Weifert family tomb, in the spirit of Art Nouveau, dominates the Catholic cemetery of Pančevo, and Georg Weifert was buried in it on January 15th, 1937, with the highest state honors.

We continue our tour of Pančevo along the Tamiš river. Well-maintained quay and nice weather attracted many people from Pančevo. We also chose to have lunch at Šajka restaurant, which is located on the opposite bank of the Tamiš. We rang the bell at the dock and soon a boat arrived from the other side transporting restaurant guests across the river free of charge. Of course, we finished the day in Pančevo with river fish in a plate and domestic wine. It is worth noting that the wine list of the restaurant contains exclusively wines from Serbia with quite decent prices.

Apart from Pančevo, the story of Georg Weifert would not be complete without a piece of his life mosaic related to the town of Kostolac. Weifert was the owner of several mines in Serbia. He was also one of the founders of the Serbian steel industry in Smederevo, and he had a coal mine in Kostolac because he needed coal for the needs of his steam-powered brewery. Since he spent considerable time in Kostolac managing the mine, he had time to plant vineyards there on a nearby hill. Little is known that he supplied wine from his Kostolac vineyards to the most famous Belgrade cafes. Even today, on the hill above old part of Kostolac, we can find vineyards, right on the place where Weifert's vineyards once stood.

A witness to Weifert's time spent in Kostolac is the church of St. George, founded by the shipping merchant Dragutin Todić in 1924. The facade of the church is unique owing to the motif of a lifebelt on the facade with carved names of the ships owned by the founder. Georg Weifert donated to this church the icon of St. Ignatius and the largest church bell.

 

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