If you want to feel the vibe of Vojvodina, Novi Sad is the place to be. And if you are on your way to visit Novi Sad, make sure you come by our office — we’d be more than happy to meet you! We bring you the story about Novi Sad and our HTEC office in this liberal city of music, art and fun.
What’s Novi Sad like?
Novi Sad, the second biggest city in Serbia, is in the north part of the country. As a former Austro-Hungarian city, this city has a completely different vibe than the rest of Serbia. Here, you can see the difference in the style of buildings, culture, and food. People here love music, art, theatre, and organize a lot of cultural events. Because of this, the European Union named Novi Sad the European Capital of Culture of 2022.
What’s it like to live there?
Living in Novi Sad is not like living in a typical urban city. Here, people are more laid back and relaxed. They love taking long walks, especially along the Danube River, which runs through Novi Sad. But, not only that. Taking a coffee-to-go and just wandering around the city is a perfect pass-time activity.
Is Novi Sad expensive?
Novi Sad is relatively cheap when compared to the cost of living in Serbia. It is less expensive to live in Novi Sad than in Belgrade. Compared to living in Belgrade, rent prices are more than 25% lower here. Depending on the location you want to be in, the prices vary a bit. If you want to live in the city center, you will have to pay a little more. However, if you are OK with living a bit further away, you can find cheaper places to live in. But, don’t worry. Even if you live further out, you can use one of the public bus lines or ride a bike to get to the center.
Restaurant prices are more than 16% lower and groceries about 3% compared to the capital. There are many inexpensive places to eat and markets on every corner. So you can choose whether you are going to eat out or prepare meals at home.
What are people like?
People in Novi Sad are very proud of their diversity. This city is home to more than 20 different nationalities and they all feel as part of one big community. Being so diverse, people here try to get to know different cultures and languages. It’s not unusual to hear people from different nationalities greet each other in their mother tongue or learn how to prepare a traditional meal. So, if you are a foreigner-to-be in Novi Sad, don’t worry. You will feel at home in no time.
Do people speak English?
Yes, people generally speak English in Novi Sad. Every important institution has its name written in both Serbian and English. Most of the restaurants and cafes have their menu translated into English. And, even if they don’t, you can ask someone to explain something to you or give you directions. You don’t have to be shy. Everyone will try their best to help you out.
What’s the weather like?
During the summer, the average temperature is usually about 30°C, which is perfect for grabbing a drink in one of the many cafes in the city center. Winters are not too cold. The average temperature is about 4°C.
What are the city’s highlights?
There is just so much to see that it’s difficult to choose just the highlights. The city’s trademark is Petrovaradin Fortress and the Clock Tower, located on the bank of the Danube River. From there, you get a panoramic view of the whole city. It is perfect for taking pictures and selfies with Novi Sad behind you.
In the city center, you can find several highlights. The first thing that you have to visit is The Name of Mary Church. This is the tallest church in Vojvodina (72 meters). Then, you can take a stroll down Zmaj Jovina Street and turn to Dunavska Street, where you can check out some name-brand stores or buy souvenirs.
During the summertime, you can cool down on Štrand. With its sandy beach and many restaurants and coffee places, it’s a perfect place to relax on a hot day.
Where can you try the best local food?
Literary on every corner. You won’t be hungry in Novi Sad. There are small bakeries everywhere. Here, you can try burek or pastry with čvarci (a kind of pork crisps). But, if you want to find everything in one place, take a walk from the city center down Jevrejska Street. Here, you can try pljeskavica or ćevapi, which are considered Serbian street food. If you want to try a proper home-cooked meal, there are a couple of restaurants here for that as well. You won’t regret whichever you choose. If you have more of a sweet tooth, you can try gomboce (balls of cooked dough with filling in the center) or štrudla with poppy seed or walnut.
What about the nightlife?
For all of you party-people, there is a whole street dedicated to just partying. Laze Telečkog Street is in the city center and everyone can have a great time here. You can find pubs with a wide selection of beers and listen to rock music. Or, if you want to listen to Serbian music, you can visit one of the nightclubs and party like a local.
Novi Sad is home to the most popular music festival in Europe – the EXIT Festival. It is held every year in July at the Petrovaradin Fortress. There are as many stages as there are music genres – pop, rock, alternative, metal, techno, electronic dance, drum and bass, hip hop, reggae, and more! Everyone can party to the beat they love.
HTEC Group in Novi Sad
But, there is one more good reason to visit Novi Sad — our HTEC office and the amazing people who work in it and bring enormous value to the company as a whole.
We caught up with our Branch Manager and Head of Talent Acquisition, Predrag Pivarski, to talk about the beginnings, the rapid growth, and the people-centric culture of the HTEC Group office in Novi Sad.
“HTEC Group office in Novi Sad opened five years ago, and I was the first employee when we started our mission. The story about the office in Novi Sad started in Poslovni Inkubator — we wanted to be closer to the IT community and have great support for further development and growth. Of course, it was much easier to start this journey and develop our story in Novi Sad as the HTEC Group had already existed at the time.
One of the reasons we managed to make our mark so quickly is that we primarily give people an opportunity to work on high-quality projects with thought leaders and some of the most unique and influential companies worldwide but also startups with a bright future.
As time went by, we organically grew. Five years later, we became a stable company and a center of excellence for informational technologies inside a big HTEC Group. Our Novi Sad office grew steadily because we were and still are focused on quality and because we always try to be surrounded by top-quality people and engineers. Until the beginning of the pandemic, Novi Sad office had around 40 people. Then we acquired one IT company from Novi Sad, which helped us grow even further. About 300 people are currently working in the Novi Sad HTEC office, and I believe we have become an essential factor in the Novi Sad IT market.
One of the reasons we managed to make our mark so quickly is that we primarily give people an opportunity to work on high-quality projects with thought leaders and some of the most unique and influential companies worldwide but also startups with a bright future. This allows them to grow and develop their skills and competencies. I personally believe that our biggest value is transparency and involvement in all the activities that happen inside the company. When I say transparency, I mean that it is important to clearly present all the opportunities the company offers and all the decisions we make so that employees could really understand our values and be more engaged and eager to contribute to the company’s growth.
The most important thing is to be a support in the first place. All the people here are easily approachable — every colleague facing a certain problem can always come to us and ask for help to quickly find a solution. We believe that this resonates with our colleagues too and that they feel they can always rely on us if they are facing a certain problem. By building mutual trust, we can make this journey much easier and more enjoyable. People are truly our most valuable asset.
Our ambitions and future plans are big, and it is crucial that we all feel like a part of this journey and join our strengths on our road to success. HTEC Group has grown three times in the last year — we opened an office in Skopje two months ago, and we are expanding across the entire region. We are making a considerable effort to be surrounded by amazing people because we want to become leaders in what we do. Currently, we are the fastest-growing company in this part of Europe, and our ambitions are high as we want to become a global premium service provider in the next four years.”
Driving Growth
Driven by rapid growth, HTEC Group continues to expand its presence in Europe (and maybe even further). If you want to work on innovative projects with breakthrough technologies and some of the most successful companies worldwide and if you are eager to become a part of our winning team, come and join us! We offer a world of possibilities for personal and professional growth!
And, we continue our journey! Our next stop — Skopje, North Macedonia! Stay tuned!
