Historical background of the Banovina Palace

The Banovina Palace, the present building complex of the Provincial Government and the Assembly of the AP Vojvodina, was the focal point of the Banovina administration and the Governor of the Danube Banovina in the period from 1939 to 1941, as between the two wars, or more precisely from 3 October 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was split into nine banovinas and those included: Banovina of Sava, Banovina of Primorje, Banovina of Drava, Banovina of Drina, Banovina of Zeta, Banovina of Morava, Banovina of Vardar, Banovina of Vrbas and Banovina of Danube.

The Banovina of Danube covered the area of Baranja, Banat, Bačka, Srem, Šumadija and Stig. The Banovina Palace, nowadays the building of the AP Vojvodina Assembly, used to be the residence of the Danube Banovina Governor. Only trustworthy people were appointed governors by the monarch (later-governorship), by way of decrees. They were to discharge the highest political and administrative powers in designated territories, on behalf of the king. However, only the last three out of eleven governors of the Danube Banovina could enjoy in the comfort of this complex, which had been created for almost a full decade according to the design of the architect Dragiša Brašovan.

After the occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Banovina Palace was the headquarters of the Military Administration and National Police.

After the Second World War and throughout the mid-fifties, in the representative rooms of the Banovina Palace, apart from the seat of the National Assembly of Vojvodina (promulgated by the Constitution of the FPRY as of 31 January 1946), there was also the Military Club, in which various cultural events took place.

The high-sounding governor titles were held by:


Daka Popović, Engineer
(1929-1930)


Radosav Dunjić
(1930)


Svetomir Lj. Matić, General
(1930-1931)


Milan Nikolić
(1931-1933)


Dobrica Matković
(1933-1935)


Milojko Vasović
(1935)


Svetislav Paunović
(1935-1936)


Svetislav Rajić
(1936-1939)


Jovan I. Radivojević, PhD
(1939-1940)


Branko Kijurina, PhD
(1940-1941)


Milorad Vlaškalin, PhD
(1941)

During the Second World War, the Banovina Palace was the headquarters of the Hungarian Military Administration for Bačka of the General Bela Novakovič. After the liberation and throughout the mid-fifties, apart from the Government and the Assembly, there was the Military Club in which various cultural events were organised. After the end of the Second World War, presidents of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina were the following persons:


Aleksandar Šević
(1945-1946)


Mateja Matejić
(1946-1947)


Ivan Melvinger, PhD
(1946-1947)


Đorđe Marinković
(1946-1947)


Jovan Doroški, PhD
(1947-1948)


Đurica Jojkić
(1947-1948, 1948-1950)


Isa Jovanović
(1947-1948)


Petar Milovanović
(1950-1951)


Danilo Kekić
(1951-1953)


Luka Mrkšić
(1953-1958)


Stevan Doronjski
(1953-1958, 1958-1963)


Radovan Vlajković
(1963-1967)


Ilija Rajačić
(1967-1969, 1969-1973)


Sreta Kovačević
(1973)


Vilmoš Molnar
(1974-1978, 1978-1982)


Đorđe Stojšić
(1982-1983)


Ištvan Rajčan
(1983-1984)


Dobrivoj Radić
(1984-1985, 1986-1987, 1987-1988)


Rudi Sova
(1985-1986)


Živan Marelj
(1988-1989)


Acting President Janoš Šreder 
(1989)


Branko Kljajić
(1989-1991)


Verona Adam Bokroš
(1989-1991)


Damnjan Radenković
(1991-1992)


Svetislav Krstić, Phd
(1992-1993)


prof. Milutin Stojković, PhD, Academician
(1993-1997)


Živorad Smiljanić,PhD
(1997-2000)


Čanak Nenad
(2000-2004)


 Bojan Kostreš
(2004-2008)


Šandor Egereši
(2008-2012)

Pásztor István
(2012-2023)

At present, Banovina Palace is the seat of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.