If you get angry when you happen to be driving behind a tractor that is smoking and pulling on the road, then this text may not be for you. And so, one fine day, someone asked a question. Where to?
It opened up to me that Novo Milosevo has a museum. A museum of what? Tractors. I have never seen a tractor live. Is it downstairs? Stupid question, they didn’t go upstairs. Here we go.
Empty roads even before Korona.
Wonderful ride, about 1 hour from Novi Sad, which you can see for yourself here.
I had a thought, what do I know about tractors? I didn’t prepare at all.
But if you know how a tractor works, you may have a better opinion of this machine, which is intended for human well-being.
The tractor also has a diesel engine with which you could fly on the road, but its power is not focused on wheels but on traction, so when you overtake it, be aware that its engine is running at full power and is no weaker than your four-wheeler, it’s just differently deployed and has other priorities.
We enter Novo Miloševo, a sleepy place halfway between Kikinda and Novi Bečej.
The tractors are housed, where else, in the great hall. Luckily, we had a phone number because there was no one around us then. Some guy helped us, and so, here we are in the museum.
When you arrive on weekdays you have the whole museum at your disposal. Outside, poor ‘relatives’ are left to fend for themselves.
How did the exhibit start?
The story begins in the seventies of the last century when Mr. Žeravica decided that, drawn by nostalgia, he would try to get an old tractor from 1924, the kind his father had. As it usually happens, somewhere in the old country, he came across several similar tractors. The sharp eye immediately recognized the museum potential of these specimens and the rest is history. They started from a shed, and now they are very proud to occupy one of Bosch’s halls. They are all from the territory of Yugoslavia and they all worked to the last atom of strength.
Just so you know who the Žeravice are.
The more I walked, the more my respect for these machines grew.
They made it possible to replace both horses and people. Some of these monstrosities are older than my great-grandmother.
Around me, black monstrosities, so while I’m already here, let’s learn something new…
They were invented to replace horsepower. The famous H. Ford believed that there must be something better than a horse. Horses could only pull and today’s models can almost make an espresso. The first tractors were steam-powered and resembled small locomotives.
It’s nice to have a collection like this. There are rare specimens such as ……
Some tractors were made only of parts for jeeps. After World War II, these models mostly ended up in Africa. This jeep had a better fate.
It can be seen that a lot of effort and love has been invested in these machines, they say that they are all 90% in working condition, so they can still work.
Try to find me…
The central place in the collection is occupied by the oldest preserved tractors in Serbia and the wider region, such as the American “Hart – Parr 30” from 1920.
It is on the 14th place in the world ranking list of preserved specimens. It was constructed by two American students as their graduate work. He used kerosene and had two speeds.
And we have a racehorse. This is a copy from 1951, produced by the local mind in Rakovica, and, as many other models here, it can still work.
Another view from above…
Some had iron wheels, some worked on kerosene and some on solid fuel.
The tractors are mostly American-made, while the diesels are mostly from Germany.
The collected tractors were first exposed to the public in 1991.
Additional exhibits
Now, as usual, one passion overlaps with another, so there are old cars here, so in addition to the currently on display 162 tractors, a dozen steam engines, seven threshers, there are about 40 old-timers and countless other “smaller” exhibits. which illustrate technological developments in the late 19th and during the 20th century. If you come with a group, the curator will start one of the machines for you.
Some exhibits were on the second floor, with no elevator but that doesn’t detract from the atmosphere.
The forerunner of today’s computers.
Even such exhibits are collected.
My parents recognized the TV that was used in their childhood. It lasted a lifetime then.
Look what else I found. These must be the first stroller used by ‘numero uno’.
It was interesting to me, I went around a few laps, no one bothered us.
Interesting facts
By the way, the famous Dushko Popov is from Novi Milosev, who served as an inspiration to Jan Fleming to create the character of the famous agent 007 better known as James Bond.
The parents of the no less famous Ranko Žeravica bought the house from Duško’s parents, so that two great men came from only one house.
I don’t know if there is something in the water around these parts, but nowhere in Serbia will you find a smaller place with a greater population of famous people.
Conclusion
Filled with knowledge about tractors, I leave this dormant place. So, take a walk on the Vojvodina plain, look at the exhibits, and head to a farm for clear soup, rinfleish and gomboca, you won’t regret it.
And I’m going on new adventures with my faithful friend.
Have you been to the Tractor Museum in Novo Miloševo?
Did I miss something?
Traveled and enjoyed,
Marko Veličković
