Palić already had an exceptionally rich tourist offer at the beginning of the 20th century. Guests had access to a spa with warm, cold, and mud baths, numerous summer residences, villas and rooms for rent, hotels, the Summer Stage, a library, various boats, and the complete Vermes sports center.
Transport connections were fast and efficient thanks to the railway and tram links with the city. Distinguished citizens, large landowners, wealthy merchants, bankers, and industrialists from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy used to visit.
How demanding they were can be seen from the restaurant menus – some of those dishes are still served today at the Small Inn.
The wine list, in addition to local selections, featured some of the finest wines, curated in the style of renowned restaurants in Vienna and Budapest. Visitors had access to 25 daily and weekly newspapers in five languages, indicating the international character of the tourists at the time.
Thus, long before Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Rogaška Slatina rose to prominence, beautiful villas, summer residences, and sports centers had already emerged on the southern edge of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy—as early foundations of spa tourism in Vojvodina.
The Great Terrace building stood out with particular beauty, through its proportions, the interweaving of structural elements, shapes, colors and openings. The only decoration is in the form of floral motifs embedded and perforated in wooden elements. The Great Terrace promenade that runs through the building divides the ground floor into two units, one housed a pastry shop, and the other a restaurant, both with spacious terraces oriented towards the lake. Two apsidal bazaars faced the park, which housed a barbershop, toy shop and paper shop. The side staircases lead to the storey belt that covers the passage and connects the two units into a single cube.
There, in the central part, was a multi-purpose hall where balls, concerts, parties and theatrical performances were held. It opened onto the park with a terrace above the bazaar, while the stage with rooms for artists and a terrace looked out onto the lake. This multi-purpose building changed its function over the years. Right in front of the Great Terrace, from the same period and in the same style, is the smallest Art Nouveau building – the Music Pavilion.
In keeping with the times, it was and still is used as a venue for promenade concerts. After a century, the Grand Terrace has become the most important congress center in the area. It has three congress halls, with a maximum capacity of 360, 50 and 20 seats, intended for holding congresses, conferences, meetings and various exhibitions, events and performances. The Palić Congress Center enables the organization of various types of business and other events in accordance with the needs of our clients. The congress center consists of three buildings: the Grand Terrace, the Eco Center and the Summer Stage.