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Petrovaradin Fortress is an old medieval Hungarian fortress built in the 13th century. In 1526. it was attacked by the Turks, and after a two-week siege, the Turkish army resorted to underground warfare. The fortress remained in Turkish hands until 1687. when it was won by Austria during the Grand Vienna War. It was lost again, and won again by the Austrians in 1692, who embarked on a rebuilding and strengthening program until 1727. that developed into the fortress we see today.

The Austrians expanded the underground tunnel network, the bastions of Hornverk and Wasserstadt, as well as a bridgehead and small fort on an island in the Danube. On some older maps you can see an extensive system of bastions in front of Hornverk, labeled "Crownwerk." The foundation was constructed for this fortification, but because of an earthquake in 1722, it was never completed. The earthworks were destroyed during a later expansion of the fortress after 1753.

In 1762, the Austrians lost Schweidnitz Fortress to the Prussian army, in part, because they were not able to fight well underground. The Austrians learned from this failure, and Austrian engineer Alrech Heinrich Schroder (Major commandant of Mineurs Corps) was brought in to develop a way to protect Petrovaradin Fortress’ network of tunnels in the event of another war with the Ottoman Empire. By 1764. he had put together a plan for more tunnels beneath Hornverk. Four hundred people worked from 1764. to 1776. on the project. Emperor Joseph II, himself, visited the tunnels in 1768, 1783, 1786, and 1788. During his first visit, he was so impressed during the military inspection that he promoted Schroder, and ordered the building to continue at an accelerated rate. To this day, there is a well in the fourth level named after Joseph II.

When the tunnel system was completed, Petrovaradin’s defenses were second only to the Antwerp fortress. The upper fortress has 16,000 meters (9.94 miles) of tunnels. These proved useful in 1813 when Napoleon attacked the Russian Empire; the Austrian crown jewels were hidden in the tunnels of the upper fortress.

The Fortress is the art centre today, with numerous studios of renowned artists. The Art Academy, cafés, planned walking routes and underground corridors attract many visitors of the city. The largest manifestation, EXIT (which many consider the largest event in the field of music in Eastern Europe).