Kikinda | Top 10 in Cities of Serbia

Serbian Volunteers Square

The central square of Kikinda is one of the most beautiful in Serbia and undoubtedly the symbol of the city in the far northeast of Banat. The nicely arranged pedestrian zone is adorned with facades of centuries-old buildings designed in different styles, which irresistibly resembles squares in Central European cities. Among them, the following buildings stand out with their beauty: Slanik's Palace (No. 1), Varađanin's Villa (No. 30), Budišin's Palace (No. 6), Pentz's House (No. 43), Draksler's Palace (No. 14), Štajner's House (No. 17), the buildings of the National Theater (No. 28) and the Cultural Center (No. 23), the so-called Kurija or the building of the National Museum (No. 21), as well as the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The beautiful ambiance of Kikinda's square is complemented by numerous flower alleys, as well as tall maple, linden, and conifer trees, on whose branches you can see a large number of owls in the winter months - one of the symbols of Kikinda.

Days of "ludaja" (pumpkin)

Every year, at the beginning of autumn, Kikinda becomes the European capital of pumpkin or "ludaja," as the locals call this well-known orange vegetable, which is used to make the sweetest pies and whose seeds we passionately snack on during sports events or while watching TV. The four-day event, which has been held in various locations in Kikinda for 35 years, has made the pumpkin another symbol and one of the first associations with this city. Initially just another local event, the Days of "ludaja" now represent a celebration of wide cultural and entertainment character, visited annually by tens of thousands of people, mostly from Vojvodina and neighboring Hungary and Romania. Among the multitude of cultural and entertainment activities, the competition for the longest and heaviest pumpkin stands out, and in 2019, records were set in both categories - the heaviest pumpkin weighing 640 kilograms and the longest measuring 3.5 meters.

"Kika"

Like most cities in Serbia, Kikinda has its own local museum. However, what is exhibited in the Kikinda National Museum is rarely seen even on a global scale. It's none other than the skeleton of a mammoth, a giant furry elephant, symbolically named Kika. In late 1996, during routine excavation at the clay pit of the "Toza Marković" factory, at a depth of about 20 meters, the skeleton of an unusually large animal was accidentally discovered. Through professional and gradual excavation, the nearly complete skeleton of a mammoth estimated to be around 500,000 years old was brought to the surface after several weeks. This epochal paleontological discovery shed light on a little-known part of the paleogeographic history of our region and the fact that mammoths truly lived in the territory of present-day Serbia hundreds of thousands of years ago. Shortly after the excavation, the mammoth skeleton was fully reconstructed and exhibited in the Kikinda museum, proudly standing as one of the most beautiful paleontological discoveries in Europe.

Old Lake

Just a few minutes' walk from the center of Kikinda lies the favorite excursion spot of the locals - Old Lake (Old Lake). This water complex, covering an area of about five hectares, surrounded by dense deciduous forest, flower alleys, pedestrian and bicycle paths, benches, a bridge, and a pontoon in the middle of the lake, represents a unique environmental ensemble of Kikinda. In hot summer days, Old Lake is a true natural oasis for rest and recreation (although swimming in it is not recommended), while in winter, the frozen water surface sometimes turns into a large ice-skating rink. And all this is just half a kilometer away from the city center.

Generala Drapšina Street

To many, it will sound unbelievable that Generala Drapšina Street in Kikinda is among the most beautiful streets in the world, at least according to reputable international online portals dealing with architecture and design. The main reason for this prestigious status is the beautiful and in many ways unique tree-lined avenue, designed and arranged back in the late 19th century, which still shines brightly above one of the central streets of Kikinda. Dense canopies of deciduous plane trees, hackberries, and linden trees intersect above the street, forming a kind of natural tunnel and creating an indescribably pleasant and picturesque ambiance in the summer months. In autumn, when the leaves turn yellow, the street becomes even more vibrant, and its fairytale appearance remains even in winter when long branches are covered in snow. With picturesque house facades and the distinctive scent of linden in the summer months, Generala Drapšina Street (formerly Vilsonova) represents a true gem of Kikinda.

"Terra"

As the headquarters of the Center for Fine and Applied Arts "Terra," Kikinda is the host of the International Symposium on Large-Format Terracotta Sculpture every year. The main activities of the Center are related to the Terra Atelier - a unique space in the former brick factory where artists from Serbia and abroad create sculptures in clay every summer, exhibiting them in the Atelier's courtyard, which is perhaps the largest open-air exhibition in the country. The second part of the Center's activities is related to the Terra Gallery in the city center, where exhibitions, literary evenings, lectures, promotions are organized throughout the year, and where much of Kikinda's cultural life takes place.

Suvača

The famous Old Suvača in Kikinda, built at the end of the 19th century, is a unique cultural monument of exceptional importance. Built as a dry mill for grinding grain, operated by horses at the time, Suvača now represents a unique tourist, architectural, and ethnographic attraction of Kikinda and Banat. It has relinquished its industrial purpose to tourism and has been accessible to visitors as an authentic national heritage site since 2013.

Egg Tapping World Championship

With the exception of 2020, this event with a cute and (perhaps) slightly pretentious name takes place every year on Easter in the nearby village of Mokrin. For three decades now, in the competition for the hardest Easter egg, Egg Tapping gathers hundreds of competitors from Banat, Bačka, and even neighboring countries. Although it may sound funny, the participants approach this event extremely seriously, carefully selecting the egg with which they will compete for weeks in advance, hoping that theirs will be the winning one. To ensure fair play and prevent any minor cheats, there is an expert jury that assesses whether the egg is real and made of chicken. The competition, organized in a tournament format, lasts for several hours, and afterward, the entire event turns into a cultural and entertainment celebration.

Mokrin House

Located about ten kilometers north of Kikinda, also in Mokrin, is one of the first coworking projects of this kind in Serbia. It's called Mokrin House, a unique coworking space and modernly equipped hub for collaborative work, business meetings, or relaxation for those who have become tired of doing things in a traditional and conventional way. This urban haven in predominantly rural surroundings is the perfect place for artists, freelancers, entrepreneurs, digital nomads, as well as for business or team-building groups. It's a truly extraordinary space worth visiting if you find yourself in Kikinda and Mokrin.

Holy Trinity Monastery

Erected in 1887 on the foundations of the former cemetery chapel, the Holy Trinity Monastery in Kikinda is a legacy of Melanija Gajčić, one of the most humane and significant women from Kikinda, who lived and was buried with her family in the monastery church at the turn of the century. Almost the entire century, the Holy Trinity Monastery was a male monastery, but for the past 40 years, it has been under the management of a sisterhood consisting of four nuns.