The last weekend in September, we visited the Association of Slovenians in Subotica, with whom we share the same name, but also love for music. On September 27, 2024, our choir Davorin Jenko, after a long break, was a guest at the 20th festival of Slovenian choirs in Subotica.
31 of us went on the trip, 25 of whom were members of the choir. Our route was: Banja Luka, Prnjavor, Modriča, BCP Svilaj, then along the highway Slavonica to Osijek, and further towards Kneževi Vinogradi to BCP Batina/Bezdan. We had our first break in Sombor, where we refreshed ourselves with delicious food at the Fijaker restaurant, and had some nice weather for a short walk.
In the afternoon, we arrived in the northernmost city in the Republic of Serbia and settle in the Subotica High School Student Dormitory, in Harambašićeva Street.
The festival took place in the Ceremonial Hall of the City Hall in Subotica, which is a masterpiece of architecture from the Art Nouveau period. In a beautiful setting, we had the opportunity to enjoy performances of Slovenian folk and modern songs, performed by choirs of Slovenian societies from Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Banja Luka and the host city of Subotica, as well as the singing group ''Studenac'' from Pivka. After a successful performance of our choir, which presented itself with three numbers: ''Mlade oči'' - Jure Robeznik, ''Pridi nazaj'' - Andrej Maroša and ''Jesenje lišće'' - Bogoljub Dimić, under the conductorship of Vanja Topić Vještica, followed by a joint gathering of participants at the Croatian Cultural Center ''Bunjevačko kolo'', not far from the festival location.
The second day of our visit to Subotica was reserved for sightseeing, guided by Imre Šoti, a host from the Subotica association. The tour of the city center ended at Trg Republike, where we had a long coffee break due to the rain that had just started in Subotica and would accompany us for the rest of the day until we returned home. From a walk through this beautiful city, rich in greenery and a multitude of old and monumental buildings, which stand out for their architecture, facades and roofs, special impressions were left by, in addition to the already mentioned City Hall, the Subotica synagogue, the building of the oldest Grammar School (Gimnazija) in Serbia, which has existed since 1785, the blue fountain and the facade of Villa Rajhl. The visit to Subotica ended with a visit to the widely known Palić Lake, or Palić Nature Park, next to this largest natural lake in Serbia. The hot water springs near the lake began to be used as a medicinal spa two centuries ago, and this today's excursion area experienced its heyday at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The walk along the Palić promenade was occasionally interrupted by persistent rain, but we still managed to see some of the beauties of this beautiful place, although they say that swimming in the lake is not recommended due to pollution.
After a visit to Palić and lunch at the Student Dormitory, a long journey back to Banja Luka followed, where we happily arrived in the evening.
Mladen Lunić
