Category: News

The year behind us has brought many unexpected changes to our daily lives, caused by the current epidemiological situation, which has disrupted plans both globally and locally. The situation related to the coronavirus in the Republic of Serbia has resulted in the cancellation of many events across the country, including those in Palić.
Despite this unexpected scenario, the winter holidays bring a special atmosphere and joy into our homes. Therefore, we look forward to the beginning of the new year with hope that it will bring health and prosperity to everyone.
Let us remain responsible and take care of ourselves and others.
Park Palić Ltd. wishes you a Happy New Year 2021!

The winter holidays bring a special atmosphere and joy into our homes. Following the example of many cities, Palić has once again been decorated this year with festive illuminated decorations in front of the Grand Terrace and in the Great Park, along with a New Year’s tree and accompanying decorations, symbolically marking the beginning of the Christmas and New Year holidays.
A new addition compared to the previous year is the decoration of the Music Pavilion, which has enriched the appearance of yet another symbol of Palić, to the delight of all visitors and walkers.

Dear visitors and friends of Palić and the “Grape Harvest Days” event,
After careful consideration, monitoring the epidemiological situation in the country, and following the recommendations of the Crisis Staff of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as consultations with our long-standing partners, we have made the decision that the traditional “Grape Harvest Days” event will not be held this year.
Through our responsible behavior and the cancellation of the event, we wish to support the responsible decisions made by the City of Subotica regarding the cancellation of numerous events, and to emphasize that the safety and health of all of us come first.
Until next year, we send you our warm regards!

Na današnji dan prije 160 godina rođen je Lajoš Vermeš (Lajos Nagybudafalvi Vermes, 1860.–1945.), legenda subotičkog i palićkog sporta. Vermeš je rođen u Subotici i bio je veleposjednik, dobrotvor, sportski djelatnik i atletičar, koji se zalagao za moto „u zdravom tijelu zdrav duh“, kao i za razvoj sporta u cjelini.

Foto: Vermeš u svojoj mačevalačkoj opremi

Stekao je diplomu profesora tjelesne kulture i s tim zvanjem radio je u Višoj gimnaziji u Subotici, a kasnije i na Sveučilištu i Unitarnoj gimnaziji u Cluju (Rumunjska). Nakon povratka iz Pešte, gdje je studirao medicinu, zajedno s braćom Belom i Nandorom osniva dva sportska kluba: gimnastički i atletski.
Vermeš je započeo svoju sportsku karijeru u Nacionalnom atletskom klubu, a nakon niza izvrsnih rezultata postaje renomirani gimnastičar i poznato ime sporta u tadašnjoj Austro-Ugarskoj Monarhiji.
Vermeš je zapamćen kao svestrani sportaš – plivač, atletičar, gimnastičar, hrvač, mačevalac i biciklist.

Foto: Vermeš kao svestrani sportaš

lastitim naporima i novcem organizirao je na Paliću Međunarodne sportske igre, koje danas poznajemo pod nazivom „Palićka olimpijada“. Priča o olimpijadi započela je 1876. godine kada je Vermeš otputovao u Napulj, gdje je s Mironovog „Bacača diska“ uzeo mjeru te u jednoj subotičkoj željezari izradio isti takav sportski rekvizit.
Svoju ideju Vermeš je uspio ostvariti 26. kolovoza 1880. godine, a na tom prvom natjecanju bile su uvrštene samo tri sportske discipline (hrvanje, skok u dalj i bacanje kugle). Kasnije se njihov broj povećavao te su u program uvršteni gimnastika, plivanje, atletika, boks, hrvanje, mačevanje, veslanje i biciklizam.
Kako bi igre imale gdje biti održane, u svom voćnjaku na Paliću postavio je sprave za tjelesne vježbe i izgradio atletske staze.

Foto: Palićka olimpijada

Za potrebe natjecanja izgradio je prvu biciklističku stazu u ovom dijelu Europe, eliptičnog oblika i dužine 500 metara, koja je nazvana „Zatvorena arena“ jer je bila okružena tribinama sa sjedećim mjestima.
Uz pistu i stadion, na samoj obali jezera, izgradio je i svojevrsno olimpijsko selo u kojem su se natjecatelji iz drugih mjesta mogli smjestiti – to su bile vila „Bagojvar“, poznatija kao „Sovina kula“, i vila „Lujza“.

Foto: vila „Bagojvar“ (Sovina kula) na Paliću

Foto: vila „Lujza“ na Paliću

Vermeš je okupio stotine najboljih sportaša iz svih krajeva Europe, 16 godina prije nego što je Pierre de Coubertin obnovio moderne Olimpijske igre. Vodila ga je ideja o osnivanju sportskih igara i namjera da se nastavi tradicija Olimpijskih igara, za čije obnavljanje tada još nije bila pokrenuta inicijativa.
Za razliku od modernih igara, Palićke olimpijske igre pratila je publika s dubokim džepom, dok su natjecatelji uglavnom bili ljudi slabijeg imovinskog stanja, uz rijetke iznimke. Posebnu pažnju zaslužuju Vermešovi napori da njegovo sportsko društvo bude otvoreno za sve, bez ikakve diskriminacije. Ta organizacija imala je višenacionalni karakter, a članom je mogao postati svatko, čak i stranci.
Vermeš se posebno istaknuo i kao izvanredan organizator. Bio je u stanju okupiti veliki broj gledatelja i natjecatelja, a od prvih Igara koje je organizirao 1880. godine, pa nadalje, svake godine uvodio je nove ideje, nove natjecateljske discipline, inovirana pravila i sve bolje uvjete za boravak i natjecanje sudionika, vođen čvrstom idejom o njegovanju olimpijskog duha.
Trudio se i da ništa važno što se dogodilo ne ostane nezabilježeno i neobjavljeno u novinama s kojima je surađivao, kao ni u onima koje je sam osnivao i uređivao.
Palićke igre održavale su se i ljeti i zimi, a trajale su od 1880. do 1914. godine, kada su zauvijek prekinute zbog Prvog svjetskog rata.

Foto: vježbalište Sveučilišta u Cluju

Nastavio je širiti svoje ideje u Cluju, gdje je 1896. godine angažiran kao profesor sporta i majstor mačevanja, ali je trajno ostao privržen Paliću. Lajoš Vermeš preminuo je u Subotici 1945. godine. years.

Foto: Lajoš Vermeš (oko 1915. godine)

U spomen na ovu, možda najistaknutiju ličnost iz povijesti sporta na ovim prostorima, ustanovljena je najprestižnija nagrada – medalja „Lajoš Vermeš“, koja se dodjeljuje za najznačajnije sportske uspjehe.
Palićka olimpijada obnovljena je 2000. godine, osnivanjem Sportskog udruženja „Olimpija“, te obilježavanjem 120. obljetnice osnivanja Palićkih sportskih igara. 2004. Godine 2004. na Paliću je podignut spomenik Lajošu Vermešu, dok je šetalište uz obalu jezera u njegovu čast dobilo naziv Obala Lajoša Vermeša.

Foto: spomenik Lajošu Vermešu na Paliću

June in Palić marks the beginning of the season of events and manifestations, primarily at the Summer Stage. Lovers of great entertainment, laughter, excellent theatre performances, music, and the beautiful atmosphere of the Summer Stage will once again have the opportunity to enjoy an outstanding program this year.
Park Palić and the Summer Stage, as gracious hosts this summer, will welcome the following performers:

1. 26.06. (Friday) the widely known actor Petar Božović in a play based on the novel by Matija Bećković – “A Man Told Me, We’ll Fight”, organized by “Alexandra Travel” Subotica.
2. 28.06. (Sunday) the hilarious hit comedy performed by Dragan Marinković Maca – “Like Your Wife, Like Your Life”, organized by “Denmax” Subotica.
3. 03.07. (Friday) the play “Red”, organized by the “Vitor Association for the Promotion of Culture” Subotica – Postponed until further notice!
4. 11.07. Saturday) Anđelka Prpić in the play “What Happened to Me?”, organized by “GMR” Belgrade – Postponed until further notice!
5. 14.07. (Tuesday) Milan “Lane” Gutović in the play “An Ordinary Evening”, organized by “Alexandra Travel” Subotica – Postponed until further notice!
6. 16.07. (Thursday) Dragan Marinković Maca in the new hit play “Who’s Shaking Your Cherry Tree?”, organized by “Denmax” Subotica – Postponed until further notice!
7. 18.07. (Saturday) the legendary band “Bajaga and the Instructors”, organized by “GMR” Belgrade – Postponed until further notice!
8. 23.07. (Thursday) regional music star – Petar Grašo concert, organized by “Music Star Production” Belgrade – Postponed until further notice!
9. 31.07. Friday) the play “Plastic”, organized by the “Vitor Association for the Promotion of Culture” Subotica – Postponed until further notice!
10. 22.08. (Saturday) hilarious comedy “Those Things”, organized by “GMR” Belgrade – Postponed until further notice!
11. 27.08. (Thursday) performance “Last Chance” organized by the “Vitor Association for the Promotion of Culture” Subotica – Cancelled!
12. 29.08. (Saturday) Dubravka Mijatović with the team in the play “It’s a Story About the City”, organized by “GMR” Belgrade – Postponed until further notice!
13. 12.09. (Saturday) performance “Hysteria” organized by the “Vitor Association for the Promotion of Culture” Subotica – Cancelled!
14. 13.09. (Saturday) the famous trio and “State Job”, organized by “GMR” Belgrade – Cancelled!
15. 18.09. (Friday) performance “Northeast” organized by the “Vitor Association for the Promotion of Culture” Subotica – Cancelled!

The organizers reserve the right to change the dates, and the list of events is not yet fully formed. You can find all information via the Park Palić Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as on our website in the News section, while event announcements can be found in the Events section on the Park Palić website.

“In sculpture, storytelling should be avoided. We have words for that. I believe that a story should not be embedded in stone, wood, or bronze; rather, the freely shaped form of a piece of stone, wood, or bronze should be allowed to speak in its own language, telling its own story…”

Quote: Ana Bešlić for TV Novosti, 1980. years.

(source: Yugopapir.com )

Photo: Ana Bešlić in the 1960s

Ana Bešlić was born on March 16, 1912, at the farmstead “Šara Pustara” near Bajmok in northern Bačka, into a respected Bunjevac family. She completed primary school in Bajmok and continued her education in Zagreb, Graz, and Vienna.
At the age of 18, she first came into contact with clay, which her father brought from the Danube River. The first sculpture she created was a portrait of her father. She moved to Belgrade in 1937 and began studying sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1939, but was forced to interrupt her studies due to the war. During the war, her first work—the portrait of her father—was also lost.
After the war, she graduated in 1947 from the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. She completed her postgraduate studies two years later under Professor Toma Rosandić, and soon became an associate in his studio.
Her first solo exhibition was held in 1954, when she exhibited together with Đorđe Bošan in Subotica. She participated in numerous art colonies and symposia, and also exhibited at significant Yugoslav art exhibitions abroad.
She established her position as a modernist sculptor in what was then an almost exclusively male artistic profession within the Yugoslav art scene, following her path spontaneously and elegantly. During her career, she created both monumental and sculptural works, whose forms differed from large monumental monuments.
Together with Jovan Soldatović, Ratimir Stojadinović, Aleksandar Zarin, Miša Popović, Jovan Kratohvil, Miloš Sarić, and Olga Jančić, she belonged to the circle of young sculptors in the group Prostor 8 (1957–1958), which sought to demonstrate the multiple meanings of sculpture within architectural complexes and urban parks.
After a study stay in Germany in 1967, she began working with a new material—polyester. Four periods have been identified in her work and artistic development: the period of education (until 1954), the associative form (1954–1962), the transitional period (1962–1966), and the sphere period (from 1966), with cycles such as Colored Ball, Portrait, Disc, and Pillows.

Photo: Sculpture 2a, 1973, painted fiberglass, City Museum of Subotica.

She created a significant number of monuments and sculptures in public spaces and interiors in many places across the former Yugoslavia, as well as abroad.
She received numerous awards and recognitions, including the 14th October Salon Award (Belgrade, 1973), the October Award of the City of Belgrade (1979), and the Dr. Ferenc Bodrogvari Award (Subotica, 1983), among others.
The sculptures of Ana Bešlić are held in collections both in the country and internationally. A bequest of twenty of her sculptures has been housed in the City Museum of Subotica since 1983.

Photo: “Sculpture “Birds”, as part of the fountain from 1913.

In addition to the sculpture “Birds” at the center of the 1913 fountain, Ana Bešlić gifted Palić two more beautiful sculptures that still enrich the space around Lake Palić today.
These are the sculptures “Wings” from 1957, which was moved in 1981 from the site of the Memorial Fountain to the Cape of Poetic Hope, and “Thalia” – the first sculpture installed in public space, which has adorned the Summer Stage in Palić since 1951.

Photo: sculpture “Wings”, Cape of Poetic Hope

Photo: sculpture “Thalia”, Summer Stage

Ana Bešlić passed away on January 26, 2008 in Belgrade. Her works will remind us of this unique and talented sculptor from our region for a long time to come.

Palić already had an exceptionally rich tourist offer at the beginning of the 20th century. Guests had access to a spa with warm, cold, and mud baths, numerous summer residences, villas and rooms for rent, hotels, the Summer Stage, a library, various boats, and the complete Vermes sports center.

Transport connections were fast and efficient thanks to the railway and tram links with the city. Distinguished citizens, large landowners, wealthy merchants, bankers, and industrialists from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy used to visit.
How demanding they were can be seen from the restaurant menus – some of those dishes are still served today at the Small Inn.

The wine list, in addition to local selections, featured some of the finest wines, curated in the style of renowned restaurants in Vienna and Budapest. Visitors had access to 25 daily and weekly newspapers in five languages, indicating the international character of the tourists at the time.
Thus, long before Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Rogaška Slatina rose to prominence, beautiful villas, summer residences, and sports centers had already emerged on the southern edge of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy—as early foundations of spa tourism in Vojvodina.

The Great Terrace building stood out with particular beauty, through its proportions, the interweaving of structural elements, shapes, colors and openings. The only decoration is in the form of floral motifs embedded and perforated in wooden elements. The Great Terrace promenade that runs through the building divides the ground floor into two units, one housed a pastry shop, and the other a restaurant, both with spacious terraces oriented towards the lake. Two apsidal bazaars faced the park, which housed a barbershop, toy shop and paper shop. The side staircases lead to the storey belt that covers the passage and connects the two units into a single cube.

There, in the central part, was a multi-purpose hall where balls, concerts, parties and theatrical performances were held. It opened onto the park with a terrace above the bazaar, while the stage with rooms for artists and a terrace looked out onto the lake. This multi-purpose building changed its function over the years. Right in front of the Great Terrace, from the same period and in the same style, is the smallest Art Nouveau building – the Music Pavilion.

In keeping with the times, it was and still is used as a venue for promenade concerts. After a century, the Grand Terrace has become the most important congress center in the area. It has three congress halls, with a maximum capacity of 360, 50 and 20 seats, intended for holding congresses, conferences, meetings and various exhibitions, events and performances. The Palić Congress Center enables the organization of various types of business and other events in accordance with the needs of our clients. The congress center consists of three buildings: the Grand Terrace, the Eco Center and the Summer Stage.

Recently, in the very heart of the tourist area of Palić— in front of the Grand Terrace and in the Great Park— festive illuminated decorations and a Christmas tree have been installed, symbolically marking the beginning of the holiday atmosphere and the Christmas and New Year season.

Park Palić, as the manager of the tourist destination, decided—following the example of other destinations—to enrich its offer and further enhance the Great Park by acquiring decorative LED lighting in the form of illuminated spheres, glowing gift boxes of various sizes, and a 5-meter-high Christmas tree with accompanying decorations. This has also resolved a long-standing issue of sourcing tall conifer trees, transporting them, and safely installing them at the Open Wings of the Grand Terrace.

Given the enthusiasm of all visitors and tourists who had the opportunity to enjoy and see Palić’s holiday decorations, the plan is to further enrich them with additional features in each coming year.

The end of the summer season has long no longer meant the end of activities in Palić for us. With the aim of continuously improving and enhancing our destination, in recent months we have addressed several more serious, long-standing issues in the tourist area of Palić, and carried out a number of works.

Postavljanje urbanog mobilijara

In the central tourist area of Palić, near the restaurant “Mala Gostiona,” the worn-out wooden posts were dismantled and replaced with new concrete spheres. A total of 100 spheres were installed along this section.

Sanacija dela staza uz obalu kod Peščane plaže

In the immediate vicinity of the Sandy Beach, due to ground subsidence and water flowing through a “channel” beneath the path, the paving (behaton) slabs on the walkway became sunken and damaged. Through the rehabilitation works, the ground and paving slabs were leveled, and a new drainage pipe was installed, which will provide a long-term solution for this area and prevent further subsidence and deterioration of the path at the Sandy Beach.

Radovi za rekonstrukciju ograde za klima uređaj na objektu Eko centar

The worn-out wooden enclosure for the outdoor air-conditioning unit, which was in very poor condition, was completely replaced with a new, handcrafted fence that refreshed the exterior and improved the approach to the Eco Center.

Revitalizacija asfalta kod Ženskog Štranda

The revitalization of the asphalt near the Women’s Strand has resolved a long-standing issue of water accumulation after rainfall in that area, which had made it inaccessible to users and visitors. The works included asphalt paving and the application of topsoil along the roadside shoulders.

Demontaža starih i postavljanje novih oluka na objektu Eko centar

During September and October, a complete removal of the gutters on the Eco Center building was carried out, along with the fabrication and installation of new ones.

Radovi na sanaciji havarije kanalizacionog voda kod česme

As strong roots from nearby trees had over time damaged the drainage line of the fountain in the heart of Palić’s tourist area—causing water to overflow during use and flood the surrounding area and access path—rehabilitation works were carried out on the fountain’s drainage system, thereby resolving this long-standing issue.
During the spring of 2020, the access to the fountain will also be reconstructed, after which it will be put back into operation before the start of the tourist season in Palić.

Construction and installation of a new fence at the Grand Terrace

The external fence of the eastern wing of the Grand Terrace had deteriorated over time due to weather and other adverse conditions, posing a risk to pedestrians, as the rotten wooden elements were in very poor and damaged condition.
Accordingly, the old fence was completely dismantled and a new one was constructed and installed on the eastern wing of the Grand Terrace during November. In 2020, the fence of the western wing of the outdoor terrace will also be subject to reconstruction.