Kikinda

Kikinda is in Banat region, Vojvodina autonomous province, Serbia. Kikinda is administrative center of Vojvodina's North Banat District situated near Romanian border (9 km). The town has 37,676 inhabitants, while the municipality has 59,329 inhabitants.

In Serbian, the town is known as Kikinda (Кикинда), in Hungarian as Nagykikinda, in German as Gross Kikinda or Großkikinda, in Latin as Magna Kikinda, in Romanian as Chichinda Mare, in Slovak as Kikinda, in Rusyn as Кикинда, and in Croatian as Kikinda.

Understand
The modern town was founded in 18th century. From 1774 to 1874 Kikinda was the seat of the District of Velika Kikinda, the autonomous administrative unit of Habsburg Monarchy. In 1893 Kikinda was granted the status of a town. The town became part of the Kingdom of Serbia (and Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) in 1918. Kikinda used to be a very strong economic and industrial centre of Serbia and Yugoslavia up until the 1990s. The industry of Kikinda is in the middle of the transitional economic process.

Kikinda is multicultural town counting more than 25 nationalities with majority of Serbians (76%) and Hungarians (13%), peaceful, safe and open community.

By car or bus
Regional roads connects Kikinda with all the neighbouring cities and villages. Buses operate regularly to the surrounding villages and major domestic and some European cities.

The road to the north is connected with highway E75 to Hungary (80 km) and Subotica (100 km). On the west side road leads to capital of Vojvodina Novi Sad (100 km), while on south Belgrade is 2 hours' drive away (115 km). On the east side 9 km away is the border crossing with Romania which is closed. The closest way to get into Romania is through the Srpska Crnja border crossing.



By train
Rail line Banatsko Aranđelovo – Kikinda – Romanian border at Jimbolia, part of the former Szeged – Timişoara railway is the second oldest railway in present-day Serbia. The town is also connected by rail to Subotica and to Belgrade through Zrenjanin. Although most economical way, trains are also the slowest way to travel with average speed below 30 km/h. This station used to be a part of the famous Orient Express line. For one time experience take the train - you cannot find such anywhere else in the world (slow, unreliable, late, you never know when you will arrive at destination if ever due to often train failures).



Get around
Most of the places of interest are in walking distance. There is no public transport within town, but there are plenty of cheap taxis around (€1-3).

See











 * Also, according to a popular belief, the treasure of Attila the Hun is buried somewhere on the territory of the municipality of Kikinda.
 * Also, according to a popular belief, the treasure of Attila the Hun is buried somewhere on the territory of the municipality of Kikinda.
 * Also, according to a popular belief, the treasure of Attila the Hun is buried somewhere on the territory of the municipality of Kikinda.

Do

 * Since the town area can be crossed within 2 hours of walking, explore the town by foot to see both center and classic Banat streets without rushing.
 * Wake up at early morning and go to a cafe at center square. Ask for "domestic coffee" (often called also "Turkish coffee" or "Serbian coffee").
 * Go to public market and buy (and try) some domestic agricultural products: watermelon, melon, apples, pears, tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries.
 * For recreation you can go to sport center "Jezero" (lake) where you can find several pools, tennis court, park suitable for jogging, or you can play football or basketball.
 * The Pumpkin Days (Дани лудаје/Dani ludaje in Serbian) - an annual festival in mid-October. People from all over the region gather in Kikinda to take part in a competition of who has the largest pumpkin and longest gourd. The term ludaja is specific to the Kikinda region, while the common Serbian word for pumpkin is bundeva. Kikinda has a special relationship with this plant because throughout its history, the locals used to say that one can stand on a pumpkin while working in the fields and get a clear view of the whole town. This exaggeration was supposed to depict the flatness of the town's territory. A local standing on a pumpkin, dressed in traditional attire, and with his hand blocking the sun so that he can see into the distance, thus became the symbol for the region. A group of local enthusiasts started the Pumpkin Days manifestation in 1986 and it quickly attracted pumpkin and gourd lovers from all over the country. The three-day event also includes lectures and seminars on the advancement of pumpkin and gourd cultivation, a culinary competition in preparing meals from pumpkins and gourds, children's competitions in creating masks and sculptures, and various concerts and exhibitions. This event has gained prominence and has drawn visitors from Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslav republics. The largest pumpkin measured at the event to date weighed 247 kg, while the longest gourd was 213 cm in length. A tamburitza festival was included in the event, contributing to the authentic Banat experience.
 * Terra International Symposium of Sculpture: every year, since 1982, 6 to 8 world renowned sculptors are invited to Kikinda at the premises of an old production plant of the Toza Marković brick factory for this symposium which lasts through July. Over the years, Terra has hosted sculptors from all over the world who are drawn by the unique and peaceful ambience of the studio. All sculptures are done in terracotta and some have appeared at the Venice Biennale. Over 300 sculptors have so far participated in the symposium and have together produced more than 500 sculptures. Plans for the construction of a Terra museum are underway in which all the sculptures will be exhibited in a modern setting adjacent to the old studio. Sculptures made at "Terra" can be seen at town square also during whole year.
 * The Kikinda Airport is a sports plane airstrip close to the town. The local flying club organizes lessons in parachuting, aviation and space-modeling. Planes are also flown from this airstrip to spray agricultural fields.

Eat

 * You must try Kikinda's fast food. Start with "burek" for breakfast (€1). Try first with cheese (that is a must), then try other types. For late afternoon or evening go for "pljeskavica" (burger, meat mixed with onion). Ask for the one filled with cheese - "punjena pljeskavica" (filled burger, less than €2) or just try classic one (€1.5). Don't get surprised about size if you get used to eat burgers at world wide well known burger shops.
 * For full lunch or dinner experience go to one of local restaurants where you can ask for many local dishes. Banat is well known for rich and sometimes "heavy" meals, some of them are authentic, some came from neighboring countries. Domestic cabbage rolls ("sarma") are excellent. Baked beans ("kuvani pasulj") with sausages ("kobasica") and with briskets ("rebarca") are also recommended. Goulash ("gulaš") is Hungarian dish, but it is also well prepared here. There is also a really wide variety of other dishes.
 * But none of these does not give a full experience until you spend a day at a farmer's house to taste really basic domestic food, wine and schnaps.

Drink
As a rule, at stores and restaurants it is hard to find quality drink. Only selected home made wine and schnaps are worth - and that is what really worth. Ask locals or host for recommendation.

You can get excellent coffee almost everywhere, but be prepared - it is cooked at traditional way which is not in use in most of the European countries.

Sleep
At very center is located hotel "Narvik" (four stars) under in renovation, but you can also find smaller accommodation usually at bigger restaurants. Also there and there you can find private accommodation for low cost.

Connect
You can find internet cafe near town square and telephone shops all around town, mostly in center. Many bars, restaurants and cafes offer free wi-fi for their guests.

The mobile network (3G/GPRS/GSM) covers the whole town. If you are coming from a non-GSM standard country (e.g. the United States) check your mobile phone for GSM compatibility.

A free wireless network covers town center.