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.

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

thumb|200px|Main Square thumbnail|200px|Kika - replica of the mammoth skeleton

thumb|200px|Suvača

thumb|200px|Kikinda Orthodox Church 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 pu…

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.